While at my site for the last time this year I noticed a few things. First I noticed that underneath the hemlock trees there are no grasses coming up from under the leaf litter that covers the ground. Then there are grasses growing right where the canopy cover of the hemlocks stops.

At my place I don’t think that there is a strong bond between nature and culture, but there is one. My location is right off of a walking path, so to people who are walkers and walk through Centennial Woods can associate with this location and it is part of their culture of walkers. I think that this culture is very recent and that nature is not affected daily by this practice. Culture and nature are pretty separate in this sense at my location.

When it comes to being a part of my Sit Spot I think that I have become part of it. I have found solitude in this spot and have gone to it when I need to be alone on multiple occasions. I come into my spot and interrupt the natural processes that are occurring and I am with nature. I am a disruptor, but I have become a part of nature around me and for that reason I have become part of my Phenology Sit Spot.

Here are some pictures of the current state of my site.

On my visit to my phenology site, I was focused on the habitat and the possible species that could use this location as a home. Specifically I was looking for a habitat that amphibians could use and live in. While I didn’t see any amphibians, the habitat did appear to be suitable for them. The ground was moist and there is a river going through my site, perfect for amphibians. Additionally there are grasses sprouting that gives amphibians ways to hide from predators and get around safely. The part of the habitat that would seem most suitable for amphibians was a side pool that was out of the main stream of the river. The water was calm and covered by sticks making a decent sheltered area for small species.

Here is the small pool at the bottom of the picture covered by vegetation.

When looking for wildflowers popping through the leafs and needles I did not see any poking through. There are grasses and small vegetation beginning to pop up in some places but underneath the needle hemlocks there was no vegetation growing.

When looking at the landscape ecology, my site is far from an edge of the forest. Because of this the habitat could be home to interior species, however my location is used by humans as a walking trail so it would be less likely to see animals because of the disturbance of humans in the area. It is a very large possibility that forest interior birds like the Scarlet Tanager could be found in my location.

Here is a sketch of my phenology site.

Over spring break I visited my same location at Indian Brook Reservoir in Essex VT, as before. The location was very similar to how it was during winter break. Before break there was little snow and not much evidence of animal activity. This last time was after the large snows had fallen and the fluctuating temperatures had melted away much of the snow.

Compared to my phenology spot in Burlington, the two are very similar. I would describe both as Upland Forest and Woodland. It is this tree community because of the canopy cover as well as the tree species. There are Eastern White Pines, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, and White Birch to name a few of the diverse location. There wasn’t much undergrowth because of the snow covering the forest floor.

My location is an outdoor recreation location where people can fish, swim, hike, and participate in all kinds of leisurely water sports like canoeing and kayaking. While looking for animal and bird species, I saw a few unidentifiable birds that quickly flew by.

Here are a few pictures of my location.

Using Wetland, Woodland, and Wildland, (WWW) I have determined that my phenology sit spot is Upland Forest and Woodland. This is because the primary vegetation are trees such as Eastern Hemlock, Yellow Birch, Northern White Pine, and Red Maple. Also, looking at the canopy cover, it is greater than 60% covered meaning that according to WWW it can be identified as an Upland Forest and Woodland.

When looking at the phenology of my sit spot, not much has changed. There is still snow cover on the ground and there are no small, floor vegetation poking through the snow. What has changed is now the river is exposed, and also where I expected to see tracks, around the fallen tree, there were no animal tracks. What I did see however, were dog tracks. I know they were dog tracks, and not another animal because they were on the walking paths.

When using Biofinder, I found out that my location in Centennial Woods is habitat for rare species, and rare natural communities. It was interesting to use this online program and gain some knowledge I wouldn’t have otherwise.

Here are some images showing the canopy cover, tree species, the exposed river, and specifically the base of the fallen tree.

Today when I when to visit my phenology spot, it was different. I was excited to see the place I hadn’t seen for a few months and observe the differences, and also enjoy the solidarity it provided.

This image shows the snow cover and amount of grass that can be used by the forest dwellers. Upon walking around my site, I was able to find some animal tracks.

These tracks that I found appear to be those of a galloper and what I believe to be a squirrel living somewhere near the up rooted tree in my site. The snow already over the tracks made it difficult to determine whether the tracks were that of a bounder or a galloper.

The next pair of tracks that I found were both on the ice of the frozen river and in the long grasses of a previous wetland. They appear to belong to a red fox.

