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Since the last time I was here, a lot has changed. When I visited in March, I was still falling through deep snow in some areas and climbed onto the rock with ease. This, however, not the case just a few weeks later. Now, there was essentially no snow left and I found myself literally rock climbing. Our wood pallet of a ladder had rotted over years of exposure to the elements, so it took me a few tries to hoist myself up. Then, once I was on top with a clear view of the woods around me, it was apparent that it was officially springtime in Vermont. With the snow gone, the rock almost seemed bigger.

After hanging out a little bit looking around, I decided to check out the stream slightly downhill of the rock and noticed a lot of phenological changes, as well as evidence of disturbance by reading the forested landscape.

As seen in Figure 2, this tree has experienced disturbance. I wonder what the cause of this was? Past logging? Also, this is one of the bigger (older) trees in the area. Why was it left when others were cleared out years ago?

Here is another tree (yellow birch?) that has experienced disturbance, however, it is harder to guess what might’ve happened to it. My first thought was lightning, but lightning might leave more damage. I remember writing about this tree in my phenology blog in high school, but I don’t remember what my teachers at the time thought happened to it.

After looking at disturbed trees along the way, I made it down to the stream, which was fairly stagnant. However, it did prove to be lively when I noticed what can be found in Figure 5.

Though it is still sprouting, I do not know what this plant is. I have been looking up different things and will continue to do so out of curiosity. As it grows more, that might help me identify it as well. Or, I could ask my parents who are very familiar with a wide variety of plants.

Figure 6 and Figure 7 show more phenological changes that I witnessed during my time in this area. It really shows how much can change with the climate in so little time. Though this will likely be my last blog post, I am thankful it brought me back out to this area, and I am excited to explore it more in the future.

On Saturday, March 28th my sister, best friend and I decided we needed to all do something after all being quarantined in our houses for nearly two weeks. “I have to go to the rock today” I sent in a group text. I shortly received responses saying, “I haven’t been there in years!” and “Can we all go back?!”. Soon, the three of us found ourselves in the woods behind my house, at a specific place the three of us haven’t all found ourselves at the same time in about eight years.

One summer in the midst of middle school, a short walk in the woods led the three of us to a huge boulder. We couldn’t believe what we had found. It was flat on the top, about 20 long, 10 ft wide, and tall enough that we went back for a wood pallet to climb it, substituting for a ladder. We spent a lot of that summer at “the rock” listening to music and picnicking while surrounded by a wide mix of deciduous and coniferous trees.

A few years later as a sophomore in high school I found myself in a semester program called the Mountain Campus. It was a satellite campus of my high school (Burr and Burton Academy), located in the woods in the middle of Peru, Vermont, about 10 miles from my house. We spent that spring semester learning about the environment, climate change, sense of place, and more while also going on backpacking trips to learn more. I had heard somewhere that the program was, in part, based on UVM’s Rubenstein classes NR001 and NR002. Part of the curriculum included keeping a phenology blog as homework. I decided it was time to re-visit the rock.

I didn’t particularly enjoy having to trudge through the snow once a week to take pictures and record observations after coming home from “school”, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t interesting. Though I can’t find the blog from my time at the Mountain Campus, I had become familiar with the area and still remembered it well.

When my sister, friend, and I went back to the rock yesterday, my first time in 3 years, theirs in nearly double that, I was surprised to feel like not much had changed. I’m sure if I had been documenting changes over the past few months I would have noticed a lot more, but it was just fun to be back. The small stream down the hill trickled, some trees had grown, and the wood pallet was still leaned against the side of the rock. The rock wall that our rock was built into for a portion was still standing, as it probably has been since the 1800’s when it likely contained sheep. There was enough snow in some areas that we would fall through on our way.

