New Phenology Spot! (Red Rocks Park, South Burlington)

Location of new spot:

Located along Shelburne Rd in South Burlington, just a short 7 minute drive from my dorm building. As my old spot was quite difficult to get to, and now poses slightly more risk due to snowy conditions, I chose this new spot as it is fairly flat and I am able to drive there with ease.

Upon arriving to my new spot, I noticed just how open and unique the trails were. Littered with paper Birch, northern red oak, and cedar, the fairly young Red Rocks forest was a sight to behold. Dotted around the park are many points of interest, such as this massive and historic pine tree seen below

The Great Wolf Pine!
One of the only trees that was not cut down during the heavy logging period of South Burlington during the late 1700s. This tree is estimated to be around 300 years old, with the diameter of the tree spanning 51 inches across!

Beautiful views of the now frozen Lake Champlain!

Upon my initial walk around my new spot, I spotted a variety of animal trails. In this photo below, small, paw-like tracks indicate the likely presence of a red fox (with the tracks to the left being those of humans). Overall however, most tracks that I spotted most were those of either humans or squirrels.

A UVM blog Dennis’ Phenology Blog