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Phenology Spot

May 4, 2019

Posted: May 4th, 2019 by erader

A final phenology post! It was a cold week since the last time I visited my phenology spot. It was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit and cloudy when I visited today. Maybe because it was a cold week, the phenological changes weren’t that extreme. The flowers from before were gone, there was more grass, patches of chives (some were munched on– maybe an indication of some small animal), and lots of bird calls. I saw a robin and a cardinal, but heard many more birds. No woodpecker this time, however. When I was looking around I also had a frog (or toad?) jump in front of me. Since it had just rained, my entire site was pretty soggy, and there is always a bit of a marsh in a couple spots. I sat and looked for the frog for awhile, but didn’t see it anymore or get a picture. I didn’t see any amphibians last week, so this was exciting! Otherwise, most things seem like they are just about to bloom and leaf out, but not much quite yet!

Chives!!
Munched on chives
Where the frog was

Nature and culture intertwine a lot, and have always intertwined, at my phenology spot. First land occupied by the Abenaki, eventually Redstone Quarry became an important extraction site for building materials. The rock from here can be seen all over campus (more on historical culture in a previous post). Now, however, the place is a UVM Natural Area. It is a free, open-to-the-public park, essentially! The designation as a UVM Natural Area is one of the best examples of how nature, culture (and the university) interact. Like many places, conservation is important here in Vermont and in Burlington. Having the opportunity to go outside is also important. Redstone Quarry allows for these things to intersect. A conserved area and a place where people can come and walk an observe nature, Redstone Quarry is a really unique place (especially because it is right in the middle of a neighborhood)! Just like other parks, trails, and UVM Natural Areas, Redstone Quarry is part of the identity of Burlington.

When I was visiting my phenology site this time there was a group participating in Vermont’s Green Up Day there as well. This is yet another example of how nature and Vermont culture are interacting currently at my site. But, seeing this group really reminded me that people are a part of this spot. I don’t think I ever really considered myself separate from my phenology site, but I didn’t always think of myself as part of it. I kind of thought of myself as a visitor. When I was there, I was a part of the site. But, seeing the Green Up Day crew reminded me that we as people have impacts on the places we visit and inhabit. Even if I just walk and observe every so often, I am still a factor there.

I started visiting this phenology site at the beginning of the semester. There was snow and wind. It was relatively quiet. Now, it is becoming green. There is rain, but there are flowers, too. There are more people that visit. There are more bird calls. Each year this place goes through these changes. It was truly a cool experience to observe these changes and learn from them this semester! I hope to see it next Fall!

April 25, 2019

Posted: April 25th, 2019 by erader

My phenology spot looks quite different than it did before spring break (and what it most likely looked like a month ago)– no snow! It was just about 55 degrees Fahrenheit and mostly sunny when I visited. The first thing that I noticed when I got to my phenology site, besides the fact that it was pretty muddy, was the birds. There were lots of bird noises. I stood still for a moment on the path to my phenology site and saw what I think was an American goldfinch. As I was looking around my phonology site I kept hearing a woodpecker, and wandered a few feet away from my site to see if I could find it. I found the few trees where the noise was coming from, but did not see the woodpecker itself. Although there have been birds at my phenology site before, even in the winter, there was a noticeable difference in the bird activity happening. It was not quiet at my phenology site because of all of the bird noises.

American goldfinch (supposedly)

I was looking around my phenology site for any trees that might be beginning to flower, too. There are quite a few northern white cedar trees at my site, so there aren’t as many deciduous trees to begin with. The deciduous trees that are present were not really flowering. There were some more shrub-like plants, however, that were. One in particular caught my eye, and I uploaded it to iNaturalist to learn what it was. According to iNaturalist it is a willow, and is most likely young because it looks a lot more like a shrub than a tree right now.

Willow…

In addition to flowering trees, I was looking around my phenology site for wildflowers. I did not see any (although I found chives), and was giving up, walking back to where my bike was, when I saw some blue wildflowers. I’m not quite sure what they are, but I did a sketch and uploaded the picture I took of the flowers (both below) to iNaturalist.

flowers
flower sketch!– all pictures/video in file are my own 🙂

Things are still just starting to come back to life at my phenology site. It will be interesting to see what appears in the next couple weeks!

