Phenology Blog

This months phenology assignment was to asses wildlife in Centennial. The day I went to Centennial was 40º, so the snow had melted away the animal tracks. However that was the only downside from the weather. I was able to spend hours in my phenology spot, enjoying the sun while it lasted.

Throughout the visit I kept my eyes out for animal tracks. The tracks that were still visible appeared to be from a Gray squirrel. These tracks were leading to and from one tree. This tree seemed to be a popular spot for the squirrels to forage for food or shelter. There was no visible nests in this tree, so I am assuming it is rich in food. l. “Gray Squirrels can be found in mature hardwood forests dominated by hard mast, or nut producing trees such as oak, hickory, and beech. It seldom frequents softwood stands, which are more commonly used by the red squirrel.” (Vermont Fish and Wildlife) The relation between the tree and the squirrel is evident from the photograph.

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Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://vtfishandwildlife.com/

Tracks of what seems to be a Grey Squirrel or a Red Squirrel!

The Mammal Tracks pocket guide , is showing that the walking pattern and foot prints of this animal are most likely from a squirrel.

This is a Sugar Maple twig from Centennial Woods.

This was my first time back in Centennial since last semester. It was refreshing to go back and spend time exploring the site. The site was icy, so I didn’t spend too much off the trail. The only greenery in sight was from the pine trees.

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I grew up in the suburbs of New York, on Long Island. Long Island is a short distance from Manhattan, so the hustle of the city carries of into life in the suburbs. The place I call home is also home to seven and a half million other people. At home, when considering my sense of place, I think of all of Long Island. What immediately comes to mind is many houses crowded together, and plenty of shopping, with small amounts of nature. Each town has a village, similar to church street, but full of traffic. Burlington is very different from Long Island, but I still feel at home in both places. My sense of place is defined by the people in each place. Having a sense of place is what makes a person comfortable, I feel this in many different places. After having spent three months here in Burlington, I felt strange going home to New York. The familiar sense of crowded spaces and a constant hustle is very different than life in Vermont. 

This phenology blog has made me stop to consider nature at home. I was able to visit the beach while I was home. This to me, is the best part about home. Nature in a suburb outside of the largest population dense city in America looks very different than nature in Vermont. The beach is one example of nature at home, it brings me the same peace that the forests of Vermont do, despite the differences.

I believe that a location can hold memories and experiences, but does not define a sense of place. This has been proven to me throughout my experience in college so far. I left everything familiar to me, and created my own life, which has a sense of place to me.

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My location for my phenology blog is near a brook in Centennial woods. I chose to study the brook to see how it changes over the next few months. Surrounding the brook are many smaller trees, which indicated new growth. There are also many fallen trees, which I am interested in watching the progression of how a fallen tree decomposes. There seems to be a wide variety of vegetation and many unique species due to the brook. There are many large pine cones that are on the ground nearby, which are indicative of eastern white pine trees in the surrounding area. The logs that have fallen across the river are former eastern white pines. There are a lot of bush type species in the banks of the stream. The picture is from my first visit to the spot, but since I have taken pictures the leaves have started to change colors and drop to the forest floor. The water flows through but not at a fast pace, and the rocks look to possibly be shale. There are also a high number of mushrooms growing on the floor of the woods, covered by leaves. I get to my phenology spot (shown on map) by walking through centennial, which is right off campus, I enter near the bike rack. There is not much evidence of human activity in this specific area of the woods.

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