Nick's Phenology Blog

Over spring break I ventured to a salubrious natural area known colloquially as the Ottoson Woods, due to its close proximity to my alma mater The Ottoson Middle School.  Everyday, or rather every school day, these woods are utilized by savvy middle schoolers attempting to shave a few minutes off their daily morning trek. All these teenage feet have carved several paths throughout the woods, which fragment the  area into distinct parcels. The parcel I paid special attention to strangely lacks trees besides a few scattered trees and a neat row of four. All these trees I believe are some kind of oak. A few of the branches were holding onto a small but noticeable amount of leaves. This leads me to believe that they are possibly red oak or pin oak, for these are species known to occasionally hold onto dead leaves in the winter time. At my spot there also were scattered birches in an area of smaller shade intolerant trees and the occasional woody plant. With that being said, mostly oaks comprised the land.

A tidy row of oaks

I am guessing that this patch is empty of trees because it was once cleared. The spot is at the top of a fairly steep drop off, making it a good view in the winter when the trees have shed their leaves. It is my theory that the land was cleared to give the folks of Arlington a nice place to go and look at a moderately pretty view. Due to the fact that hoards of middle schoolers trample through the Ottoson Woods twice a day, many smaller and young species are not able to develop into larger versions of themselves. Also, there is a thick suburban neighborhood. The Ottoson Woods is one of the few natural area close by that these people can enjoy. So besides young students, there are always humans and dogs walking and running, which further disturbs the woods.

Probable shade intolerant species and small trees

On the day I visited the woods it was ominously quiet. I looked in the canopy for signs of birds, but I was not able to spot any with my eyes. As I started to make my way out of the forest, I heard a caw in the not so distant distance. I am fairly sure it was a crow, but it also could of been a raven. Overall the dearth of birds and bird calls was disappointing, although not surprising when one considerate the size (small) and the surrounding environment (residential neighborhoods) of my spot.

A lofty view of Ottoson

Embedded Map of my spot, which I just learned is called Crusher Lot!

I am confident that my phenology location is best described as a silver maple-ostrich fern riverside flood plain. At my spot the first thing one most likely notices is that it is an island sticking out close to the shore of the Winooski River. At certain times of the year the flood plain in directly connected to the shore of the river. At my last visit, which was after a series of warmer days, the river height was much taller than it usually is. This is intuitive, since melting snow was feed into the river. The second aspect of my spot that would be noticed are the towering silver maples that create a canopy 100 or so feet above you. Besides these maples, there are not many other trees, only vines and a thick layer of ferns covering the whole forest floor. Wetland, Woodland, Wildland describes silver maple-ostrich fern flood plain as having “towering silver maples with pillar-like trunks and arching crowns” which “create the impression of a cathedral interior”(251). The lofty silver maples and the openness below the canopy that is illustrated vividly in Wetland, Woodland, Wildland is exactly what made me find this spot so mesmerizing back in semester one. This cathedral effect is displayed well in photos from early posts.

As I alluded to above, the melting of snow that has occurred and will continue to occur when winter draws to a close is going to significantly affect my phenology spot. I am eager to see how high the water level will rise. If the water level breaches over the bank, how will the natural community react? As one can see in the photo below, fresh debris was washed down the river. Since there are signs of beavers at my spot (trees gnawed on), as melting snow increase and more debris flows with the river, I wonder if beavers will use these materials for the construction of dams. For my most recent visit I was hoping to find some vernal pools, but unfortunately this was not the case. I will keep my eyes open on future visits, but the thick layer of ferns on the forest floor and the prospect of flooding might prevent vernal pools from occurring at my spot.

Debris gathering as the water level rises

My location is marked at highest priority on Biofinder. The whole Winooski River and its surrounding ecosystems are all highest priority as well. This makes sense, because flood plains are important environments that are easily affected by negative impacts. Biofinder marks my spot as an area without vernal pools, which confirms that I probably will not encounter any. The island is also notated as a wetland and an uncommon natural community. All in all, these details uncovered by Biofinder and my observations about the spot agree well with the description of a natural community labeled as a silver maple-ostrich fern riverside flood plain.