March 14, 2019

Posted: March 15th, 2019 by erader

Over spring break I spent some time on Egmont Key State Park off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida. My surroundings were quite different than that of my phenology site’s in Burlington. First of all, it was 77 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny. Egmont Key is also a state park and a national wildlife refuge, designations that go far beyond that of a UVM natural area (which holds importance still). The area is very important to migratory birds, which have seen incredible decreases in habitat due to the development of areas around St. Petersburg and Tampa. Roughly 117 species of birds nest on the island, a far greater number than can be seen in Burlington.

The spot on Egmont Key that I observed was a combination of a sand due and cabbage palm forest. It was sort of right in the middle of where the inland cabbage palm forest turned into the beach. The area was much more aquatic than my site back in Burlington, but at the same time was also shaped by humans like my site in Burlington. In the early 1900s Egmont Key was used as a fort for the US military, and remnants of paths and development still exist on the island. Old brick paths are still used by visitors, and they also have uprooted the vegetation continuity. While I was observing this new phenology spot, I didn’t notice too many birds, but I did observe a “sand mystery” in comparison to the “snow mysteries” of Burlington. There was a gopher tortoise digging in the sand. We looked at each other for a little bit. It was a very cool wildlife encounter.

The gopher tortoise
Edge of cabbage palm forest and sand dune

Egmont Key is very different than Redstone Quarry. Egmont Key seems to have a greater biodiversity and is a key area for many birds. But, it is also similar to Redstone Quarry in the way that it is used by people as a park and has been shaped by development.

Pictures are my own. The facts about Egmont Key came from a sign at the park (unclear how to site that).

March 7, 2019

Posted: March 7th, 2019 by erader

I visited my phenology site today! It was about 18 degrees Fahrenheit and cloudy. Right before I went it snowed a bit, but it wasn’t snowing by 4 PM. The first new thing that I noticed when I got to my phenology site (and on the way there) was that the snow cover had decreased since I had last been there. The snow was more compact, and there was a layer of ice under spots of it. Although the ground was mostly covered in snow, more vegetation was peaking through. On some of the less dramatic hills on my way through the woods to my phenology site, the snow was kind of washed out and there were leaves showing. Under one of the bridges/walkways I noticed that there was almost no snow, and it looked like there was water (possibly ice) in a puddle. I wasn’t able to get to the substrate around it, but it was definitely washed out looking as it disappeared under the walkway and into the puddle. I also noticed a lot of tracks in the snow, but most of them appeared to just be dog tracks, which makes sense with Redstone Quarry being in a neighborhood.

Less snow cover
Tracks, less snow

Redstone Quarry is an area that has seen a lot of human activity in the past (as it does now). Historically a quarry, the Monkton Quartizte (or Redstone) was used to build many of the building here on campus. The area was used for highly industrial purposes for a long time, which resulted in the current natural community of the quarry looking very different than what the ecological potential was. Not only does the past human activity make it hard to decipher the past ecological potential, but the current activity surrounding the quarry does, too. Redstone Quarry is surrounded by a neighborhood, private properties running right into the natural area. Neighboring plants from private properties spill right over into the natural area. But there are still ways to hypothesize about the ecological potential of Redstone Quarry. My phenology site is closer to the north end of the quarry, bordering close to the woods. The woods in the north are possibly a good indicator that Redstone Quarry is part of a now fragmented northern hardwood forest. Although many of the trees are still young, there are maples in the area and I counted a couple American beech trees. Both of these trees are present in northern hardwood forests. There are more sugar maples popping up around the quarry (not just at my site), too. This could possibly mean that the past ecological potential of the place is starting to pop up again, even after all of the human activity.

Younger woods, evidence of neighboring plants from yards spilling over

After visiting my phenology site, I was curious to see if I could find out any more information using Burlington Geographic. I was able to confirm (to an extent) by looking at where the bedrock geology (quartzes, metasandstone, quartzite, quartz granofels and quartzose gneiss; calcareous) and the surgical geology that it is likely that my phenology spot on the edge of Redstone Quarry has a similar ecological potential as the woods just to the north of it (as pictured above).

