A UVM blog Ben Mowery Farrell Park Phenology blog

My site has undergone a lot of change since I started observing it. Pretty much all of this has been phenological. I watched my tree go from bare and completely devoid of any buds, to almost ready to leaf out when I visited it today. It had gone from a tree in the dead of winter, with no leaves, to one that was full of new life. The area around my tree had changed too. It had gone from snow-covered to covered in green plants. There was a huge difference in the look of the entire forest.

The major landmarks that I have become familiar with are the clearing that is at the bottom of the hill that my tree is on, and Centennial Brook that I have to cross to get to my tree. Smaller landmarks include the Red Maple at the base of the hill and the fallen logs along the trail before the creek crossing.

Nature and culture intertwine here because this is a site used by many UVM students and people in Burlington as a source of nature, or as a good place to escape from everything into nature. You can see this in the trails that criss-cross the woods, as well as the many people you will find in the woods on any given day enjoying the nature around them.

I do consider myself part of my place. I spend a good amount of time there and I often walk through the woods. I am a part of the community who both enjoys and protects this place. In my own way, I am a steward of the woods. In my own way, I protect my tree, and I make sure it can thrive there. In this way, I am a part of that place. Centennial Woods is unique in it’s combination of nature and humans. I am a part of this combination and I think this makes me part of the place.

I returned to my tree over the weekend to observe phenological changes that may have occured. As a reminder, my tree is an American Beech located in Centennial Woods. It’s on a slope above Centennial Brook, surrounded by several other beech stems.

As you can see in this picture, there has been some bud development! The buds on the tree are much longer and fuller than they were last time I visited. They still have not bloomed or broken through yet, but they are much larger than they were previously. This is a sign that they are getting close to blooming, and a distinct sign of the phenological changes that are occuring as the winter turns to spring.

In addition to the new growth on my tree, there was also a lot more undergrowth that has sprouted up since I last was there. Ferns and grasses are starting to grow again, breaking through the soil. The woods are looking much more alive as things begin to grow.

For this assignment, I returned to the same tree that I visited for my previous assignment prior to spring break. That tree is an American Beech in Centennial Woods. The beech is located on a slope up from the brook and is surrounded by several other beeches. It gets a good amount of sun since it is located directly next to one of the main trails in Centennial.

Upon returning to my tree, I found that there had been some slight changes. The buds had been visible in my previous visit, but now they were longer and had a more noticeable orange color. This indicated some growth and the progression of the buds toward flowering. While there weren’t any flowering buds yet, I could see that the buds were getting closer.

The tree that I chose was an American Beech in Centennial Woods. It was located on the slope of a hill, surrounded by several other beech stems. I could tell it was an American Beech because it had long, skinny, orange-ish buds, as well as smooth, gray, “elephant skin” bark. It also still had a few leaves hanging on, and they were the tell-tale leaves of an American beech. I knew it wasn’t a young maple because of the bark and the buds. The bark of maples is much rougher than that of beech. Also the buds of maples are a different size and shape.

For this wildlife signs assignment, I went to Centennial Woods instead of my normal phenology spot. I entered the woods and pretty quickly went off the trail, making my way to a portion of Centennial Brook. This is an area that had clearly been frequented by many animals. I found a total of four different tracks. These included tracks from a fisher, red squirrel, otter, and red fox. I had a pretty good experience with the iNaturalist app, and recorded three of my findings on the app (I forgot to include the fisher tracks on the app, although I have pictures of the tracks).

The first set I encountered were those of a fisher. I immediately knew that I was looking at a mustelid because of the five toes and pad on the foot. From there, I narrowed it down by size. The size of the tracks looked most similar to those of a fisher, which is what I believe the animal is, although it could also be a marten.

The second set were those of a red squirrel. I knew it was a squirrel because of the long, prominent toes and the galloping pattern of the tracks. I narrowed it down between red and gray squirrels again by size. The tracks were small, leading me to believe that it was a red squirrel, the smaller of the two.

