November 12th, 2021
Today, I went for a phenological exploration within the City of Burlington, Vermont. My journey started as I left UVM’s academic campus, onto the University Green. There were presentable trees of all different colors placed within the tamed grassy area. As I started declining in elevation on Pearl Street I had an amazing view, straight through downtown, across our beloved Lake Champlain, and into the upstate New York Adirondack landscape. Today was warm yet windy, causing a downpour of leaves to fall from their branches. After I took a left onto South Willard Street, a predominantly residential neighborhood, it became clear to me that Crabapple was the main common street tree. These trees had certainly been affected by fall with no leaves left to shed, yet they still bore their plump ruby-red fruits. Similar to many buildings in Burlington, most of the homes on Soth Willard had ivy along their outside surfaces. Due to the time of year, the ivy presented itself in many different colors ranging from green to yellow to orange to red to brown; an organic fall canopy. I noticed some homemade gardens were struggling as a result of the recent cold weather. I took my last left onto Main Street, with the westward wind on my back carrying smells of autumn and pine. Along with looking at the plants and landscape, for the entirety of the walk I was searching for animals. I saw no signs of birds, chipmunks, or insects; It wasn’t until the very end of my trek that I saw a squirrel collecting acorns. It became obvious to me that animals local to Burlington have either started migrating or begun hibernation to battle the harshness of the winter to come. I came to the end of my expedition as I waited for the crosswalk light on South Prospect Street. But as cars blew past me, I took one last look around and witnessed a flawless White Oak that held perfectly green leaves. When I finally crossed the street I found another White Oak, just as tall and mighty, but with withered brown leaves, one that was evidently struggling with the season upon us. These natural conflictions continue to leave me puzzled, yet drive my passion to learn their rhyme and reason. Overall a beautiful day to enjoy the peaceful presence of fall within our city.