January 28, 2019

Posted: February 4th, 2019 by erader

Back in Burlington! Second semester and my second phenology spot. I decided to change my phenology spot from last semester partly because I wanted somewhere closer to campus and because I wanted to spend time in another part of Burlington. Now, my spot is in the Redstone Quarry, a place that I often ran by last semester, and so I thought it would be cool to explore it more! It was very sunny (but cold!) when I visited last Monday.

My phenology spot.

To get to my spot from campus I take Prospect St. towards Ledge Rd. where I turn right. About halfway down the hill on Ledge Rd. there is a foot path on the left side of the road that goes back towards the quarry. Following the foot path directly leads you there and down by going down a couple of rocks. The other way to get there is to follow Ledge Rd. all the way to Shelburne St. and turn left. After following Shelburne St. you turn left on Hoover St. and follow that all the way to the end before it turns into Redstone Terrace. There is a small parking lot/clear spot there where another footpath begins. Both ways lead to a small bridge that leads to the quarry. My phenology spot is just over the bridge and to the left a bit, surrounded by trees on one side and the cliffs on the other. Both my phenology spot this time and last semester had exposed rock formations, which is cool.

44.4610, -73.2049

At my phenology spot I did find tracks! I think they might have been a cotton-tail rabbit that was moving towards my phenology site and the quarry rocks and away from the surrounding neighborhood. The tracks were very nice and clear in the snow. They crossed an open part of the snow directly and disappeared onto the concrete of the neighborhood on one side and back into the trees on the other. I checked for signs of the rabbit possibly still being in the trees, but could find none. It wouldn’t surprise me if the rabbit lived somewhere in the Redstone Quarry.

In addition to lots of little shrub plants, at my phenology site there were deciduous and coniferous trees. I was able to identify box elder trees (which I drew below), ash trees, and a possible maple that was up too far on a cliff for me to get close enough to.

  Mix of desiduous and coniferous buds. Unfortunately, my phone decided to die in the cold after this, and I was less able to get a good picture. 🙁

Box elder drawing

 

 

 

 

 

 

All pictures are my own.

December 5, 2018

Posted: December 7th, 2018 by erader

I visited my phenology site for the first time with snow and the for the last time this semester this week. Although there was not a crazy amount of snow, there was enough to transform the look of my phenology site. The light dusting of snow, the cedar trees, and the wind from the lake combined to make my visit feel like I was in a snow globe. In addition to more classic phenological changes that I aim to observe when I visit, such as the leaves (or lack thereof) on the trees, I was keeping an eye out for possible animal tracks or signs and for remnants of past human history and current activity on the site.

I’m not sure if my eye is trained well enough yet to recognize most animal tracks, and so I have to say that I did not see any. But, that does not mean that they wasn’t an animal presence at my phonology site. I’m looking forward to NR2 and learning more about tracking wildlife, and hopefully bringing that back into a phenology setting.

I found myself looking into the human history of Rock Point, and specifically my site more thoroughly. While at my phenology site I was looking for how the land might have been affected in the past, especially knowing that there was a time in Vermont’s history that many trees were cut down. Knowing the signs from past labs, such as Ricker Mountain, I was looking for trees of the same age and non-undulating land. However, that is not what my phonology site looks like. There is a healthy understory and the over-story has a few different kinds of main trees and they didn’t appear to be all the same age. I wondered if it was possible that my phonology spot was never cut down, and if the fact that it doesn’t possess any historically valuable trees discussed in class (such as eastern white pines or some of the hardwoods) had anything to do with this? After returning from my phenology site I used Burlington Geographic to find out more about my phenology site, finding the maps helpful and the fact that Rock Point is a focal point in Burlington helpful. Although I found no evidence of my particular spot on Rock Point being forested, I found that humans have been interacting with the site for a long time.

