Phenology Project

As part of my last week here, I visited my phenology spot for the final time. It looked pretty similar to the week before but it was hard to tell what had changed since it was rainy outside; everything looked gloomy. Signs of spring were still appearing but no plants had actually flowered yet. I did not see any birds but I know I heard a woodpecker. I also saw some water bugs floating on top of the brook.

Nature and culture intertwined at Centennial Brook by being easily accessible to almost everyone. It’s easily accessible to us college students, it’s easily accessible to the neighborhood that lives in front of it, and it’s easily accessible to anyone who lives in the Burlington/South Burlington area. Anyone can hike in Centennial and be able to connect themselves to the great outdoors there. They can explore the trails and feel connected with nature as well as themselves.

My phenology spot, Centennial Brook, has become a big part of my freshman year here at UVM. Although, I would not say that it is a part of me. This is because I feel as though the spot is not exactly the kind of spot I wanted to post about for the year. The reason I did not change spots is because Centennial is easily accessible and having no car here, I cannot easily access other places. The Centennial Brook was a nice spot, but I do not have the feelings for it that I wish I did. That being said, I know whenever someone mentions Centennial I will think of the brook and reminisce this project.

I visited my phenology spot on the 25th. It was pretty sunny outside and around 60 degrees. When I visited, I noticed that there were some dandelions in Centennial but there weren’t any wildflowers at the brook. I think this is because even though the weather here is getting nicer, it’s still not consistently warm enough for spring flowers to bloom. The trees I noticed that have began to sprout buds were sugar maples and red maples. I also did not see any birds at the brook but I could hear them in the distance.

Using Wetlands, Woodlands, and Wildland as a reference, I would classify Centennial Woods as somewhere in between a woodland and wild land. A woodland is described as, “Sugar Maples. A walk in the autumn woods. Beech and black bear. A dark hemlock ravine. Wildfire on a pine knoll. Hobblebush and Spruce. Spring wildflowers.” Centennial has Sugar Maples, Beeches, spring wildfires, and is great for walking in the woods. A wild land is described as, “A natural place. Wind. Rain. Snow. Wildfire. Cliffs, gullies, and gorges. A calm, quiet, healing place.” Although Centennial does not have wildfires, cliffs, gullies, or gorges, it fits all the other criteria for a wild land. I’ve concluded this due to the wind, rain, snow, Sugar Maples, American Beeches, and wildflowers that can be found in Centennial Woods. Potentially, my phenology site has all of these species even though it is currently covered with bare trees and melting snow.

There have been many phenological changes since I first started visiting Centennial Woods. Throughout my blog posts, there have been many pictures to go along with each season at the brook. At the begging of the first semester, the trees were flourished with green leaves and the flowers were alive and vibrant. The brook was traveling fast due to the amount of rainfall we had gotten and the birds were chirping away. Once fall came around, the leaves started turning into different shades of yellow, orange, brown, and green. The flowers were still present and the brook seemed to have slowed down a little. I saw a couple squirrels and the birds were chirping loudly still. The winter came; Centennial was covered in snow and all the trees were bare except the coniferous ones. The brook was not frozen and it was traveling fast due to the snow melting.

I have not visited my phenology site for quite some time and there were many changes. The first and most obvious is the snow. Last time I visited, the trees still had some colorful leaves and the grass was still green. Now, the grass is covered in snow and the trees branches are bare.

It was difficult to tell what wildlife was at my site. There were many human tracks and the tracks that seemed to be from wildlife were covered with a new layer of snow, making it impossible to tell what kind of tracks they were. If I had visited my site after a fresh snow fall, then identifying animal tracks would have been much easier.

Most of the trees were bare which makes it harder to identify them. Although, I saw an Eastern White Pine, a Sugar Maple, a Yellow Birch, and a Box Elder.

Drawing of Box Elder Twig

Picture of Box Elder Twig

Eastern White Pine

Centennial Brook Covered in Snow

The human history of Centennial Woods that I’ve discovered throughout this semester includes the Green Mountain boys camping there in 1760’s. The peak land clearance in Centennial happened 150 years before present and the farms were abandoned in the 1860’s which caused the pines to thrive. From 1891 to 1968 the land was privately owned and used as a ski area in 1963. Then in 1974 the woods turned into a designated UVM natural area which leads to present day.

Written in the style of Leopold, describing Aquetong Creek:

Wandering the different streets in New Hope, Pennsylvania, my friend and I stroll down an alleyway. The store we were hoping to enter is closed. We retreat to the back of the building and find a quiet creek. Sitting on rock, I realize this would make a great phenology place. The river, relaxed and flowing slowly, has a murky brown color and is only a couple of feet deep. The plants surrounding the river consists of many shrubs and lots of milkweed, although there will be no butterflies at this time of year. The asters that were once a vibrant shade of purple, are now fading just like the trees leaves surrounding them. I notice many of the trees no longer have leaves left and the ones that do only have a couple left. Yellow; the only color left on the tree that still has its leaves. The sky, cloudy and gray, reflects off of the creek. I am able to see the reflection of the trees and other plants off of the water. My friend and I sit there for quite some time on the brisk, cold day taking in the beauty of nature. I see squirrels scurrying up the side of a lonely tree. The only downside of this new spot I found is hearing the sounds of obnoxious vehicles speeding by. After a long duration of time passes, my friend and I retreat from the creek but the memory of it will remain in my mind.

Written in the style of Wright, comparing ecology and phenology:

The milkweed sits beside the creek and the brook in both places, leaving a place for monarchs to lay eggs. The purple asters rest by the edge of the bodies of water, slowly losing their color. Aquetong Creek, unlike Centennial Brook, does not have many trees that I can recognize. The Norway Maples, Box Elders, and Red Oaks at the Brook were not present at the Creek. More wildlife was noticed at Aquetong including deer and squirrels, as well as rabbits. Centennial does not seem to have as active wildlife. At the Aquetong Creek, trees seem to be covered in tangled, green, English Ivy. In the woods at Centennial, there does not appear to be any English Ivy surrounding the trees. Instead, I’ve noticed fungi of colors brown, white, yellow, and many more. The noises of the chirping birds in Centennial are prominent making identification easier. At Aquetong Creek, you would be lucky to hear birds chirping. The overpowering sound of cars, trucks, and buses from nearby roads causes the birds calls to be drowned out. Centennial Brook, deep in the Vermont woods, surrounded by a forest of trees, runs much faster than Aquetong Creek; a creek in a small town in Pennsylvania, surrounded by minimal trees, plants, and houses.

Aquetong Creek

Milkweed

Asters

Changes in the scenery since the last time I was at Centennial Brook include the trees continuing to lose most of their leaves. Most of the leaves on the trees were yellow or there were no leaves at all. The water was also running faster and higher than last time due to the multiple days of rainfall this past week.

Brook running fast

Norway Maple

Event Map

Changes I’ve noticed since the last time I visited my phenology place include the vegetation losing their vibrant colors and turning brown. The trees also lost a lot of their leaves and there are still no signs of wildlife. I also noticed that the brook seemed deeper and had more water due to the amount of rainfall recently.

Birds eye view