A Journey in Phenology

            The place I call home is in a town called Barrington in Rhode Island, about 15 minutes outside of Providence. My town has 8 cases so far, but Providence has ten times that number. Thus, the state is under a stay-at-home order. I collected notes for this blog entry while sitting in my side yard, with my dog. It’s interesting how much more you want to be outside when you’re not supposed to be. I am deeply missing the pines now, and Burlington as a whole. Knowing what I know now about how Vermont stewards its land, I look down on Rhode Island’s land use practices. I really miss the magic of Burlington. For now, I will take the slightly warmer weather and more ocean views. However, to help myself get through these days of wishing I was in Vermont, and just to try my hand at a new hobby to pass the time, I decided to make a painting of a very Vermont scene- it is shown here. 

This scene is from Windham County in southern VT- another place that I spend lots of time in and consider a second home. I used this painting to reflect on the effect that VT has on me and what it makes me feel, and I tried to put that on canvas. The dreamy colors and rolling mountains are what my mind sees as the essence of the state. It was therapeutic to put that on a canvas.

While making my observations for this entry, I finally decided to encounter how incredibly disconnected I feel to the state that is legally my home, and how much more connected I feel to my home now– Burlington, Vermont. I find it much more interesting to sit in the Redstone Pines and take field notes than to sit in my side yard and try to find some hint of flora or fauna that is not chemically enhanced grass or the common squirrel. I await the day that I can return to the place that I feel so strongly towards. Until then, I will try to find something interesting and naturally occurring here. Hopefully my next blog entry will contain that. 

I made the visit to my phenology site this week right after a storm had started to die down, so I didn’t expect to see many animals. However, I was able to find some evidence of different creatures that were using the pines as their home for the winter. I was able to find a bunch of squirrel tracks:

I found these tracks right at the base of the rock that I sit on (when it’s not covered in snow) to make observations. I was thinking that maybe the squirrel sat there to do some sort of task, like shelling a nut or cleaning itself. The tracks were pretty deeply imprinted as if he had sat there for a while and arranged in a way that tells me the squirrel was comfortably seated, not bounding away. The rock probably provided him with some protection from the wind, so he chose to hang out where he felt comfortable and safe.

However, the species I want to focus on for February is the woodpecker, which had made these giant holes in the side of one of the pines:

Woodpeckers are prevalent in many different types of habitats around country. The Pileated Woodpecker is likely the one that was responsible for these holes, because it is very common in Vermont and especially in coniferous woodlands (All About Birds). They use dead trees to make nesting holes, which usually take them 3-6 weeks to make- they often reside in these holes to keep warm during winter. They are omnivorous, and eat anything from fruits and nuts to larvae and insects. One way in which woodpeckers interact with other species is that the holes that they make in trees (once their makers are no longer using them) are used by other species like bats and owls. On the other hand, they interact less symbiotically with ants, which can make up upwards of 40% of their diets (Hagenbuch, 2018). They even have a special way of pecking at tree bark in order to obtain the maximum amount of ants possible. The share the same predators as most other birds; cats, snakes, foxes, and large birds.

Regarding phenological changes, my site has changed slightly since January. Most of the melted rings surrounding the bases of the pine trees have disappeared, and snow touches right up to the trunk. The lichens had regressed almost completely, and there were very few hints of moss peeking through the snow. Speaking of snow, there was a lot more of it and there was evidence of more extreme winds because, as pictured below, there was snow and ice buildup on the side of the trees that faced South Prospect St. Clearly, the wind has a tendency to blow up the hill, and it deposits snow and ice on the trees in this manner.

If this area was on top of a mountain, there definitely would have been rime ice on the other side of the trees, due to the increased moisture in the air and strong wind whipping and depositing the ice on the opposite side (McDonald, 2020).

Overall…

I think that the term “survival” fits February very well. I couldn’t imagine having to endure these temperatures coupled with the extreme weather and an acute lack of resources. I can only hope that winter does not last too long and that food sources start to grow back soon in time for the spring awakening of all of the plants and animals!

