A UVM blog Abby Torres Phenology Blog 2024

Today, Sunday May 5th, 2025, I visited my phenology spot for the final time this year. Over the course of the past two semesters, my phenology spot along the UVM bike path (and underneath the wooden bridge) has become more than familiar to me, and I truly have enjoyed every single time I have visited it. On this particular visit, I biked over to my spot from WDW around 11:25 a.m., and left around 12:30 p.m. It was raining very lightly throughout the duration of my time spent there, and it was around 52 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I started off by using iNaturalist to identify some of the new plant growth up along the top of the hill, including:

• Dandelions
• Alternate-Leaved Dogwood
• Virginia Creeper
• Japanese Barberry
• Sensitive Ferns
• Goldenrods
• Greater Celandine
• Eastern White Pine

Almost none of this new growth was there the last time I visited my spot, although I believe the Eastern White Pine sapling has been there since before this past fall. It was exciting to see flowers (on the Greater Celandine) and buds (on the Barberry bush) beginning to grow, and the forest floor was covered in more green than I had seen there since October. There was also a lot of moss growing on the rocks in the river, and ferns/grasses growing on the river’s banks. Besides that new plant growth, there were also new fallen branches scattered around the forest floor, likely due to the recent rain and wind storms. These storms have also likely contributed to the recent increase in the river’s flow, and while I was there today it was especially noisy. There is also clear evidence of water flow carving a path down the hill, and the soil was very wet and muddy.

Besides the new plant life present at my phenology spot, I also noticed an increase in animal presence and activity there today. Flying around in clusters near the river were small gnats, and I used Merlin ID to identify several species of birds, two of which I saw (which I elaborate on below). The birds that I ID-ed included:

• Tufted Titmouse
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• Song Sparrow

When I first arrived down by the river, I noticed that there were a few birds flitting in and out of a small dead standing tree on the opposite bank, but I was unable to identify them from that distance. At first, I sat down in my Crazy Creek on a rock and watched them fly back and forth from the dead standing tree to branches on the surrounding Eastern White Pines, but eventually my curiosity got the better of me. I journeyed across the river to the other bank (in order to get closer), and although I scared the birds away at first, after sitting still for another 25 minutes they eventually came back. There were about five Black-Capped Chickadees by the time that I left, and they continuously dived into the hollow center of the dead tree and repeatedly emerged clutching piece of wood (and potentially bugs) in their beaks. The time I spent watching those birds this morning was the most peaceful hour I have spent on my own in a while, and being that close to them felt very special.

I feel like I have learned a lot from my phenology spot over the course of this year, and I am grateful that it has taught me to be more observant and patient. If someone had asked me this past fall whether I would intentionally go birdwatching, I most likely would have laughed and said no. But, I have now gone several times and will absolutely go again in the future.

I’ve become familiar with the giant hill that stretches from the bike path down to the river, the large flat boulder on the southern bank (where I often sit), and the open patch in the canopy above the river. I’ve become familiar with the never-ending sound of cars driving by, the rustle of the pine needles that coat the forest floor no matter what the season, and the easiest way to cross the river. I’ve become familiar with the birds that flit between the branches of the trees, the heavy quiet of snowfall, and the smell of wet earthy soil after it rains. Although I do not know my phenology spot like the back of my hand, I do know it better than most places on this Earth, and for that I will always truly be grateful.

I do believe that I am a part of my place, and over the course of the past few months I am sure that I have stepped on (and killed) plants, become a somewhat recognizable visitor to the birds that live there, and the sweat and oils of my hands have washed away in the river water. The impact that this place has left on me is far greater than the impact that I have had on it, but I do believe that nonetheless I have left an impression on my phenology spot. We are also interrelated and connected because we both occupy the same watershed, and at the very least we will remain connected through the water that lives under ground, deep below my feet.

This place is also not just my own, and is most likely a landmark for many of the people that live, work, and play in the surrounding areas. The runners, bikers, and pedestrians that use the bike path frequently must also certainly know it, and although they might not be fully conscious of the fact that they too are a part of my phenology spot, it is the truth. Outdoor recreation connects the people of Burlington to this place, and it will hopefully be that way for many years to come.

