Spring is in full swing. Buds are bursting with green life ready to absorb the sunshine. When I compare this final visit to my winter visit, it is hard to describe because it is a feeling. The forest feels alive with energy rushing through with every gentle breeze. During winter, there was nothing there just a graveyard of sleeping trees. Now, the sun has warmed the sleeping logs. Leaves bud from every trees. Birds sing as they fly by. The major landmark of my spot is circle of trails meeting in a circle area. The sun beams down warming the ground below but provides shade to the inner trail. There is stream that runs down the slope. If you sit quietly, you can hear the water string along.

Nature and culture have existed since the beginning of time. The Native American’s all around the world have bond with land and spiritual agreement. The trees know and the people know. The land of Centennial Woods is unseeded Abenaki land. It was taken from them by white men. Despite there being a titled ownership to this land. The trees and plants know the original keeper but will continue to offer welcoming to visitors.

As a traveler who has been to many places and has called many places home, you are never part of a place no matter how bad you want you. A traveler such as I, observes seeing from the outside in. We learn about the complexity of a place and sometimes fall in love, but there will always be a sense of missing that can never be truly found. I do not see myself as part of my spot. I am a visitor, observing and learning from the outside in, always moving on to the next, finding my sense of missing.

For the city nature challenge, I explored Centennial Woods! During my time exploring I found many trees budding and much of the forest floor coming to life.

Species encountered:

• American beech
• Maple
• Tree mosses
• Barberry
• Crows
• Ferns
• Hemlocks

While looking at the results of other cities, it was cool to see species that I have heard of and that we also have in New England. Along with looking at species I have never heard of before. It was really amazing to see how diverse plants are around the world.

Spring is officially here! The forest is alive with energy rushing through its roots. From the green buds sprouting to the chirping birds flying above. The forest floor blooms to life, full of bryophytes and ferns thriving on the dead organic material. The maple and beech buds are swelling, but not quite ready to burst. There were only a few birds but multiple of them. I believe they were warblers. The stream down below is flowing steadily due to previous rainfall but there was no animal prints or amphibians found.

Where did I go?

One of my new places to go for walks is on the biker trail along Spear Street. Along the trail is many bushes and trees that are home to birds and other small wildlife. Further down you go, the one side backs up to woods and a more natural area. The birds are always chirping and are many rattling of bushes.

The Encounter!

The walk was quite in the sense of nature. Just the sound of cars and the occasional rustling of bushes. At one point on the trail where the woods thicken on the right. There were small imprints in the snow. They were below a tree around other woody ground cover. The prints follow into the denser woods where more trees are. The prints itself were small, showing a gallop formation. The front feet in front of the hind. There were 4 toes and measurement of paw estimated around 4 cm.

What was it?

After narrowing it down what the print was. I knew it had to be a small mammal, using a galloping motion. I found the print to belong to a grey squirrel.

Winter in is full force…

The ground is covered in layer of ice and snow. The temperature warmed up the past week which caused most of the snow accumulation to melt. As well as a few rain showers. With much colder nights than days. All the water froze making the trail a sheet of ice. At my spot it was quiet. Except for the occasional crow flying around. The trees stand bare and heavy with water. The bark soft and damp. No leaves hang around anymore just the hue of green needles from conifers spotted in the area.

What’s Alive?

When you think about winter, nothing comes to mind that is alive. However, the cycle of life continues for some species. There were very little tracks that I could find except for some that were from dogs. As I walked around there was not a lot of movement either from smaller mammals that I have seen in the past. There was silence that felt too quiet. The picture above shows the marks made by rain which I think creates a cool pattern in the snow. Other than animals being alive. The green from mosses and ferns peaked out from the snow and thrived in the moist cool air. Along with the vibrant hues of orange from fungi growing rapidly along old decaying hard woods.

Changes in the environment!

The overall shift from fall to winter is here. Trees are bear with the occasional Eastern White pine and Hemlock showing their greenery. In the upper canopy, some of the oaks still have few leaves hanging on, but for the majority. They have all fallen off. Due to the trees being bare, there are birds’ nest visible and the holes of woodpecker’s nest visible too. However, compared to the last visit. The bird activity has definitely decreased. Only few stray crows flying around. The squirrels on the other are very active. There running up and down and gathering food. The leaf litter has decreased with increases in decomposition. This is exposing the surface layer of dirt that is very muddy and wet from all of the snow and rain. The view is dimmer. There is not a lot of color, the stream is slower, and the wildlife is lesser. it feels like the forest has gone into hibernation for the next cold winter months.