While I was there, I did notice a few things that raised questions. For example, had I found more snow fleas? They weren’t jumping around, potentially because they had eaten their fill as I had learned, but I have difficulties identifying them without their constant jumping (Fig. 3). It had recently been warm out, so it would’ve been possible to see them. Additionally, I wondered how the snow could be so deep in one place, yet gone only a foot away? Was this due to shade? Finally, while standing on the rock, I looked down at the snow on it and noticed that it seemed to be melting in layers (as seen in Fig. 5). I wondered why this was the way it is.

Though quarantine and everything having to do with COVID-19 have been generally terrible, it was nice how it brought the three of us back to a spot we hadn’t all been to together in a long time. I’m not sure when the next time we all went back would’ve been if we didn’t go because I had to write a phenology blog at home. Even though we made sure to usually have some distance between the three of us, it was fun to all be together again after the obstacle of online classes, stress of when a house would be built, and the disappointment of a potentially canceled high school graduation. We all have things going on in our lives as a result of this pandemic, but we are very fortunate to live in Vermont with the ability to go to the woods and forget about all of it for an hour.

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Wildlife Activity

While visiting my phenology site on this day, there were very few signs of recent wildlife. While I was able to find signs of wildlife, they didn’t look all that recent. That being said, my friends and I were able to find a dent in the snow that could’ve been a resting deer (or a domestic dog). While we were out there, we also noticed a flock of birds, which we believe to be crows. Additionally, on our way in we noticed bark missing from a tree, and, as expected, we found more dog prints left by human companions. Finally, my friend, Julietta, freaked out on our way to the site because she thought she found a dead squirrel in a tree. Turns out, it was just a fur someone had placed there.

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Specific Animal: White-tailed Deer

The animal I chose to focus on that could be in my place is a white-tailed deer. I chose this animal because, though they may be deeper in Centennial, of the missing bark and dent in the snow pictured above. The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), prefers forest “edges” and are mostly found in habitats that “feature a blend of large woodlots and agricultural openings,” (White-tailed Deer). Deer are strictly vegetarian, and their diets include small plants, grasses, fruits, and even bark in winter months (like this). Pictured above (Figure 2) may show evidence of a hungry deer. On that note, deer have a number of predators. These include wolves, mountain lions, bears, and (more specific to Vermont), coyotes and humans (Web). Deer have many interactions with other species within its ecosystem. One example is their interaction with trees and shrubs. As mentioned, these are great targets in the winter for hungry deer, and these plants can become damaged in the process. Another interaction deer have in the environment is with humans. Though hopefully not in Centennial, white-tailed deer are commonly hunted for meat and for sport in Vermont. Their heads are often even mounted on walls of cabins as decoration. Besides hunting, deer can be pests to human’s gardens and crops. Additionally, and historically, deer hides were also used to make buckskin leather (Web).

Phenological Changes

Similarly to the lack of wildlife, there hasn’t been much change since the last visit. However, my friends and I were very lucky to go on such a beautiful warm day, and it was about 50 degrees. We also noticed that the water level was slightly lower, as some ice was above the water, not touching it, but still connected to the bank. That being said, the water level was still high and, relatively, rapidly flowing. Additionally, there was a lot more snow since the month before. However, I couldn’t confirm what could’ve been the biggest phenological change, the addition of snow fleas. These little insects are a sign of spring, come out when the weather is warm, and speckle the snow to look like vanilla bean ice cream. I tried to see if they were jumping around, a telltale sign, but didn’t see any movement. This made me wonder if I was just confusing them for dirt. It is still February.

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Field Notes:

Citations:

Levine, L. (2014). Mammal Tracks and Scat Life-Size Pocket Guide. East Dummerston, VT: Heartwood Press.