Although this may be my last official phenology spot blog post, I am sure that I will be back there in the future. I hope that I remain connected to this place and remember the time that I spent there for many years to come, and I am thankful that I was forced by this project to learn more about the natural world of my new home. Thank you, and I want to end this blog with Mary Oliver’s “When I am Among the Trees”.

When I am among the trees, especially the willows and the honey locust, equally the beech, the oaks and the pines, they give off such hints of gladness. I would almost say that they save me, and daily. I am so distant from the hope of myself, in which I have goodness, and discernment, and never hurry through the world but walk slowly, and bow often. Around me the trees stir in their leaves and call out, ”Stay awhile.” The light flows from their branches. And they call again, ”It’s simple,” they say, ”and you too have come into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled with light, and to shine.”

– Mary Oliver

During the 2025 Burlington City Nature Challenge BioBlitz, I primarily identified species on Sunday May 27th while at the Intervale’s City Nature Celebration. I volunteered to table with Hallie Getty and Elsa Tullar, and while we were there we were tasked with overseeing the BioBlitz Information table. However, due to the rain and generally inclement weather very few people actually came to the City Nature Celebration, so we were able to leave our table for parts of the afternoon and explore the surrounding area. The map below shows the route that I took.

The species that I encountered along my walk included:

• Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia Struthiopteris)
• Squills (Genus Scilla)
• Buttercups/Anemones/Larkspurs/Allies (Ranunculoideae)
• Common Merganser (Mergus Merganser)

The Ostrich Ferns that I observed were actually planted there during previous Burlington City Celebrations by the Intervale Center (and volunteers), and there was planning actively going on while I walked along the trail. Ostrich ferns are a key species native to floodplain communities, and the annual plantings have been going on for the past few years in an effort to restore the resiliency of the Silver Maple Ostrich Fern Riverian Floodplain ecosystem that lines the Winooski River. I also got the chance to plant a fern of my own, and hopefully next year it will sprout sometime in the spring.

I was particularly excited that I got to see a Common Merganser in the wild, and although they are not considered rare here in Vermont, it was exciting to me because it was one of my first real experiences going bird watching. The Common Merganser that we saw was a female, and she spent most of the time that we watched her nestled up on a small shoal in the middle of the river. It was very grounding to simply stand there and watch her preen herself for a few minutes, and she looked very elegant out there by herself.

I had a good experience using iNaturalist, and I think that the photos that I took during the Burlington City Nature challenge were much better than most of my previous iNaturalist photos. I tried to take better close ups that focused in on key features of the species I was attempting to identify, and I think that my photo of the Squills was particularly good (for me). Figuring out how to join my lab section project and the Burlington City Nature Challenge project was straightforward, and the only issue I had while using iNaturalist (I struggled to upload a few photos) was not due to the app itself, but was because I was out of wifi range.

One thing that I found interesting about reports coming in from other participating cities was how many included invasive species I have observed here in Vermont. For example, someone recorded observing Japanese Knotweed in Greater Belfast Ireland, and just this past semester during an NR1020 lab I remember seeing it in either the Jericho Research Forest or by the Intervale Center. It’s sad to me how common invasive are globally, but at the same time it’s somewhat comforting to know that many ecosystems around the world face similar challenges (and we can do something about it through removing invasives and planting native species!).

Although it does not count towards the Greater Burlington City Nature Challenge, this past Saturday afternoon (May 26th, 2025 C.E.) I also helped lead a herp walk in the Jericho research forest. We herped from around 4:45-6:20 p.m., and while we were there it was somewhat warm (I’d estimate around 45-50 degrees F) and raining. The rain was light when we first arrived there, but as the afternoon progressed it intensified and temperatures dropped. Although we did not find many herps, one of the people who attended found two Northern Redback Salamanders, and when we checked one of our snake hotels we found a Wood Frog hiding underneath. We also found a few blooming Red Trilliums, which was exciting since they only remain in bloom for around 2-3 weeks each spring. In addition to the Trilliums, we also found many Ostrich Ferns growing in the forest’s understory.

