Seasonal Changes in Centennial Woods

_{For NR 1010, we were given the option to find a spot anywhere in Burlington to spend the rest of the year collecting data on and learning about all the functioning ecosystems inside of it!}

Wetland Area

_{The vegetation in the wetland area of my chosen spot, had lots of tall Subtribe Eupatoriinae species and sensitive ferns on the forest floor. But surrounding the swampy area I noticed many old Eastern Hemlocks and White Pines. Eastern White Pines grow well is forests recovering from disturbances, because they are an early-successional species, but Hemlocks grow well in more mature forests. This brings up some questions for me about what the state of my spot is currently?}

_{I also noticed the ground near the stream and up the hill was made mostly of moss, mud, and some wetland grasses.}

How do you get here?

_{To get to my spot in centennial woods, you should follow the main trail from near the UVM security hub (entrance), then once you pass the footbridges and get to a clearing that leads to an uphill. Walk down opposite to the trail until you reach a creek with a few downed-mossy trees, and you're there!}

Why this place?

_{I chose my specific spot, because I found the diversity of the natural communities in my area interesting, for example my area includes a small stream, wetland area(with a riparian buffer), and a steep hill. Plus many of the woody trees/plants surrounding these three areas are very different, which interested me.}

Creek Area/Uphill

_{The vegetation of the area surrounding the creek was mostly Woody Ferns, undergrowth Red Maples and Norway Maples, Common Buckthorn, Honeysuckle, and some short grasses. The ground is very muddy, and the creek is shallow with lots of organic material from leaves falling from trees as the transition from Summer to Fall begins to show. The bottom composition of the stream had lots of sediment and small-medium sized rocks. Also the riparian buffer surrounding the creek seemed to be not very healthy. For example, I noticed early signs of erosion, and invasive plant species outnumbering the native plant species in the buffer zone.}

_{But when I went up the hill around 15 feet above the creek, there were lots of Eastern Hemlocks and a few White Pines in the overgrowth, plus some Norway, Sugar, and Red Maples and American Beech trees!}

List of the most common woody plants I found!

• _{Silky Dogwood: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247188821}
• _{Bluestem Goldenrod: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247189034}
• _{Norway Maple: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247189164}
• _{Buckthorns: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247189346}
• _{Sensitive Ferns: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247189860}
• _{Yellow Birch: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247189958}
• _{Eastern Hemlock: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247190603}
• _{Wood Ferns: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247190737}
• _{Red Maple: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247191010}
• _{Common Buckthorn: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247191296}
• _{Northern Red Oak: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247192010}
• _{Subtribe Eupatoriinae (species unknown): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/247232195}

If you ever get the chance to visit Centennial Woods, please follow my instructions and try to identify more species!

Thank you!

11/4/24

Today I went back to my spot and noticed some interesting phenological changes

_{When I first approached my spot, I noticed the area looked duller. And the few bird calls/sounds I had heard during my first visit, were gone. I saw a small stump right by the stream, and decided to spend some time studying the changes in my spot.}

_{Something I initially noticed were the particular species that have lost their leaves. The hardwoods had lost over 70% of their leaves, and the ferns/grasses had mostly wilted and lost their color. But the invasive species like Barberry, Buckthorn, and Honeysuckle hadn't lost even around 50% of their leaves. This is because invasive plants like these are able to outcompete other native species by leafing out early in the spring season and loosing their leaves late in the fall. This gives them a longer growing period and a huge survival advantage!}

_{Leaves have begun to cover the forest floor and formed a dam in the stream. Also the stream has started to slow down and become more shallow, plus I noticed the bottom composition is now mostly decomposing leaves. The river bank has become significantly more muddy and eroded, and the wetlands surrounding the stream have begun to dry up.}

Below is a drawing of my area, with the red star being my sitting spot.

Thanks again!