Ava's Phenology Blog

This spot is a hardwood forest with no conifers to be seen. In the spring and summer the deciduous trees provide shade and habitat for the plants and mammals that live in the area. In the winter, the trees are barren. During my visit, the snow was melted so much that it was impossible to distinguish tracks through the crunchy, textured sheets of ice. In the mud around the entrance to the forest I saw some deer tracks. There were no signs of birds in the area, I didn’t even see any nests in the trees. However, this provided an incredible opportunity to see into the subnivean zone. In many spots I was able to observe holes in the ground which must be dens, connected through the subnivean zone like a neighborhood.

I think what might happen in this forest is that the creek which runs through it(separating it into two distinct sides) actually overflows and freezes along the lowest areas in the forest. I have seen this overflow happen when I have visited this location in the fall. There are really no distinct changes in elevation(unlike my hilly spot in Vermont). I was able to identify three of the focal tree species we have learned in class, Red Maple, Red Oak and White Oak. I saw a variety of trees that I tried to identify using online databases and my own inferences based off of the focal species. I think I saw both Black Walnut and Walnut Oaks. I also believe I saw Hybrid Poplar and Black Birch. I spotted some small plants which I used Seek to identify as White Avens and Garlic Mustard. These plants are responsible for some of the small wildflowers I see in the summer. Functionally, this forest may appear comparable to my site in Burlington, but the ecosystems are clearly very different.

Burlington is located within the Champlain Valley Region which is differentiated from other regions by clay soils and limestone sands which were deposited out of the remnants of glaciers and Lake Vermont. This is responsible for the natural communities which prosper from the calciferous soils deposited from ancient fossils of shellfish and other creatures which resided in the lake. My particular patch of the woods is a small patch. This is an upland community, located on the top of a slope which leans into a ravine. This means that the soil is well drained and will not become heavily saturated with water unless there is a lot of precipitation.

I noticed a lot of new tracks while I visited the woods. There was a weasel track which is one I have never seen before. I also saw a large nest and a very bent tree which I thought were interesting. I tried to take note of the dominant tree species in the area but this was difficult to do because there is such a variety. Some species were red and sugar maple, oaks, american beech, paper and yellow birches, white pine, and possibly hickory. This leads me to believe the best community designation would be a Northern Hardwood Forest. There is a clear domination of hardwoods, with significantly few pines. Since my last visit, there is a bit more snow. I selected a new spot this semester, so there has not been much change I can notice. I wonder if the ravine fills with water at all during the spring due to change in elevation. The uphill area I walked through presumably stays drier, for the reason I mentioned in the prior paragraph.