Sharon Newman Phenology Blog

Visiting this site for the last time made me unexpectedly sad. I didn’t realize how much I would miss this place. Having spent time at lone rock so often this year, I felt it has been a place I can really connect with nature and feel comfortable and happy. It wasn’t too different from the time I visited in April- it was a slightly warmer day. I noticed the rocks were a much darker shade and assume that was due to all the water and rain. All of the trees are at least budding and some (mentioned in April’s blog) are beginning to bloom.

Nature and culture intertwine at my place in many ways. Lone rock has a rich history beginning with its formation from faults and then its usage by native American peoples, to its takeover by white men. The land was urbanized for the people who long ago, built their homes at lone rock, and today it is closer to its natural state, but a site that hikers come to and enjoy. Rock climbers, swimmers, cliff jumpers, hikers, and all people come to Lone Rock to enjoy its beauty and view. At the same time, lone rock has a really special and dynamic ecosystem, where many species live there which are not found in other areas of Burlington. There are beautiful cedar patches and rock formations that people come to to enjoy and animals use as habitat. in these ways, nature and culture have met at Lone Rock for years and years.

I am a part of my place. I am a human, a species of animal, and I belong to the earth. Everywhere I go, I make an impact on the natural and manmade systems, and this causes me to be a part of them. at lone rock, I may step on plants by accident, which impacts them, and that may be the part I played in that ecosystem. However, I’d like to think I play a greater role by talking about all the beauty and enjoyment I experience at Lone Rock and sharing that with others, on this blog and in real life. I hope to share my love of that piece of earth for others to appreciate and try to protect with me. I also hope that by identifying species in the area that I am respecting and acknowledging their presence, which is important in conserving them.

Lone rock is beginning to look look it did when I first went there in the summer! Everything is coming alive again, the water is unfrozen and waves have resumed crashing against the rocks. The bed of the forest and edge of the rocks are covered in green grass. I noticed one type of spring wildflower poking up which I looked up and found it to be called a Round-lobed Hepatica, Liverleaf.

The buckthorns have begun to grow and sprout, along with a few other trees. I noticed that the trees and rocks were all covered in moss, which I learned was from all of the rain and wind that carried them there. Also, the water has risen to really high levels from all the rain and melted snow, and reaches high up towards the rock.

sketch of lone rock

Over spring break, I visited Niagara Falls, a very different ecosystem than Lone Rock. Niagara Falls was created thousands of years ago, during the Ice Age when water hurtled over the rim of a steep slope called the Niagara Escarpment. It is predicted that Native Americans living in the vicinity of the falls were the first to discover it, and it was further traversed by European settlers and explorers. I saw many squirrel tracks in the snow and watched as squirrels scampered around the trees by the edge of the falls. I also heard and saw birds such as gulls and a cardinal. I read that there are many animal species that live in that region including about 300 bird species, including the Great Horned Owl. There are also 53 mammal species, including animals such as white tailed deer, red fox, weasels, rabbits, and muskrats. There were deciduous and conifer trees by the falls. I think that there were oak trees, but I am not 100% sure as it is harder to tell in the winter. There was also White Ash and Maple trees. Compared to Lone Rock, both sites have many species in common. This makes sense, as they are both located in the American North East. Lone Rock, however, is much less urbanized, therefore has a stronger ecosystem and hosts many species, especially those that are endangered.

Works Cited:

Niagara Falls History. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/niagara-falls-state-park/history

Fauna. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.tourniagara.com/geologynature/fauna/

I walked across the frozen lake and climbed up the cliff to lone rock on this visit. It was so beautiful and one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced. The sun was shining brightly, only a few cirrus clouds swept across the sky. The rocks were much less icy than in February, but ice and snow still filled cracks within the rocks. Each deciduous tree had lost its leaves, but the conifers remain green. I think that this month reminded me most closely of the summer months. While standing on the ice looking up at the rocks, I could pretend it was a summer day (ignoring the snow) because of how green the conifers stood, and how warmly and brightly the sun was shining. The differences between now and my first visit included the lack of wildlife (birds, insects, and plant variety). Also, it was less windy which I attributed to the lake, as it was frozen and created no waves crashing on the rocks. I saw no signs of wild animal tracks in my spot, even if walked deeper into to the forested area at Lone Rock, further back from the cliff. There were, however, many tracks which I guessed to be domestic dogs, as they fit the description for the track size and shape, and the prints were not in direct lines but instead in wild patters of twists and turns to show the way the dog had wandered. The grass, although their color has faded and they have thinned, are still present as they have been all year.