The third set I came across were otter tracks. Again, I quickly knew I was looking at a mustelid from the five toed pattern. I settled on an otter for three reasons. First, some of the tracks had what appeared to be webbing on the feet, a trait unique to otters. Second, the tracks were very near a brook, which is a possible habitat for otters. Third, the size. The tracks were larger than other mustelid tracks that I have seen, and otter tracks are the largest of that group.

The last set of tracks I came across were those of a red fox. I knew that it was a canine or feline of some kind from the four toes and pads on the feet. I decided on a fox, coyote or wolf based on the X pattern between the pad and toes. I decided it wouldn’t be a wolf or coyote based on the size. The tracks were much smaller than those of a coyote or wolf would be. I then decoded on red instead of gray fox because there were claw marks visible, something that is rare in gray fox tracks, but common in red fox tracks. It could be a gray fox however, since claw marks aren’t impossible in gray fox tracks.

When I arrived at my spot, it looked very different from what I had seen last semester. Snow now covered the ground, the trees were bare, and the creek which had previously babbled and splashed over stones and mud now had slowed to a crawl. No leaves remained on the trees and the ground cover of plants was unrecognizable, now covered in a layer of snow. The sound of birds that had started to fade as the season progressed was now almost totally gone, as was any sound from animals rustling in the brush. Instead, clumps of snow fell from trees, thudding as they hit the ground.

The state of the snow made tracking difficult. By the time I went to my spot, it had been a while since it had snowed, so while there was still plenty of snow on the ground, it was not fresh. It had hardened into a crust that broke when stepped on, as opposed to making a clear indent. As a result, it was difficult to differentiate the many holes in the snow crust that I observed. Were they footsteps from people, or depressions made by snow falling from trees, or tracks from some mammal. I often found it hard to tell, but I did identify a few tracks that I believe are from mammals.

The first set measured about 6 cm in length, and while the print was not very defined, I noticed what appeared to be the finger-like claws of a raccoon. I have also observed raccoon tracks at my spot in the past, leading me to conclude that these are raccoon tracks.

The second set is about 9.5 cm in length and has an odd, oblong shape. The shape and size, as well as the fact that they aren’t very deep lead me to believe that these come from a rabbit or hare of some kind, although exactly which kind I can’t tell for sure.

The last set that I found is the most defined. They measure about 6 cm and are very clearly from a paw. I think the most likely explanation is a dog, as there is a trail that runs pretty close to my site that I have noticed people walking dogs on. However, they are smaller than a lot of dog prints and the claws are more defined than a lot of dog prints, leading me to believe that they also could come from a fox, but I think a dog is the most likely explanation.

On December 9, I returned to my pheonology spot for the final time this semester and the clearing looked very different. Where as before, it had been bright with foliage and plants, it was now much bleaker. The only leaves still left on trees were needles on conifers, and a few still hanging on to the branches of the large Norway Maple in the center of my site. The ground cover was a little more promising. Most of the ferns and vines that cover some of the ground in my site were still there. All the areas that had had that ground cover earlier in the year still had a lot of it. However, areas were it had just been dirt or small decidious plants (mainly on the far side of the stream under the Norway Maple) were now covered in decaying leaves. Some ice was also starting to form in the pools off of the main branch of the stream. It looked, unsurprisingly, like a scene you would imgine from early winter.

I also was excited to see a number of tracks at my site. Two sets I could easily identify as racoons, while others I was not able to identify. They appeared to be from mammals, and didn’t look like dog prints, but I couldn’t positively identify them for sure. I also noticed other signs of animals were not present. In the past, I had been able to hear birds singing and small mammals scratching around in the leaves, but none of that could be heard.

The aspect of my spot that I enjoy the most is probably the variety. In this one small area, I have a huge variety of different things, ecologically. There is an area dominated by tall conifers, with a very shady undergrowth that sees little plant growth. There is much more open area full of decidious trees like maples and beeches. There is a stream that provides habitat and resources for animals, as well as some interesting species, like yellow and river birches hanging over it. I can go to this one spot and see a huge variety of different ecological phenomena. I also enjoy how out of the way it is. It is down in a small valley, away from any trails or roads, so all I can see when I’m there is nature. I am really grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know this spot and I am excited to do it even more next semester.

