During the global BioBlitz on iNaturalist, I visited a lot of places in the Greater Burlington area. I went to Centennial Woods, Rock Point, and the Intervale Center. All of these places were amazing and had lots of species for me to observe. In total, I observed over 100 species in four days. iNaturalist was super easy to use and people were always online to help me identify my observations. The only downside is that iNaturalist drains your phone battery so I suggest you take pictures at a location and post them later when your phone can be plugged in. Don’t worry the time and location will still be specified in your post whether or not you are still at that specific location.
Places I observedFungiWoodpeckerSalamanderFirefly LarvaGreen bee or wasp
It was a dreary day out in Centennial Woods, but as they say, April showers bring May flowers. Despite the rain, it was quite pleasant walking in Centennial Woods today. I took my time getting to the Beaver Bridge so I could admire all the new growth of spring. I am originally from Florida so I don’t usually get to see different seasons. Our spring blends in with all our other seasons: sun, sun, sun, and rain. Vermont’s spring is full of vibrant colors and they were on full display in Centennial. As I walked I got more and more excited to see the transformation of the Beaver Bridge. Unfortunately, when I finally got there I was completely disappointed. The water level has dropped even more and there was almost no new spring growth. The only color came from the evergreens, the mud, the dead reeds, and the new green grass. Other than the grass the only other plant that was striving in the spring atmosphere was a Japanese barberry bush. While it was nice to see some greenery it made me sad that an invasive seemed to be the only thing thriving in this environment. I have been observing this sight for eight months now and I have seen it go through almost all the seasons. In fall, the pond was high and everything around me was green. Then in winter, everything turned quiet, the pond froze over and the landscape lost its color. In spring the pond reached its lowest point, and the landscape is still bare, but there is life in the forest again. Over these last eight months, I have become very familiar with this land. I know every turn by heart and I can even recognize specific trees like the one from one of my first posts with the many trucks that looks like a cage. I am now very familiar with the large hill that I have to climb to get to the Beaver Bridge, though it still knocks the wind out of me every time. I have become connected to this land in a way I did not know was possible for me. I have spent so much time here and have seen this place grow. Here at the Beaver Bridge human culture collides with nature. At the base of the bridge, there is always a pair of gloves and a shovel because humans strive to control nature. This land is constantly being looked after, primped and primed by the humans that use it.
The pond has been reduced to a small streamThe water level has dropped so the concentration of pollution has increased
Upon revisiting my paper birch at Centennial Woods I discovered that nothing had changed. The buds still haven’t bloomed, but that is to be expected because they fruit and bloom in late April to June. The snow is all gone in Centennial and the mug is starting to dry up which makes conditions ideal for hiking.
I went back to check in my selected paper birch in Centennial Woods. All the snow is gone so the landscape looked a bit different which made it harder for me to find my tree. Luckily I was able to find it but I have almost nothing to report. The buds haven’t changed noticeably but the surrounding area has. The birds are back so the woods is full of their songs. I had time to sit down near my tree and eat lunch. It was so peaceful; I highly recommend it.
During spring break, I went to Orlando for a robotic competition at UCF. At the center of the UCF campus is a cypress swamp that has been preserved. Before the school was built this swamp took over the entire landscape. Now the swamp has been reduced to a mere fraction of its historical size. The dominant species in this natural area is Bald Cypress. I was also able to identify some red maples and a magnolia tree with the help of the app Picture This. Since it is “winter” in Florida most of the cypress trees had dropped their leaves hence the name bald cypress. The magnolia had buds emerging which means there will be some beautiful flowers soon. The red maple that I found was still quite young so some of its leaves were less defined as others. Unfortunately, I did not see any birds that I was able to identify but I did get to make a squirrel friend.
MagnoliaRed mapleSquirrel friendBald CypressMap of UCF Cypress Swamp
Today I went out to centennial Woods in search of a paper birch. Of course, it didn’t take me long because they are abundant and easy to spot. I knew this tree was in fact a paper birch because of its distinct bark. Unlike yellow birch, paper birch has pink bark under the peeling bark. It was hard to see the buds on the tree because they were up in the branches, but I could still tell they had grown in.
This week instead of visiting the Beaver Bridge I stomped around in Centennial Woods looking for signs of wildlife. We haven’t had snow in a while and it’s been warm so my friend and I went looking for mud. When we got to Centennial there was no shortage of mud or ice and of course your girl was unprepared. I definitely recommend hiking boots of winter boots if you are going to go to Centennial right now. The extra traction and water proofing is necessary. While walking around in the reeds my friend and I were able to find deer and possible fox tracks which we uploaded to iNaturalist. Within minutes I had strangers suggesting identifications of the tracks and pictures I uploaded which was cool. I had no idea the community was so enthusiastic about wildlife signs. The deer tracks we found we really easy to identify because they were perfectly preserved in the ice. However, the fox tracks were a bit harder to nail down. There is a good chance they were dog tracks because the movement was a bit erratic and there were human prints around, but then around the nails were straight which suggests a fox.
It was quiet at the Beaver Bridge today I could not hear birds anymore and everything was covered in the thick blanket of snow. Every gust of wind sent snow falling from the tops of the trees. The leaves on the deciduous trees are completely gone now and the evergreens are coated in snow. Everything is white. The water around the beaver bridge is completely frozen and I was able to walk across it without falling, thankfully. Parts of the pond are unfrozen, but only at the edges. The majority of prints I found were from dogs and humans hiking through this area. I was able to find a mysterious set of prints going across the pond. I was unable to identify these prints, but I hope some research will yield an answer.
In true winter fashion, it was snowing when I got to the Beaver Bridge today. The first thing that I noticed when came upon the Beaver Bridge was that the water had receded even more. The banks of the pond had more exposed mud than before. The second thing I noticed was that it had gotten a lot less colorful. The reeds have all turned brown and the once lush green gasses are going brown as well. The only color that remains is the green of the evergreens and blue green of the water. All the deciduous trees have lost their leaves as the landscape prepares for winter. Once again it is quiet at the Beaver Bridge. The sound of the rushing wind drowned out any noise coming from birds. I did not observe any animal activity although there is usually very little to begin with. I imagine all the birds found somewhere to roost until the wind dies down. This is my last post of the year, but I will be back to the Beaver Bridge in January.
I am back home for the holidays which means I can’t visit my normal phenology spot. Instead, I visited a spot called Tarpon Cove. This is a $14 million restoration project that was done in West Palm Beach. It consists of five man made sand islands that are meant to provide a habitat for birds, sea live, and plants.
Although this place is thousands of miles away from the Beaver Bridge and in a completely different environment, I can still see some similarities. The Beaver Bridge is located in Centennial Woods which acts as an important buffer between the human world and the natural world. It is a natural area right in the middle of a busy human town. Just like Centennial Woods, Tarpon Cove is a sanctuary for animals in the midst of a human landscape. Tarpon Cove is surrounded by houses and is located in a busy inlet which sees a hundred boats cruise by on a nice day. Another similarity between the Beaver Bridge and Tarpon Cove is the state of the water surrounding both of these places. As I’ve mentioned before the water around the Beaver Bridge is polluted and smells back. Similarly, Tarpon Cove is surrounded by water that is polluted by trash.
https://goo.gl/maps/z3QthfuhGR52enGE6Tarpon Cove viewed from the sidewalk Tarpon Cove Island still under constructionTarpon Cove Island planted with mangroves and sea grasses