I went to my lab unprepared and didn’t completely look over the requirements needed for this addition to the blog, so I failed to take pictures of twigs and identify them. I will be sure to do this during my next visit, which I plan on doing before the next assignment is due.

My new Phenology spot is at Indian Brook Reservoir in Essex, Vermont. This spot is a 10 minute car ride from my home, and I have been going there my whole life. In the summer, my family and I go stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, and swimming in the water. We also go on walks around the reservoir. This spot is important to me because I’ve been going to it my whole life and I plan on continuing to visit when I am home from school.

The Reservoir is located at the point 44.532143, -73.095188.

Here are some pictures of the woods near the reservoir, featuring my little sister.  

Compared to my Burlington Sit Spot, the ground cover is very similar. At both sites the ground is covered by pine needles, fallen leaves, and ferns. Also, there are many Eastern White Pines at both location, showing similar soil types. Additionally, both locations have fallen dead trees, and lichen growing from them and on live trees.

What is unique about my new Phenology Spot is that it is on top of a small rock face and looks upon the Reservoir. Also, there are many boulders and rocks that can be seen on the surface of the geography. This means that the area was formed by a retreating glacier which deposited the boulders, and that the bedrock is shallow, because rock faces are visible.

At my location I observed,

• Eastern White Pines
• Red Oak
• Green Ash
• Striped Maple
• Geese

I did not observe much animal activity, because of the upcoming winter season and most animals have already migrated or are beginning hibernation.

Today I created an Event Map to help show what it is like while visiting my sit spot. It made me think about my senses and more about what is happening around me.

Since the last time at my Sit Spot, there have been a few changes to the scenery. One of the changes was that now the ground is covered more with dead leaves of the nearby oak, maple, and birch trees, than the pine needles that once where the only thing on the ground. Also, the algae that once grew on the dead log I sit on is now disappearing.

This latest visit was a new experience for me because I went at about 5:00pm and this time it was dark out. I broke out the head lamp and walked down to my spot in Centennial Woods.

I took a number of new pictures to showcase my spot in the dark. 

I hope that this isn’t graded on artistic ability, but here is my bird’s eye view of my Sit Spot.

Since the last time at my sit spot, there have been a few minor changes to the vegetation. For example, now there are many more leaves on the ground covering the forest floor, along with algae growing on the dead tree trunk I sit on. In general, the spot was much more damp today as this week has been mostly dark and rainy.

In terms of my location being a habitat for animals, I did not see any evidence of my place being a home for forest inhabitants. There were a lot less bird calls and disturbances that I could hear in the forest than my last visit, and I only saw one squirrel on my walk out of the forest.

For my Phenology Sit Spot, I decided to go to Centennial Woods. I was already slightly familiar with the paths from our previous NR1 assignment in the woods so I knew the general location of where I wanted to go. To get there, it is a short 10 minute walk from my dorm room on Athletic Campus, through the Hospital Parking lot and onto the trails of Centennial. This is part of the reason why I chose my spot. It is close by and I will have easy consistent access to a wooded area that I can observe throughout the winter.

In my sit spot I felt curious to see what was around and enjoyed standing up from my sitting log and looking at and identifying the tree species in my location. The woody species I identified were…

• Eastern White Pine
• Eastern Hemlock
• Norway Maple
• American Red Maple
• Yellow Birch
• Buckthorn
• Green Ash

On the Red Maple I noticed something that resembled the tar spots that appear on Norway Maples and was wondering if there was a connection between the two?

Along with the woody species there were many ferns, tall grasses, and what I like to call “elephant plants,” the short plants with a few thick leaves. The forest floor was coated in pine needles and there was no living cover such as grass on the ground. Also, I was interested to see a Green Ash tree uprooted and fallen over. It will be interesting if I will be able to see any kind of decomposition or species take over the tree as a habitat.

The only animal life I saw were a few birds that hopped along the ground, squirrels, and chipmunks. I walked through many spiderwebs between trees as well.

Here are some pictures of my spot. One shows the tall grasses and what seems to be a wetland or river in front of me (I will have to further investigate), and the other shows a small grouping of Eastern Hemlocks that cover my sit spot.

My first experience at my spot was relaxing and a good change of pace from doing homework inside the library and my dorm room. I am looking forward to continuing this assignment.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1v76ZJdD8imWwstdmwLieX-uRGOg&usp=sharing

Coordinates: 44.47681, -73.18728