Lone Rock incorporates many natural communities! These include Mesic Maple- Ash- Hickory-Oak forest, wetlands, White-Pine Transition Hardwood forest, and Limestone enriched communities. The evidence of the forest types are apparent because those are the types of trees present. The wetland areas include clay and silty soils which are poorly drained. The limestone community is due to the calcium rich bedrock upon which lone rock was created, which allows plant life to take root.

Since my last visit to Lone Rock, many, many things have changed.  First and most obvious was part of the lake freezing over! This was so beautiful to experience from the height of lone rock and the comparison between frozen and unfrozen lake was amazing.  The large rocks at the edge of the water also looked quite sublime with ice lining their sides and I felt as if I was in Alaska or Antartica.  The deciduous trees had completely lost all of their leaves, and stood bare.  Pools of ice puddles amidst the cracks in the rock were completely frozen over, and snow filled the smaller cracks and lined the forest floor.  When I sat still on the cold rocks, I heard not a noise, and meditated peacefully on top of the cliff, the frozen lake many feet beneath me.  I also saw no single insect or other living being, just their tracks in the snow left behind.

There were a couple of instances of animal tracks that I noted.  The first one (the photo with disconnected oval-like shapes ran deeper into the forested area of Lone Rock.  I think the steps were from a diagonal walker, and were about two inches long.  (A deer?) The other set of prints were along the edge of the man-made trail. They reminded me of the raccoon bounder tracks we viewed in class.

As I was leaving my site, I saw, in the distance, a small black figure.  At first I thought it was someone’s small dog, but it wandered without a leash beneath some rocks on the edge of the lake.  I couldn’t get close enough to see the animal, but I had a clear view of the tracks, the most distinct wild animal tracks I’d seen all week!  My phone died due to the cold so unfortunately I couldn’t take a picture.  The prints were about an inch long.  They looked liked those of a bounder, and my guess is that it may have been a mink.  I am completely unsure though (however I did find that minks can reside along the edges of lakes).

The photos of twigs I identified were those of an Oak and Shagbark Hickory.  Most of the other trees there are conifers (cedars and pine).  The twig sketched I at first assumed to be a buckthorn, as it was in an area concentrated with other buckthorns, but the bud didn’t fit the buckthorn image.  I couldn’t seem to figure out what species this bud is, however I plan on continuing my investigation and updating this blog once I decipher it.    

I missed Lone Rock! Every time I visit it, its natural beauty and grandeur surprises me.

Before going to Lone Rock for my last time this semester, I did some research about its human history.  Lone Rock is believed to be a site used by the Abenaki Tribe for a range of activities, due to its lake front location.  Deforestation occurred at Lone Rock, however it opened up the view of lake Champlain, making its beauty apparent and seen by all who pass by.  The first Bishop of the Diocese of Vermont, Bishop John Henry Hopkins, was so captivated by its beauty that he decided to cut down more trees, dig up stones, get rid of stumps and construct a house in the middle of it.  The Bishop and his family lived on the land for over 50 years and cultivated it through subsistence farming.  After Hopkins left the land, it was used as a military marching training ground for boys during the civil war.  Currently, the land is set aside for human’s to hike and enjoy, and endangered species to have a place to grow.

Citations:

Berrizbeitia, I. (n.d.). Focal Places in Burlington. Retrieved from https://www.uvm.edu/place/burlingtongeographic/focalplaces/rockpoint.php

Today was a very cold day at Lone Rock.  There was some snow on the ground further from the edge of the rock, and the winds were especially sharp.  I listened closely, but heard no sign of birds and saw no tracks or scat indicating presence of wildlife. They are sure to be beginning to settle in for winter, either by migration, hibernation, dormancy, or remaining active.  During the hike to my spot I saw a couple squirrels scrambling up trees.  All deciduous trees in the area had lost their last leaves, however the conifers remained with theirs.

