Trinity Woods: After the Storm

On Halloween of 2019, the Champlain river valley experience flooding after intense storms and on November first. I went out to the Trinity Wooded area to go see the storms impact.

On this visit I saw two newly fallen trees, more leaves on the ground (most likely due to the intense winds during the storms) and a faster flowing creek. Besides the changes brought on by the storms, I saw more signs of wildlife than I normally would. Within ten minutes of my stay I had an adult female Ixodes Scapularis, or deer tick, crawling on my blue jeans. This tick is common in Vermont and seeing it in my natural area makes my area feel deeper in the woods, even though it is only a short walk through. Throughout my trip I saw six squirrels running about. They add character to my natural area because they add an energetic, active element. Without the squirrels, a hiker might not see much movement in the woods. As I continued to travel down to the creek I saw the same patch of Christmas Ferns as I did last time. They add a pretty, deep green color to the woods that, at this time of year, has disappeared from the trees. One of the most peculiar things I’ve come across since blogging has been this blue beetle that I can best identify as a flea beetle. I’ve never seen this species before, so is characterizes my space by proving that you never know what you’re going to find and can expect to see something new every time. Lastly, once I made it down to the stream I noticed the beaver dam was breaking down due to the drastic increase in water flow over night. The beaver dam makes this area special because I feel like I don’t seem them too often. Right next to the stream there is a patch of the invasive species phragmites, which is special to the area because it provides the very important ecological service of filtering out water before the water reaches the watershed.

An adult female deer tick
The beaver dam
A deep green Christmas fern
The Flea Beetle
A poorly photographed squirrel
Phragmites

Since my last visit, many more leaves have covered the ground. A majority of the ground is now covered in orange beech leaves. Two new trees have fallen. One of them was a paper birch tree that now blocks the walking path. The stream was moving at a much faster pace than usual and you could hear the stream from further away as well. Since last time, the soil became more fragrant with a very earthy smell. I infer that this had to do with the rain softening things up and the nutrients from the leaf litter leaking out.

Making a map of my natural area gave me a better sense of direction and place when navigating my way through. Creating a visual map for a place that does not officially have a map makes the area feel more personal. I’ve since grown attached to this area after getting to know it a little better and claim it as my own. I’m curious if Lewis and Clark had the same sense of pride after mapping out the western United States.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.