Works Cited:

Hagenbuch, S. (2018, February 16). Wild World of Woodpeckers. Retrieved from https://vt.audubon.org/news/wild-world-woodpeckers

Pileated Woodpecker Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Retrieved   from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/lifehistory#

McDonald, M. (2020). Winter Ecology III Catching Up [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://bb.uvm.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-3232149-dt-content-rid-            47183407_1/courses/202001-14246/LandscapeConservation2_20.pdf

This was my first visit of the new semester to my wonderful phenology site. I had been missing it while I was at home and it welcomed me back with open arms when I returned today. It does not look very different from the last time I saw it, in December. Actually, there is less snow now than there was back then. However, there is much more animal activity now! I was able to find a plethora of small animal tracks, bounding and galloping along:

I found some domestic dog and squirrel tracks. Though the domestic dog likely doesn’t have any issues with surviving the winter, the squirrel surely does. Due to the fact that they do not hibernate, they have to store up sufficient food to push themselves through the winter. As I was at my site, I couldn’t find anything besides buds and cones that they could potentially eat. I wasn’t able to find any scat or other signs of wildlife- all they left was footprints.

I also found this utterly unidentifiable “track,” I was only able to find two of them and they were massive- bigger than my own foot. They sure look a lot like bear tracks, as you can see below, but by using common sense, I can almost definitely say that something else made those marks- maybe they’re not tracks at all, but instead human-made or the remnants of an animal activity.

There are very few deciduous trees in my site, as it is a pine stand. However, I was able to find this, what I think is a Black Cherry, with gorgeous bright red, acute-tipped buds, and alternate branching:

And my rendition of it:

I think the theme of endurance belonging to January is fitting. I don’t know how these little critters do it every year. In just the time I was at my site, my fingers were halfway frozen. There was a big ring surrounding each pine that was free of snow and seemingly perfect for wildlife to take shelter in. I also found it interesting that there was some moss still alive, poking through the bright snow: 

All in all, I cannot wait to come back to the Pines for my next site visit and see what they have in store for me. Until next time!

I come most recently from a suburb of Providence, Rhode Island. However, I have lived in a plethora of places in my life, due to being a part of a military family. My dad would get stationed somewhere else every few years, and along to the next town we went. Luckily, I have been able to stay in some really nice places in my life, with which I have many connections to people. I still visit Long Island (my last place of residence before Rhode Island) every summer to see my best friend. I think that moving all over the place for my whole life has definitely impacted my ability to create a connection with a location, and at times it negatively impacted my wellbeing. 

I think a positive of moving around has been that I have connections all over the east coast now, and I probably know more people than I ever would if I had stayed in the same place for my whole life. My connections with people have been rich and I often stay in contact with many of them, thanks to technology. 

However, there are many detriments too. When I used to come into a school as the “new girl” there would be a whole new set of people to meet and nerves to tame. I have been so lucky to live in places that are safe and accepting, but it’s still difficult to leave behind your old friends that you have worked so hard to make. Each time my dad got new orders, I would anticipate packing up our life once again and invading a new suburb for a few years before moving to the next. I ended up becoming scared to make too good of friends because I would just end up leaving them- this ultimately affected my wellbeing adversely. Being closed-off and scared to make new friends will definitely not help anyone in their teenage endeavor to fit in.

I think something that has plagued my ability to create a solid sense of place in my residences has been this theme of quality over quantity. I have a very surface-level sense of place, but in many different places. This has given me the ability to gauge what a place is like in a very short amount of time spent there, but I think I would rather have a very deep connection with fewer places than I do. 

All in all, though, I have loved the places I lived. I have lived in Rhode Island the longest and I really enjoyed going back there over break. I think now that I have been apart from it for a few months, being at college and all, I have a newfound appreciation for that little state.

Burlington called to me the second I set foot here. I didn’t know what it was called at that point in time, but now I know that it was called sense of place. And the Redstone Pines have provided me with a much smaller scale location to form a sense of place with. For that, I couldn’t be more thankful. I plan to stay here for a long time. 

My phenology site has developed for me such a strong sense of place lately. The meaning of sense of place has changed dramatically over this week. Since learning about what sense of place truly means, I have been pondering all of the places that have a special place in my heart and what those places mean to me and do for me. These places include Portugal, Toronto, Rhode Island, and Vermont for me, among many others. However, my phenology spot is the closest to my current place of residence and it is definitely the easiest to get to. It’s also by far the smallest geographical size, which makes it very manageable for me to really get to know it.

As for phenological changes, the first snow has arrived! This has marked a big regression of animal species to the point where I could find none at my last visit. Being a Pine stand, there is not much change in the evergreen trees and they maintain their bushy, beautiful branches. The other trees that share an area with them, though, are completely bare now. 