As I stood in the midst of the setting sun

one with the bare rippling trees and tall shrubs

all of us shivering from the harsh wind

and shrinking in the sublimity of the golden sky and tumbling waters

As I stood lightly atop the towering slab of dolostone rock and iberville shale

I felt as if nothing was real but the wooshing of the wind past my bare ears

and the rough and cool stone against my numbed finger tips

I stared at the glaring sun and my stare became shakey and my eyes became soft.  I grew lost in the beckoning light leading me farther and farther from my shoes that stayed nailed to the ground as my feet joined with the darkening clouds so far and warm

Rock Point, Lake Champlain. Postcard[Photograph]. (2010, June 4). PSAW ephemera collections, SeeSaw Blog In L. Cowan (Comp.).

After learning about naturalist, Edward Abbey during class, I became interested in his writing style and ideas so I read some of his quotes and writing.  I found these quotes that stood out to me, and also reminded me of my place here in Burlington.

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.”
― Edward Abbey

Scott’s Run Embedded Map

Description in the style of Leopold

The trees stand with few brightly colored orange and yellow leaves on their bearing limbs.  Around this time, there are not many birds flying about.  The squirrels run around frantically for leftover acorns laying amidst the forest.  As I continue to stroll through the woods, the leaves spread across the forest floor more thinly as I approach a rocky terrain.  I can look out and observe a pool of water, a very deep green.  A jet of white-water shoots between the rocks, and I pity the man who never can see such a beautiful site as this.  No fish swim in the water, as it is too polluted- the impact of the human’s carelessness towards the beauty of the landscape.  The sun shines brightly through the mostly leafless trees.  I see the last birds migrating south and feel my gun at my side considering hunting one for a delicious meal. I sit and observe the waterfall flowing with such strength and I feel a cool breeze at my face and neck from the water.  I wonder about the life here before the nature was taken over and rebuilt into land to serve human needs.  The small lake must have been teaming with fish and an abundant fishing spot.

Comparison Between here and Lone Rock in the style of Wright

The trees in Burlington seem to have prepare for winter at a faster pace than those of Virginia.  Most trees are completely bare at lone rock; however, in Virginia more trees retain their leaves.  In both places, the oak trees have clusters of yellow leaves. Also, there are much more wild animals at Scott’s run, like squirrels, birds, and visible insects.  In this season, Virginia stays light much later compared to Vermont.  Compared to the abundance of conifers and buckthorns, Scotts Run has much different species, their kind I was unsure of.  There were a few beech trees and some oaks, however.  The rocks at the edge of the cliffs in both places were also much different types, with different patterns.  The warmer weather in Virginia may be a reason the two areas have many differences. While there was snow on the ground in Vermont, the ground was bare in Virginia. Grasses between the cracks in the rocks in Vermont and along the hike were a dying brown or gone, opposite from home where the grass is still green.  In both places, brown and yellow leaves coat the ground, and life has begun to disappear from view for the winter season.

Event Map:

The November winds today were fierce and sharp as I stood next to a cedar tree and gazed into the sun, which was glaring amidst the clouds. The trees surrounding me stood, some completely bear, but many steadfastly hanging on to their last few leaves.  The Oak leaves, which were of yellow and green shades last month, are now brown with a yellow undertone.  The leaves of all of the deciduous trees, that still retain them, have faded to yellow brown, and some light red.  The Buckthorns all seem to be bare of leaves until the top of the bush, where small yellow and brown leaves hold strong.  The grass is mostly green with a slight yellow fade, except between the cracks of the rock where it’s tan.  Brown Cedar leaves coat the ground, fallen from the many Cedars in my spot.  Indents in the rock are filled with large puddles of water, which ripple powerfully in the intense wind.  No signs of wildlife were apparent today.