Aspects of Penology

What I enjoy most is to witness the physical changes and getting to compare each visit. The watch trees bloom with green leaves and then watch them turn to vibrant beautiful colors has the weather changes is truly a magical thing. I have created a sense of place at my spot because I have watched it grow and shed, and now go into hibernation. It has provided a new point of view. One of my favorites quotes is from a book, Where the Crawdads Sing. The author writes, “the most constant thing in nature is change.” That is the true meaning of phenology.

New Place Discoveries vs. Centennial Woods

Welcome the woods behind my neighborhood! It does not really have a name just woods. The scenery in Sussex County Delaware is corn fields and chicken house, with these patches of woods between the fields. Particular with this patch, there is a creek and floodplain running through it. With a makeshift trail that hunters use, that my dog and I walk on, all the time. The floodplains which always has water in it, has mud island where trees grow. The ducks and Canadian Geese love to sit and feed there. Along with grey squirrels running up and done the trees, eating acorns. The floodplains and creeks being next to the crop fields, provide a natural filtration system for the natural runoff of nutrients. This keeps less nutrients out of our ocean which makes it cleaner. This helps with tourism and the whole system being full circle is overall better for Delaware’s ecology. Comparing to Centennial Woods, there is many similarities with overall ecological systems. Runoff from urban area end up in the watershed, which acts as filtration for nutrients before they end up in Lake Champlain. The waterway that runs through Centennial acts a feeding ground for bird any many other animals. However, there is not a lot of squirrels running around.

As you walk through, the majority of tree species found are American Holly, oaks, sweetgum, Virginia pine, White pine, and Loblolly pine. The ground is always covered in leaves unlike in Centennial, the ground is only covered in leaves during the fall and pine needles the rest of the year. Hollies don’ t really drop their leaves, it is a slow process. The rest of the trees except pines drop all of their, so its half bare in the winter. The most abundant tree growing in Delaware are the American Hollies. Centennial Woods at eye level is very bare because all of the trees drop their leaves except the Eastern White pine but there in the upper canopy, so you don’t see them at eye level. Centennial’s main tree species are maples, birches, oaks, and white pines.

Response

Center of the Spot!

For 15 minutes, I sat on the leaf littered ground and observed nature through my senses. The following will be my little rant about nature. The ground was cold and wet. The leaves were dried and crunchy. On this particular day, it was cloudy and windy. The trees danced in the wind, cracking and whining every so often. The leaves still pretty full, danced in the wind. Clashing together to make it sounds like shushing rain. The birds sang as the wind sang back. You could hear the sound trickling of water from the stream that runs alongside my spot. It smelt of earth, soil after morning rain. The pines emanating their sweet earthy scent. It was peaceful and nice time.

Changes!?!

Since the last visit, the trees are barer. The ground is covered with leaves instead of dry pine needles. There’s less green overall. Which is sign, winter is coming.

How to get there? Starting at UVM campus by the water tower. You will follow Carrigan Drive, cross East Ave, pass campus police station then as you see a curve in the road. A green sign that says Centennial Woods Natural Area. This is the entrance of trail head.

In Centennial Woods is a particular spot that I will be focusing on its phenology. So, to arrive at this spot. Follow the trail the goes straight. Until the first intersection. Take the left trail, with poison ivy sign warning. You will walk on boards then eventually cross a little bridge. Once you cross the bridge and few hundred feet forward a large, cleared area of forest floor is exposed. If you are in this open area with trails darting off in multiple direction, then you have arrived at the spot.

Why I choose this spot?

This spot in particular held a somewhat magical feeling. With the opening in the woods, and still shaded by the diverse canopy it offered something to hikers and visitors. When you begin the hike it’s a good enough time to stop and take in the natural area. Every time I visit, I always stop and stare up at the canopy that covers this circle of fallen pine needles layering the dirt. It really is kind of magical.

What’s the vegetation like?

The first hint of what type of trees and or vegetation grow in this spot, is right under your feet. Dried pine needles cover the dirt creating a patted layer to walk on. So, with this information you can guess there are coniferous trees. There is also a mix variety of deciduous trees that past leaves litter the ground too. Where the trees grow in the fertile soil. Ferns cover the ground loving the shade of the trees above them. In my opinion, the prettiest and softest type of vegetation, moss. Moss grows on the living trees and the fallen decaying ones. There is so much life growing as one sometimes you miss the overall change.

Common Woody Plants Found

• Northern White Cedar
• Paper Birch
• Red Maple
• Sugar Maple
• American Beech
• Green Ash