Waterfront Park; Burlington, Vermont. 06/27/2024. 4:38 pm.
It is a beautiful day today. Incredibly sunny but also not too hot at all. There is a cold breeze that blows in from the lake that almost feels like the first breeze of autumn. There are a few white clouds dancing above the horizon across the lake. The afternoon sun beams create shimmers in the surface of the water.
After my first observations, I began to venture closer to the water. I started tip-toeing along logs on the rocks bordering the lake. Looking down at my feet I noticed a dried white birch branch that almost appeared like bone due to its color, size and fragility. It had washed onto the rocks at some point and was now embedded in the rocks. Something interesting I noticed was the prevalence of vines growing out of the crevices of the rocks. The green ivy tentacles spread all over the rocks. This was likely due to the amount of rain we’ve experienced in the last two weeks in Burlington. Finally I was also struck by the beauty of the occasional flower that would grow amongst the rocks. All of these observations I made sketches of.
One organism that particularly caught my attention today was green algae at the side of Lake Champlain. After doing some research, I found the name of this algae to be cyanobacteria. Normally, cyanobacteria is an important part of lake ecosystems, however, during the summer months near Burlington, this algae can flourish to an unbalanced level. I found it interesting today watching the algae in it’s natural form. It seemed to cling to the waves and give them form as they washed ashore.
Below drawings of my observations of waterfront can be found. I enjoyed having the opportunity to go out in nature and be more present as I tried to observe what was around me on a deeper level. By looking more intently, I was able to notice things about this park that I usually took for granted. It was difficult being at the location and drawing things at the same time without a table to use. One strategy I used today and likely will next time is to take pictures and draw what I saw back at home.