This past Sunday (February 23rd 2025 A.D.), instead of traveling to my normal phenology spot down the UVM bike path, I journeyed over to Lone Rock Point with Elsa Tullar and explored the trails and beach there! Although initially we got lost and couldn’t find parking, we eventually found a spot near Rock Point Road and set out towards the Parade Ground Trail from there. Immediately after we got onto the trail, there were so many different sets of tracks in the snow that I felt somewhat overwhelming. Every way we turned there was something new to look at, and we must have spent at least 30 minutes on less than 400 meters of the trail. There were small and large prints, diagonal and bounding tracks, bird wing impressions, signs of small moles/voles/mouses burrowing down under the surface of the snow, and a variety of other indications of animal activity. There were also many robins flying through the overstay above us, and at one point maybe 20-30 of them all settled into a bush next to us. We also were lucky enough to see a Red-Bellied Woodpecker hacking away at a tree off to the side of the trail, and used MerlinID to identify them (I’m unsure of their gender).

After exploring the trail for a while, we cut down through the woods and towards North Beach. Once there, we walked out onto the frozen shoreline of Lake Champlain and got to slide across the ice while looking out towards the Adirondacks. At first the ice was cloudy/snowy, but at a certain distance from the beach a line separated that section of the ice from the rest of it which was much clearer and extended outwards towards the center of the lake. Once we passed that point, we were able to see all the way down to the sandy bottom of the lake. There was also one spot where a cluster of air bubbles had become frozen within the ice, and although I’m not sure what caused that to occur it was one of the coolest natural phenomenons that I have ever seen.

Once we had thoroughly explored the beach, we walked back up through the woods and walked along the path to the tip of Lone Rock Point. From there we could see almost the entirety of the lake, and from our vantage point we could see that past about 200 meters out from the shoreline the ice became choppy, cracked, and pieces were shoved one on top of another. The rocks down by the bottom of the point were also encrusted in ice, and massive icicles hung down from their sides. While we were there, we also got to see what appeared to be several Common Goldeneye ducks floating in the water, and occasionally they would dive below the surface perhaps looking for food.

While walking along the trails, I didn’t actually immediately upload my observations into iNaturalist. I couldn’t figure out how to join the NR1020: Wildlife Signs in Burlington 2/15/2025-2/24/2025 Folder prior to our exploration of Lone Rock Point, so instead I just took pictures regularly using my phone. I then uploaded them to iNaturalist the day after (the day that I am writing this blog entry), and with the help of Google and my Mammal Tracks and Scat: Life Size Tracking Guide book attempted to ID our findings. This was the primary was in which I attempted to ID the tracks and animals that I observed, and in addition to that Elsa and I bounced ideas off one another and tried to aid each other in our identifications. I would also like to note here that I am not 100% certain about 90% of my ID’s, as I am still fairly new to tracking and am not very confident in my identification abilities. However, I did my best to use my resources to help me, and narrowed down my identifications primarily using my pocket guide, after which I double checked using google image search results.

In conclusion, I had a wonderful time attempting to ID tracks at Lone Rock Point this past weekend, and I’m so grateful to have been able to get out and enjoy the snowy weather!!!

After a month away from UVM for winter break, today I was finally able to return to my phenology spot on the South Burlington Rec Path! Upon arriving, the first thing that I noticed was how quiet it was. Although my spot had already been blanketed by a dusting of snow before I left (and snow continues to cover most of the understory), the recent drop in temperatures over the past week has almost completely frozen the tributary of the Potash Brook that runs through my site. The water that once rushed down towards Lake Champlain is now solidified into chunks of thick ice, excluding a few spots where the ice remains relatively thin. Besides that, not many phenological changes appear to have taken place, and most of the plant life (excluding the evergreens) is dead. However, there are still signs of life scattered all around my phenology spot, mainly in the form of animal tracks! Pictured below, the primary tracks that I was able to document appear to belong to some sort of canine (my best guess is that they’re dog prints), and are imprinted into the thin layer of snow coating the frozen stream. There were also a few smaller tracks running along the top of a log (similarly captured as snow imprints), that I believe belong to some sort of small animal (maybe a squirrel?). Both sets of prints are fairly clearly defined, and the claws of both creates are visible where they had tread. Although I did not see any signs of bird prints, I could also hear a few birds chattering above me in the overstory, which I now wish that I had attempted to ID using my MerlinID app.

Final Vlog!!! (Thursday December 5th, 2024 A.D.)

Hi again! On Thursday 5th 2024 A.D., (as documented in the video above), I paid one final official visit to my phenology spot.

