A Winter Visit!!

My spot today was lightly covered in snow. The trees around me were thin and bare, letting the sunlight penetrate to the forest floor. Almost all of the understory species had disappeared. The sound of the stream was still prevalent. I found some holes in trees that looked as an animal or bird was nesting in it to get away from the cold weather. Many more trees had fallen down, covering the pond and my walkway to my spot. I found mushrooms on trees as well that looked frozen in place.

My spot in Centennial woods has gone through many changes over time. In the 1800’s major deforestation was happening in Vermont. In centennial woods large amounts of trees were cut down for a pasture. This is seen in the succession of the area. Though there has been much time for the trees to recover they are still young and thin. This is seen in my spot in Centennial Woods. The pine trees are thinner than if one were to go to an old forest.

Today the land is used for recreational activities for the Students at the University of Vermont. The area was bought by the school and is used for labs, hikes, classes and more. Runoff is prevalent in the land as seen by the field. It is said to come from the Harris Millis dining hall.

Though I have not seen any wildlife in the area I know that it is there. Woodpeckers are common in these woods such as the Pileated Woodpecker, and the Downy Woodpecker. Many other birds are common in the area and hawks have been spotted as well. Racoon and White-tailed deer are also common though they have not been spotted by me.

 

 

 

Work Cited

Centennial Woods Natural Area Check List. (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2018, from https://www.inaturalist.org/check_lists/57424-Centennial-Woods-Natural-Area-Check-List

New Spot In Boston

 

Google Map:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/42°16’36.3%22N+71°08’32.9%22W/@42.2767539,-71.1446609,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!1m2!10m1!1e2!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d42.2767456!4d-71.1424844

Leopold – description of my new spot 

The cool wind is brushing my face and shifting and turning the leaves that lay beneath my feet. The overstory is quite abundant, tall trees stand as maples, oaks, and Norway spruces. The Spruces tower above me and at my feet cones rest. The understory is quite bare the leaves of red, and sugar maples cover the ground as well as red and white oak leaves. There colors spread the floor as a collage, telling the story of the seasons. Winter is coming. The leaves shedding the trees predict the upcoming winter. I see no animals and hear no distant birds showing their presents in the forest. There are no traces of any animals present, making the sounds of the forest only consist of the wind. It brushes through the trees singing the sound of the weather. The city that I stand in is Boston, resulting in me being able to see the street. I hear the sound of the automobiles rushing by polluting the sounds of the forest. The terrain is slanted pointing up the hill to the water tower that rests on the top. The forest is so spread out causing me to believe there is logging done in these parts of the woods. The trees are old and wise, they are thick and mighty. The light penetrates through the trees giving me a small sensation of warmth that heats my body as I stand on this chilly day.

 

Holland – Comparison of spots

The phenology of the two landscapes are quite different. When visiting the two sites in the early afternoon the light does not penetrate through the forest in the same way. The trees in Centennial woods are thicker, meaning less light reaches the forests floor in my spot. The natural world is always changing as I see in these two spots as the winter approaches.  In the area in Boston the trees are at a slant, yet in my spot in Burlington, the land is flat but the sides around me have an uphill slope. The trees in these areas are, for the most part, similar. In Boston, the forest covers itself with Norway’s spruces, oaks, and maples. In centennial woods, the maple trees are very present as well, when shedding their leaves, it is seen, that the ground is covered in all different colors, as the woods in Boston display too. The understory is much more abundant in Centennial woods followed by an increasingly large amount of Eastern white pines then in the new spot. The spot in Centennial woods has a larger number of snags and fallen trees, and the new spot has only a couple trees resting on the ground. In both spots no animals have been spotted as many are getting ready for hibernation or have already begun. Because the area is more secluded in Centennial woods I would anticipate more animal activity throughout the year. The natural area in each place will undertake incredible change with this upcoming winter, many trees will continue to lose their leaves, animals will go into hibernation, and new species will become present in the land.

 

 

New Pictures

Event Map!

Since the last time I had visited my sight the weather had gotten brisker. As I walked through the woods I noticed more leaves and pine needles on the ground. They covered the floor in red, yellow, orange, and brown. The maple trees still containing leaves had turned these bright colors. I could hear the sound of the wind pushing through the trees and smell fireplace. There were more snags and more bear trees on this visit making the forest’s trees look naked. The waterway had more fallen trees, leaves, and needles within it. The Eastern white pine trees still held many needles on the top but were bear on the bottom.

Updates from my spot

I did not see any wildlife or foot prints in my spot during my visit. This is because the ground was covered with leaves and needles. More trees had fallen, died, and lost their leaves. Because of this, I was able to see through the forest making the open field visible to me. There was a significant amount of bare trees and many of the understory species had died. I could hear the sound of the wind and waterway but no animals.

 

Birdseye view

Birdseye view of my spot

My location

https://goo.gl/maps/7b3qYR6J5wN2

Centennial Woods spot

My special spot is in centennial woods. At your first intersection in the path you turn right instead of going straight. This will take you to a small rocky river way with lots of vegetation surrounding it. It is a very peaceful spot because it has the visual aspect of the water way and many under and over story trees. You are also able to hear the water when sitting in the area creating a zen environment.

In the over story there are many Eastern white pines and small and tall Ash trees. There is also a Norway maple, Box elder and a Paper birch. In the under story there are many woody plants, some poison ivy, ferns, and Buck thorns. There are also some dead trees within the area.

 

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