I spent my Thanksgiving break at my home in Louisville, Kentucky. For my phenology spot there, I chose a spot along Beargrass Creek in Big Rock Park, which is only a short walk from my house.

This spot is very different from my spot in Burlington. For one, it is in a much more developed area. The park is not very large and there are busy roads on either side of it. In addition, the trail system gets much more traffic and the natural area at the spot is somewhat tramlped from hikers and walkers. The creek that it sits adjacent to is also much busier, frequently a site of swimming and fishing. As for the ecoloy, my spot in Louisville is much more open than the one in Burlington. In Louisville, the tree cover consists mostly of small, young oaks that provide little overhead canopy cover, whereas the Burlington spot is dominated by large Eastern White Pines that provide a lot of shade and cover. In contrast, the ground cover in Louisville is much thicker than in Burlington. I think this is a result of the increased sun exposure from less tree cover. Most of the plants are different as well. In Louisville, it is mostly Pin Oaks, some Maples, some American Beech and many small decidious plants in the undergrowth that I couldn’t identify. The ground cover in Louisville is mostly winter creeper. I think the different topology, different impacts from humans, and different climate lead to these differences.

On the day that I visited my spot for the second time, the weather was temperate and sunny. I sat in the middle of my spot on the bank of the small stream that runs through the clearing. As I sat, I noticed the things around me. The ground was cool, wet moss under me. I could hear the wind rustling through the dead leaves still clinging to the trees, as well as the faint sound of birds singing somewhere else in the forest. The leaves on the ground rustled as squirrels ran through them. Every so often, a strong gust of wind blows through the leaves, swirling and rustling them. On my left and behind me, I can see the sun shining through the now bare branches of Norway Maple and American Beech trees. In front of me, the still green branches of Eastern Hemlock and Eastern White Pine block most of the light, leaving the area in shadow. The ground almost seems to glow from the bright yellow leaves of the Norway Maples that are scattered around the clearing. After sitting there for a while, I now feel more connected to the forest and to my spot. As I go to leave, I notice that many more of the leaves are gone from the trees. More light is shining through the branches with no leaves to block it. The leaf litter on the ground is much thicker. Little else has changed and the spot feels much the same.

For my phenology spot, I chose a place in Farrell Park.

Once you get to the parking lot for the park, follow the paved path to the left up the hill. The path will go in and out of the woods, cross a bridge and eventually you will come to a wooden sign post at the top of the hill, Make a right at the sign post and continue around the bend until you see a small unmarked path on the right side of the path.

The trail will go over several fallen logs and cross one of the larger main trails. Stay on the trail until it reaches a small bluff over a stream bed.

Follow the trail around the left side of the hill until you can see the stream and surounding streambed, and you’re here!

The slope down to the stream and the area directly around the stream is my phenology spot. I chose this spot because I came to the park earlier this semester on the bike path and really liked the area. When I had to decide on phenology spot, I came back and found one here. The spot is isolated and off the main path and has agood variety of plants and topography that I think will be interesting to study.

The topography of this area consists of a mild slope that flattens out into the floodplain of a small stream. The stream is slow-flowing and shallow, only about 4 inches deep at its deepest point. The vegetation differs between the slope and the floodplain. The slope vegetation consisted of mostly large overstory trees. The dominant species are Eastern Hemlock with a handful of large Eastern White Pine trees as well. There are some smaller, undergrowth trees, namely young Eastern Hemlock, and a few American Beech and Red Maple trees. There is about 15% ground cover, mostly consisting of ferns and Partridge Berry. The vegetation of the floodplain consists of smaller, much more sparse tree cover. The dominant species are American Beech, Yellow Birch, and Red and Norway Maples. There are still a handful of young Eastern Hemlocks as well. The ground cover consists of the same species, but is much thicker in the floodplain, about 30% cover.