Web, A. D. (n.d.). Critter Catalog. Retrieved February 26, 2020, from http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Odocoileus_virginianus/

White-Tailed Deer. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2020, from https://vtfishandwildlife.com/learn-more/vermont-critters/mammals/white-tailed-deer

Wildlife Activity

This was my first time back to my blog site since before break. While it was cool to be back, the site had changed a lot over the time away. For example, there was a noticeable difference in wildlife. Besides a few birds that flew over the site, the creek seemed pretty “dead” overall. The wildest thing I noticed at first were paw prints from dogs being walked on the trail. There were no visible fish, water gliders, bugs, or any other wildlife in the area. That being said, I was able to find different tracks that indicated activity at my site. I’m not sure what they were, but it was nice to know that Centennial still had some natural aspects to it even with all of us visitors. I used a pencil to scale the tracks and think some of them could come from, besides the domestic dog tracks, diagonal walkers or bounders. In this area, that may include species like fox and weasel or mink.

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Winter Twig ID/ Sketch

At my site, as I have mentioned in previous blog posts, there are a variety of different deciduous tree species. The most prevalent one to my site is an Eastern Black Walnut. This tree sits on the bank the stream bends around. There is also a Red Maple and Red Oaks. Besides this, most of the surrounding trees are conifers. While taking a picture of a twig of a species I am unsure of, I got distracted by the moss on the branch and ended up focusing the picture on that. However, the picture of the Eastern Black Walnut is easy to see regarding the different parts of the twig.

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I decided to draw a picture of a Red Maple twig, but I didn’t include it due to the quality of the picture. I also drew it as if it were later in the season starting to bud for the purpose of labeling more twig parts.

Phenological Changes

The site has definitely undergone phenological changes since the last time I was here in December. There are a few inches of snow in the area, where it wasn’t packed down from those of us visiting Centennial. It is the type of snow ideal for a snowball fight. As I approached the stream, you could hear it flowing. This may be the deepest I’ve seen it yet. There wasn’t much sign of wildlife as there had been earlier in the school year. Though I did find tracks indicating “life”, there wasn’t much growing on this cold January Monday. Similarly to seeing paw prints in the mud, they are now visible in the snow along the trail. More erosion seems to have occurred along the bank by the river. It makes me wonder how the Eastern Black Walnut has been impacted, and how it will continue to be impacted.

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Field Notes

I’m glad to be writing about sense of place in my hometown. While this prompt may be easy for some, I’ve been having a hard time gathering my thoughts about my sense of place at home. For most students, it is nice to go home and sleep in your room and be in the comfort of your own home, especially freshman year. This was not exactly the case for me. While it was nice to come back to the town I love and call home, I spent the week at my grandmother’s house with the rest of our family since my house is under construction. I shared the guest room with my sister, and didn’t get that warm homey feeling. This tells me that my sense of place regarding my town is still similar, though my sense of place at my house has definitely changed. My hometown is gorgeous, and I knew I was watched out for in our close community. I fear that the changes occurring since going to college, like my house, ownership of the market in town, and ownership of the local inn, will alter my perception of home even if I still love the place. This tells me that the built environment influences my sense of place in my town. It makes me wonder, if a place changes so much that it is hardly the same, would someone still have a sense of place?
It was nice to see my family, but it didn’t take long before I wanted to be back in Burlington with my friends. It made me anxious— if coming home didn’t feel like home, where is the place I call home? The sense of place I have in my hometown, in a way, makes me who I am. Thankfully my parents were very understanding of this. They recalled coming home from college and wanting to go back too. I, however, just didn’t really feel home in a sense.
When I visited my house to see the changes that had occurred since I had left, I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into. It was in full construction. The walls were stripped down to 2x4s. Parts of the ceiling were missing and awaiting a new roof. It was exciting to think about the finished product, but sad that what was so familiar was gone.
It took me coming home and experiencing the changes to realize that I am starting to develop a greater sense of place in Burlington and UVM. It is normal for life to go on and for things to change at home, but at this point in my life, I am where I feel I should be and I’m glad I’m here. I didn’t realize how much my sense of place here had developed in less than a semester, so I am excited to see how it develops over the rest of the year, and then the following three years too.

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Since the last time I was here, a lot has changed. Even the way I got to my site had changed. Walking in, I had to watch my footing to avoid slipping on mud or ice. The bridge I usually took to cross the brook to get to my site had been moved to a different spot, and it looked like it was due to the higher water level. It felt wrong, but why? I guess I started to form a connection to the place I had started to get to know. Am I starting to form a sense of place?

