I grew up spending summers on Lake Winnipesaukee. In New Hampshire you can find some of my favorite places. Choosing UVM I considered the accessibility to the outdoors one of the school’s greatest assets, a quality I could not live without. After eighteen years of being spoiled by the waters and mountains of New England, I’m addicted.

Despite the similarities in opportunity for experiencing nature through clubs and activities, Burlington is still a big change for me. I grew up in small town Massachusetts, around thirty minutes away from any semi-urban areas. I could walk out my backyard into woods that seemed to extend for an eternity. I could walk down my long driveway to the dirt road and sit by our bog watching the leaves fall off the trees without encountering another human being for hours. In the past month that I’ve been here I’ve discovered that even at a place like UVM nature can be a twenty minute walk away. Additionally, I’ve learned that excluding myself from the hype of Burlington for even an hour truly can “unbend the mind”.

This knowledge played a key role in selecting my Phenology spot.

After making lists in lab of potential places to spend our time, I surfed Google images hoping to find something that I felt a connection to. At one point a peer of mine mentioned Salmon Hole, and instantly I could tell who had visited based on the light in their eyes. My Google search of all of the spots proved to be pointless as I went with my gut, because as I looked up places like Ethan Allen Park and Oakledge, all I could see was salmon.

This Saturday I finally had the time to go explore my place. With my roommate Zoe, we ventured towards Trinity, down Colchester Ave. finally taking a left onto Riverside Ave. which houses the entrance to the area. The air was chilly, the sky bright blue. As we approached the entrance I felt my heart leap in excitement as I looked over the fence down at the water.

(Palmer, 2016)

The entrance leads to a path taking you down to the water front. It’s a steep decline requiring stairs and a couple of bridges, but as you cross the bridge it was like crossing into Tarabithia. The sounds of the city faded slightly and I could begin to hear the sound of water and birds.

(Palmer, 2016)

My spot is located at the end of the trail leading to the water. The area is fascinating as it is a riparian zone, including aspects of the woods and the Winooski River. Grasses were a prominent feature of the understory, buckthorn grows like rabbits, they seem to reproduce themselves with no effort, basswood was occasionally present, along with a maple I struggled to identify (based on some preliminary research I think it may be a silver maple, however next visit I plan to fact check my research, so more to follow on that one). Additionally there were few plants visible in the water, which was crystal clear. Even in the low light of the afternoon the leaves, rocks and sand sitting at the bottom were sharp images.

(Palmer, 2016)

It may seem odd, however my favorite part of my place includes the fallen trees. There were three large trees, and as I walked around and examined them I would find hidden gems, like fungi and other species of plants I do not yet know. It was exciting. On the walk home Zoe and I shared our discoveries, talking about the creatures and plants we witnessed and how good it felt to know we would be seeing Salmon Hole again soon.