I consider my site the central dogma of my life here. Since I spend lots of time on Athletic campus and Redstone, it is kind of like the epicenter of where the bulk of my life at UVM is. As a component of a larger place, it feels like just a tiny chunk of an escape from the everyday stressors that a college student must go through. Since it is so close to me, it still feels like home- but a little bit removed from that. I often don’t feel like I am still on campus when I’m there.

Regarding the history of the pines, I learned from The Cynic that there was a Redstone Pines restoration project that a group of students in 2015 completed. The purpose of the restoration was to, well, restore the area from invasives and other harmful neighbors that may have been living with the pines. There are tags on some of the trees that date as far back as the 1800’s. I learned that the pines were planted as an afforestation effort after the land they sit on was cleared for agricultural purposes, as was most of the land in Vermont during the 1800’s.

I look forward to my next cold and snowy visit to these lovely pines!

My site when I visited it this time was slightly more barren than the last. There were far more dead leaves on the ground and far fewer animals that I could see. The only phylum Chordata that I could find in the entire place was a squirrel that ran away from me very quickly (and a rogue Halloween decoration). It seems that the animal life has decreased rapidly. I also found rhododendron, sugar maple, oak, and a different form of fungi than what I had previously seen.

Some evidence of animal activity that I came across was a walnut that had been broken open and chewed- yet I could not find any walnut trees in the vicinity. It’s likely that a squirrel brought the nut here from its original place. This is also the first time that I have come to this place in less-than-ideal weather conditions- it was extremely windy and chilly. I bundled up and wandered around looking for species until my ears hurt.

In terms of vegetation, there was far less fungi than when I was here last. Many of the spores on the rocks have regressed or disappeared completely. There was also more of a shade of brown than red, yellow or orange this week. More things are dying or going into hibernation, it seems. The O horizon is still dark and rich smelling.

Mapping my place made me more spatially aware of the vastness of it. It is actually quite a large area of land, and the height of the trees makes it almost feel like a large room that I can spend my time in. I love having a space like this so close to where I live. It’s also interesting to consider how things congregate in specific areas that support their life and resource demand. Even though this is a pine stand, there are a few other species that show face and it is clear that soil and shade conditions have met their demands. Many of the trees are so big around that I can’t even touch my hands on the other side while hugging them. 

When I went to my spot for the first time, I was really just looking for a comfy place to sit and do some thinking. When I went back this time, I has just recently watched a movie called “The Theory of Everything” that put me in a real thinking mode. I looked at things from more of a microscopic level.

For me, my place is defined by the characteristic pines that surround me and the crunching of the yellowed needles that have fled their branches on the forest floor. The rock I sit on has also had a fluctuation regarding the amount of fungus on it- there is more spore coverage this week. I also really enjoy the walk to my place. It’s very accessible from where I live but the brisk uphill walk makes it all the more rewarding when I finally get there. When I’m there, I think. I don’t necessarily always think about phenology. However, I like to sit on my rock and ponder the days ahead. When my visit comes to a close I wonder when is the next time I’ll be able to come back. The nature of the Redstone Pines almost makes it feel like you’re indoors by the way they provide coverage above you. You can hardly feel light rain when you’re under it.

Seasonal changes have become pretty clear now that fall is fully enveloping us. As the flora has changed, I now notice how much more bundled up people are while walking past my spot. There were no hammocks stretched between pines this time. Most of the trees and other plants (besides the pines) have begun to turn a shade of yellow, orange, or red. Now, while there is still a carpet of needles, deciduous leaves coming in all shades of yellow and brown also cover the ground. Large pinecones still speckle the floor. I reached my hand down beyond the carpet of needles and pinched up some organic matter from the O horizon. I smeared some on paper and it was almost pure black and had a nice, rich smell. I guess that much of this organic matter comes from the decomposition of needles.

I was able to find two species near my place, besides the pines: Black Cherry and Norway Maple. The leaves of the Black Cherry have started to go orange, and the Norway Maple leaves are covered in large, black spots. I learned that these are the result of tar spot fungal spores, which can damage the tree. Its leaves are also beginning to yellow. There were also some straggly-looking woody type plants dotting the forest floor.

I look forward to the next time I can visit my spot, and what gifts this spot will continue to bring me in the form of change.

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