Hello! Welcome to my phenology blog, where I will be studying Salmon Hole for the next few months. Salmon Hole is an outcrop of rock along the Winooski River, right on the border between Winooski and Burlington. Coming from the University Campus, it is quite simple to get to, but a bit of a longer walk. To get to Salmon Hole, you should make your way to Colchester Ave. on the northern side of campus, and then follow Colchester Ave. all the way down to the final intersection before the bridge over the Winooski River. There, make a left onto Riverside Ave., where you will come upon a parking lot with signs for Salmon Hole. Continue along the right side of the road for approximately another fifth of a mile, and you will come upon the trailhead. Take the trail down to the water, and there you are!

Upon reaching Salmon Hole, one could see why someone would want to keep coming back there time and time again. The trail takes you out onto a bare-rock shore, the wide river bending with marsh on the far side. To your right there’s a big wall of rock, and down and to the left a trail will take you into the woods along the shore. A factory sits nearby, unclear if it is operational, but nature still commands the space. It is beautiful and inspiring to look at, and when I first saw it I knew it was the right place for me.

Over the next few months, I will be paying attention to the vegetation at Salmon Hole, how the plant and animal life changes with the seasons. Some of the present common species include Sugar Maple, Silver Maple, Buckthorn, Northern Red Oak, Paper Birch, and American Beech.

I look forward to spending time here in the next year, and seeing how the space changes as I learn more about it.