My bike and I are traveling at a fast velocity down the the hill towards central campus, I bank tight turns by heavily leaning and go by the quad with the statue and head down South Prospect Street. Into a massive downhill that makes me put on both brakes. I get down the hill, using my biking skills and velocity, jump over the trail tracks entirely on the durable old street bike. I turn right into the Interval Center and steam ahead through the grass and onto the dirt paths. I continue past the junction a quarter mile in and go to the first pullout along the bank. I have been smiling and exuberant the whole time. It is a two mile trip in total.
My place is characterized by a green pull out fifteen feet from the trail. The ground is covered in low herbaceous plants. The clovers and other low plants are growing well here. There are grasses to the left (facing the river) and small patches of grass on the river bed. There is groves of Green Ash to the right, behind, and sparsely dispersed to the left. The soils are a mix of clay and sand, perfect for the Green Ash that live here. The Winooski River forms a broad channel in front of the pull out. The river meanders to the right and meanders to the left, but directly in front of my spot the river is relatively straight, filling 75% of the channel, has a muddy substrate and moves at a slow to medium pace. Across the river is a grove of Maples. The crickets so far have endlessly chirped. And upon my first visit I was swarmed by mosquitoes.
My place when I first visited had late flowers coming out and a bumble bee invested in it presumably pollinating as well, and the maples across the way were changing their pigment. The Green Ash trees were starting to yellow some leaves. I found a freshwater mussel shell, a telltale sign of a raccoon. Raccoons are known to hangout near waterways and eat aquatic life. The surface of the water was full of water striders. The aquatic plant life in the shallows looked as if it was in late stage. There was no signs of minnows. The banks of the stream are muddy and a riparian zone is missing. There is collapsed banks and trees leaned over into the banks.
During my next visit the leaves would be dropping. The mosquitoes would be absent from my ears. The herbaceous growth would continue. I would still hear the songs of the birds. Still find myself at peace, finally outdoors again. The aquatic vegetation would have died to brown stems. I would see a turkey vulture circling, scoping in on some carrion. The carrion of some organism struggling to survive in less plentiful times of autumn probably perished. I would spot a green frog in the grasses. Finally I would dig through the soil to find, insect life still wriggling underneath the soft soil.
Field Notes September 30 2019. 17:15-17:35 Overcast low wind.
Mouse spotted
Aquatic Vegetation-Looks to be near dead, but rooted possibly a perennial at the end of its season
Insect life still vibrant by water
Bubble groups on surface, either a sign of turbulence or of gas release.
Trees across bank are changing shade almost exclusive deciduous forest.
Some late season flowers
Some decayed flowers
Carpenter bee/bumble bee pollinating flower
Clover and poison ivy present- Are these perennial?
Freshwater mussel shell found-possibly consumed by a raccoon.
No sign of fish life – No surfacing for bugs or minnows seen in shallows
03 October 2019, 66 Degrees Fahrenheit, 14:40, Overcast low winds.
Herbaceous vegetation still growing strong.
High frequency cricket noise- field cricket mating
Green Ashes surrounding are changing pigment in plot. All are yellow or brown. Most are dropping leaves.
Bird chirping is present
Mosquitoes are absent above bank.
Turkey vulture spotted- carrion is common at this time of year.
Green frog spotted on bank.
Riparian zone still depleted. Indicates high volume charges.
Species List- Green Frog, Turkey Vulture, Green Ash
Chanel at 75% full
Maples and oaks across slope are shading to orange and red.
Soil conditions are still soft
Aquatic vegetation is completely unpigmented and if annual is completely dead.
Route 1.5 from UVM, .5 mile down Calkins
Stream flow is slow no riffles or bubbles. No skimmers or aquatic insects
Insect life under cover
Soils are sandy only inches under decomposed organics
Clover is a herbaceous plant here.