Since my visit prior to Thanksgiving break, several aspects of my phenology spot have significantly changed, the most obvious change visually being the newly fallen snow cover on the ground. That, in addition to colder temperatures, has caused most of the woody brush growing in the understory to die off, and during my visit, I observed that almost all of the buckthorn, Christmas ferns, jewelweed, bittersweet, and dogwood had perished. In addition to that, the hardwood trees present at my phenology spot (red maple and green ash) have lost the remainder of their leaves over the course of the past few weeks. However, the eastern hemlock and eastern white pines still have their needles, and seem entirely unaffected by the recent seasonal changes. Although I did not observe any berries on the barberry bushes present at my site, barberry plants typically retain their berries over the course of the winter and it is possible that I simply missed them. Besides that, there did not appear to be any other plants with persistent fruit or flowers still growing on them.

There also didn’t appear to be any signs of decomposers including fungi or earthworms, and most of the woody debris/organic litter on the forest floor looked fairly similar to how it appeared the last time I visited (minus the addition of the snow cover). I also did not observe any signs of wildlife at my phenology spot, but this is consistent with my observations from earlier this semester. The only significant change I observed related to wildlife at my phenology spot was that there seemed to be somewhat fewer birds passing by overhead (likely because many bird species in VT are migratory and have begun heading south for the winter).

Although this is my last visit to my phenology spot as required by NR1010, I plan to revisit my spot in the future, and hopefully this will not be my final blog post (although I don’t want to make any promises)! Regardless of whether or not I revisit my spot through the lens of an NR1010 student, I am grateful that I got to explore this place over the past semester and get to know it more deeply than I might have otherwise. I hope that many more UVM NR1010 students explore this spot in the future, and that through this blog I have been able to do it some justice. Goodbye for now, but I hope to see you later!

Over Thanksgiving break, I chose the beach off of Harding Lane (a small road about a six minute walk from my house), as my temporary phenology spot.

Although I have lived in my hometown of Marblehead Massachusetts for almost 14 years now, I was first introduced to Harding Lane by a friend during the summer of 2020. In a small ocean-side town, finding a quiet stretch of beach during the summer is typically pretty difficult, but somehow this spot remains somewhat of a hidden gem. (Partially due to the fact that half of the beach, most of the sandy part, is private property). The public half of the beach is extremely rocky, but if you time your visit just right, a stretch of public sandy beach becomes accessible when the tide is low. And, if you arrive when the water is at its lowest, you can walk straight to Brown’s island which is situated directly across from the end of Harding Lane.

Over the past few summers, Harding Lane has become one of my favorite places to sit and just let a few hours pass by, and I’ve spent countless hours swimming in the cove between Brown’s Island and the beach. I’ve taken all of my closest friends there, and many of my happiest memories have been spent there looking for hermit crabs and exploring tide pools. Even in the falls and winters when it was too cold to lay on the beach and tan, I would still walk down to the beach to listen to the waves crash on its shore.

Given my history with Harding Lane, I knew that although I would be extremely busy during my week home, I wanted to make time to go and visit. However, this proved more of a struggle than I had imagined, as within a day of arriving home I had almost completely booked out my week. By Thursday night I was beginning to panic, and at 8:40 pm I came to the somewhat silly conclusion that that was the perfect time to venture down to Harding Lane. Bundled up in multiple layers and wearing gloves (extremely rare for me), I made the trek down to the beach and perched on one of the stone walls that line the lane. From that vantage point I could see the beach, Brown’s Island, Grace Oliver’s beach (a little bit northeast of Harding Lane), and just the mouth of the Marblehead Harbor.

From that observation point, I took not of a few similarities and differences between Harding Lane and my phenology spot back in Burlington. Although both spots have water at their center, my spot back in VT is centered around a river rather than the ocean. The water at my VT phenology spot is much shallower and clearer than the saltwater at Harding lane, and while the river does have somewhat of a strong current, it’s nothing in comparison to the strength of the ocean’s tide. The waves are especially large and strong during the winter, and during my visit to Harding Lane the tide was also at its highest.

