Last weekend, Vermont endured quite an impressive storm. The remnants of a tropical storm came north, bringing rain and howling winds with it. Within in the city, it seems like little has changed; however, the effects of the storm are far more obvious out in the wilderness. Yesterday was my first chance to return to Rock Point since then, and it strikes me as a very different sort of place than the first time I saw it.
The trees have lost almost all of their leaves to the high winds and dropping temperatures. The ground is now hidden under a layer of slick, wet leaves instead of soft white pine needles. Each stem now stands out, especially the bright white bark of the birch trees. Dense shrubs now look like tangled masses of sticks. Many young trees suffered damage. Some have broken branches; others were blown down entirely. Behind the treeline, the fallen leaves are mixed with twigs, branches, and entire trees.
This week required a slightly different approach than my previous visits. Up until now, I’ve been trying to document a progression over time, but now I have to account for the major disturbance that struck a week ago. Obviously I couldn’t watch the changes as they happened; instead, I have to read the signs they left behind. In a way, I must say that I’m grateful for that change. I found myself noticing some very small but fascinating details that I had entirely overlooked before. All of these observations have been cataloged in an event map, which Hannah Hinchman describes in her article, The World as Events. Essentially, an event map is a cross between an actual map, an illustration, and a notebook. It places events roughly where they occur, but they are not drawn to scale. Instead, the illustrations are meant to highlight important observations and features. Each event also has some sort of caption to explain exactly what happened. This exercise forced me to pay attention constantly, and the final product is fascinating to examine for different patterns.
My Event Map
As you can see, animal activity was spread throughout the area, though different species seem to appear in very distinct areas. Once again, the chickadees made themselves known and stayed for most of the time that I was there, though the tended to stay near the meadow or the treeline. In contrast, the titmice have always appeared behind the treeline and deeper into the forest, near the edges of my plot. Other species appear to come and go as they please. One large bird was flying around behind the treeline, and it only stayed for a brief time. Its white breast and crested head make me think it was a blue jay, especially since I have heard them calling in the forest before, but never seen one. And others have been even more scarce, only leaving signs of their presence. I found an old, dying white cedar near the rocks with huge holes in its trunk. The size and shape of these holes reminds me of a pileated woodpecker, but I haven’t yet observed it directly. We discussed pileated woodpeckers during lecture, so I am extremely curious. The large number of snags and presence of older trees are ideal, but I do worry that my location is too close to the forest edge. Hopefully, I’ll see more signs of activity in the future.
The Holes Found in the Dying Cedar
One a similar note, I spent quite a bit of time observing snags on this visit. Enough dead trees are present in my area that I’ve noticed a large variety of ways in which they contribute to the ecosystem. After this storm, I expect to see even more diversity from the trees and snags that were broken or blown over. One small snag near the path was uprooted and covered in moss. One dead paper birch was still standing and now has fungi growing on its side. Another must have been recently blown down in the storm; it is now leaning against the rocks at the edge of my plot. The snag near the edge of the meadow is still standing, and I’ve often seen it used as a perch by the chickadees and other birds. The sheer complexity of this single aspect of the ecosystem is astounding. With each visit, I feel that I’ve discovered another layer of the ecosystem, and this week was no exception.
The Moss-Covered Snag
Fungi Growing on the Paper Birch Snag
Fallen Snag Leaning Against the Rocks