April Plot Reflection

Yesterday we went to the plots. I was very excited to see all the changes that happened since we were last there. The ground of the plot was very dry and the leaf litter had gone down probably due to decomposition. As the arborist I noticed that a lot of the small trees that had disappeared during the winter still hadn't come back. The larger sapling sized white pines had only grown a little bit in width. Two of these white pines had vines twisted around them which at the top of the trees sprouted into small green leave. This vine also snaked across the ground of the plot. We also found a single odd looking purple leaf that had sprouted up from the ground with a smaller one a few inches away. The back the leaf was green with strange dark spots. What kind of leaf is this? Could the spots be a growth/fungus or are they part of the leaf its self? Another thing we found that was interesting was 4 small shallow holes at the base of one tree. Could it be a small mammal? Or possibly something used for reproduction for an insect?  Finally, the moss that we had found earlier this school year seemed to be dying. We think that this could be because of the cold snaps we have been having right after bursts of warm weather. I really hope to find out even more about the plot next month since it will be one of the last times we are going.