The composition of the riverbank at my VT phenology spot also differs significantly from the composition of the shoreline at Harding Lane. While the riverbank is primarily made up of dirt and woody debris, the shoreline at the beach is primarily composed of sand and rocks. This is probably a significant contributing factor to the difference in shoreline vegetation growth at my two phenology spots, and while trees and shrubs grow within a few inches of my VT spot’s river, there is no vegetation growing within at least 5-6 feet of the shoreline at Harding Lane. The vegetation itself is also very different at my two phenology spots. The primary species growing on Brown’s Island and along the path at Harding Lane are American Elms and White Oaks, while at my VT phenology spot the primary species are Eastern White Pines, Eastern Hemlock’s, and Green Ashes.

Besides all of the differences that I was able to observe directly, one major difference that I cannot observe but predict to be true is that the river at my VT phenology spot will most likely freeze over this winter while the ocean at Harding Lane most certainly will not.

I am extremely grateful that I was able to visit Harding Lane over Thanksgiving break and that this assignment forced me to be more intentional about the way that I observed this place that is already so special to me. Although I did not leave a gift at Harding Lane, I did polar plunge there the last morning of my break, a video of which I have included below!!! Until next time, Abby.

While sitting at my phenology spot today (November 4th, 2024 AD), the first thing that I noticed was how much grayer it seemed. Most of the leaves on the hardwood trees (red maple, paper birch, and green ash) have fallen to the ground and started to decay. The ground cover itself is already dulling as the leaves decompose and lose their pigments, and the prominent remaining colors at my site are the dark greens of the hemlock & white pine needles, and the grays and browns of the tree trunks.

The water level of the stream (which I have now learned is a tributary of Potash Brook) also appeared much lower than it did when I visited a month ago, but I am not sure if that’s due to seasonal changes or if it’s because we haven’t received much rain over the past week. The turbidity of the water also seemed higher, and I could see straight through to the stream bed this time.

In addition to there being an increase in woody debris on the forest floor, there also appeared to be much less undergrowth. Many of the smaller shrubs that were growing in the understory seem to have died off, and the few that were still left were visibly unhealthier than they were a month ago. Many of them are browning and dried up, and only the ferns seemed unaffected by the recent onset of colder weather and less sunlight.

In addition to those changes, the last most significant difference that I observed while at my phenology spot was the change in temperature. It was significantly colder than when I last visited, and although I dressed in warm layers I still ended up spending much less time there than I was able to during my first visit.

Sit and Reflect

While sitting at and exploring my phenology spot, I noticed that the longer I sat there, the calmer I felt. The relative quiet of that space made me feel more connected to the world around me, and also more aware of my internal self. However, every time a car drove by on I-89, that peace was disrupted and it took a few moments before I felt fully centered again. I think that it’s easy to forget what quietness really sounds like until you’re forced to confront it, and in my own daily life those moments are typically rare (especially when school is in session). There are definitely times when I feel as though the world around me is quiet, like right now while I am sitting in my dorm writing this reflection. However, if I listen closely I can hear doors opening and closing in the hallway, cars driving by on Main Street outside my window, and the sound of my fingers on my computer keys. Despite still being able to hear the rush of the stream, birds chirping, and the wind whipping through the over story while at my phenology spot, those background noises don’t have the same disruptive effect that the ones I can hear in my room do. I am not exactly sure why, but those background noises feel comforting rather than stress inducing and I’m grateful for the peace that sitting at my phenology spot for just a few minutes brings me.

This drawing depicts an aerial view of my Phenology spot!

https://youtu.be/fR1DMzt7Rsw

The vegetation in my spot is not very diverse and primarily consisted of eastern hemlocks, along with a few other evergreens and an assortment of saplings and ferns growing in the understory. Some standouts included one lone paper birch, a small red maple sapling, a barberry bush, and a patch of wood asters. The forest floor itself was almost entirely covered in pine needles and ferns, and although there was some growth in the understory, it was easy to walk through and not significantly dense. On the other hand, the canopy (which began high above us), was fairly dense, and although it was raining when we first visited our location, we were protected from much of the falling water.

• Eastern Hemlock
• Eastern White Pine
• Green Ash
• Red Maple
• Christmas Ferns
• Common Jewelweed
• Dogwoods
• Bittersweet
• Witch Hazel
• Barberry
• Wood Asters
• Buckthorn

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&user_id=abbygtorres24&verifiable=any