Visited on Friday, October 19, 2018 at 1:30pm. Sunny, windy, 55°F

 

It’s been some time since my last waterfront expedition here in Burlington. Since last time I visited, I’ve noticed the small jetty into Lake Champlain looks more bare, with significantly less green hues and lush shrubbery, and instead more yellows and ambers in the landscape, with crisp fallen leaves on the ground.

Because the weather was especially good today, lots of families and older couples took advantage and got outside to walk or bike along the lakefront. In fact, my phenology spot, usually quiet and mostly uninhabited with the exception of an occasional fisherman, was now occupied by seven or eight individuals observing the 3-4 inch swell of the Lake, fishing, or reading.

The abundance of red maples appeared to have drier leaves, crumpled on the branches and leaves scattered about on the ground.  The basswood tree I use as the epicenter of the phenology site has gorgeous yellow leaves-a vast change in detail from the vibrant green color I last saw. In addition, many of the shrubs and small plants on the jetty looked bare and mostly brown in color.

In addition to the foliage adapting to the changes in season, the wildlife is also changing. While in the area, one can spot a few ducks in addition to a cormorant here and there. Squirrels can be found passing from time to time, as well as a seemingly endless amount of flies passing in front of your face. Good times.

 

Below is a hand-drawn, birds-eye map of my location on the Lake Champlain jetty. Notice the basswood I mentioned earlier is located at the center of the circular map, in the center of the base of the jetty.

Kampf, M. (Photographer). (2018). Untitled [Burlington Waterfront, Photograph].

 

P.S. On my walk over to the phenology location, I overheard a family walking along the waterfront. A mom said to her teenage son, “Wow, this has to be one of the most beautiful places in the country to go to college,” to which the family agreed in unison. And in that moment, I could not disagree- the Lake’s vibrant navy color and the mountains across the body of water in New York made the view truly phenomenal. Observing the changes of the seasons truly makes Burlington feel especially like home. Hopefully that high school student feels the same comforting, homey draw to Burlington as I feel and decides to attend UVM also.

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