As I walked on the new path to get over the brook, I wondered if this was bad in terms of leave-no-trace principles since we were off the main trail. Upon reaching the part of the place I define as my site, I was able to notice a lot of changes. There was snow, the ground was extremely muddy, the water had risen (though it was narrower), and there was very little wildlife to be found. There were no visible fish or water striders as there had been before. Most of the birds have migrated as Naturally Curious had talked about. I will never fully understand how quickly the weather and a place can change in Vermont. 

My experience of this place fits into my sense of place in Vermont, and my sense of place outdoors. The more time and experiences I have, the stronger a sense of place will occur for me. Especially with Vermont, ever since I was little I had a strong sense of place in the Green Mountains. Being able to live in Burlington, and develop a sense of place here expands my connection with Vermont as a whole, which is something I’m excited about. The amazing thing is, I’ll never fully understand a place because it is constantly developing and changing throughout time and history. For example, because of climate change, my sense of place at my site/Vermont as a whole may change if it is negatively impacted or destroyed. This would be incredibly heartbreaking.

I’m excited to notice that my sense of place here is developing. I wonder what coming back to Burlington will be like after going home for Thanksgiving break. Will I be happy to be back “home”? Is this home yet? I guess I’ll have to see.

While at my site today, I was on the lookout for different organisms. Regarding animals, this was a difficult task. The weather has gotten cold, and this area has many visitors a day. This causes less of an abundance of wildlife. However, there was a variety of plant species. I was able to find ferns, white pines, red oaks, and an eastern black walnut. In the stream, I was able to see the small fish I had seen the last time. I was unable to identify them, and I am still unsure of what species they are. I also found one water strider. The last time I was here, there were plenty of them. I suppose the change is due to the change of seasons.
As for vegetation at my phenology site, there was a lot of change in the small amount of time I was away. The grass on the bank is less lively, the deciduous trees dropped more of their leaves, and the previous leaf litter lost its color. It felt like everything in the area was dying, though these are natural changes.
As for the topography and soil, the bank by the river was much muddier than it was last time. Going along with that, the river water was higher. I’m sure that the leaf litter currently occurring will have an impact on the soil too. Because this is right off of a very popular trail, the soil is very packed down in some spots, and muddy in others.
Mapping my phenology site has changed my view of my site because it has given me a better sense of my place. Being able to understand where my spot is when I’m not there is great. Trying to think about where my place is, and recreate it through drawing challenged me. How well do I know this place? Once I drew the map, brought it to my site, and then compared it to google maps, I realized I knew the general area pretty well, but not the twists and turns of the trail. The more time I spend there, the better I will get to know it, and the deeper the connection with my place will be. I’m excited to get to know this place better.

My phenology blog site is directly after the bridge along the brook within Centennial Woods. This brook really defines the area. I know I am there once I get to the end of the bridge, and I get there by walking from my dorm, Harris Hall, to Centennial Woods, and follow the main trail. There is lots of leaf litter now that the leaves have fallen from the trees. I also noticed there was a small piece of glass by where I was sitting. This was a small part of human impact I noticed. Plenty of people passed by while I was at my site, and the soil is very packed down in the surrounding area because of the traffic. All of the human impact has shaped the character of this area into an arguably less natural place, though it should still be appreciated. It does make the experience of being there a little less special though. When trying to get to know a place without distraction, while the addition of water is pretty, being right off a trail probably wasn’t the best choice. Across from the small brook is an eroded bank. This has likely impacted the water quality and the small fish I saw that primarily stayed under the bank. On this bank across from me there is dismal looking grass, and more leaf litter from the tree that stands there too. Further down the stream, there is a fallen tree across it. However, the ends of the tree rest on the banks on either side, and the water isn’t high enough to reach it. There is also a beautiful red oak tree that is one of the last trees to still have its leaves in the area.