The Abenaki people were the first to interact with Rock Point. The place probably held valuable and many activities were likely to have occurred there. In the mid 1800s Rock Point saw changes, as parts of the place were cleared, excluding my actual phenology site. Around this time Bishop John Henry Hopkins own the land. Although the north side of Rock Point was left again fairly untouched, the place saw structures built with rock quarried on site, and the landscape was molded to be what it is today. The closest structure to my phenology site was a possible gymnasium identifiable on a map of 1890 Burlington. Through the years there was a boys’ school on Rock Point, which turned into a military school during the Civil War and up until 1899. Rock Point has been connected to Christianity in Burlington since Bishop Hopkins bought the land, and it still is. Various religious buildings and sites exist there today. Finally, Rock Point has become a place of recreation recently, with trails looping around the entire point. The human history legacy of Rock Point is long, and still continuing to this day.

While at my phenology site for the last time this semester I decided to spend some time sketching the white oak that stands out as a very different species of tree amongst the northern white cedars and eastern hemlocks that occupy it for the most part. The northern white oak is fairly obvious to see when first seeing my phenology sites, it was one of the reasons that it drew my eye. The oak also reminds me of the place I found back home, a connection between the two sites. Both have oaks that define the land. As I sketched the site I decided to also imagine the roots of the oak tree, and after learning about both the ecology (specifically the geology) and the human history of the site I decided that this tree has probably seen a lot. Both the ecological history and human history ave shaped this tree, so I placed notes about these things under the roots, showing what they grew out of.

 

Berrizbeitia, I. (n.d.). Focal Places in Burlington. Retrieved December 7, 2018, from http://www.uvm.edu/place/burlingtongeographic/focalplaces/rp-landuse.php

All photos are my own.

November 23, 2018

Posted: November 25th, 2018 by erader

I went back home for Thanksgiving break. Home is Middleton, Wisconsin, right outside of Madison. Being in Wisconsin, it seems right to write in Aldo Leopold’s style, I mean the street that runs perpendicular to my own is named Aldo Leopold Way.

I’ve become so familiar with the area that my temporary phenology spot is in that I could probably close my eyes and draw a detailed map of the land. The spot is in a relatively large prairie. Most of Southern Wisconsin used to be a prairie, a continuous stretch of wetlands and oak savannahs, but now the land is mostly used for agriculture. Still, the prairie holds its own amongst the endless fields of corn and soybeans, but only with the help of the Friends of Pheasant Branch, the organization that protects the land. My actual phenology site is at the base of Frederick’s Hill in the prairie, or just known as “the hill” to anyone in my neighborhood. Even in late November, native prairie plants such as goldenrod and bluestem reach up high, sometimes blocking my view of silos in the distance. Under my feet though, I am reminded that this place is not untouched by humans. There is a path that allows me to be less intrusive in the prairie, but overgrown, dying, and non-native Kentucky blue grass carpets it. Besides the flora, the most frequent visitors of the prairie might just be people. There is a popular gravel trail that runs a loop through the conservancy, which is always frequented by runners, walkers, and bikers. But, if you move just off the trail the fauna encompasses many birds, including cardinals, and red-winged black birds in the spring that have been known to swoop at the occasional person. It was quiet when I was visiting, though. It was a classic November day in the Midwest: cold and gray with high skies. Not the cheeriest of scenes, but in a place that is so familiar, the deluded colors feel more homey than anything else.

This temporary phenology site appears to have little in common with my site in Burlington right away. There are few trees in the prairie, no overpowering lake, and the land is not very rocky. There are certainly no cliffs. Under the surface the land is different too. My phenology site in Burlington has soil that is described as “extremely rocky loam.” However, the site in Wisconsin has more of a sandy-loam soil. The main vegetation is different too. At Rock Point in Burlington the land has many northern white cedars, but at the base of Frederick’s Hill there are deep rooted prairie plants. The only thing that seems similar right away is the cold temperature and wind that both Burlington, Vermont and Madison, Wisconsin are familiar with. However, there are more similarities. One that stands out is the  dramatic presence of white oak trees. Standing out amongst the cedars at Rock Point, there is a white oak tree stretching its branches into the canopy. At the base of Frederick’s Hill there are no white oaks, but a look up to the top of the hill reveals a skyline of oaks. In November they are bare, and their twisting, intertwined branches sketched against the gray sky. The white oaks at these places are dramatic and landscape-defining. They are what connects places 1,000 miles apart.

The location of my phenology spot.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir//Unnamed+Road,+Middleton,+WI+53562/@43.1242265,-89.487814,566m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x8807a96e0e3c33b1:0x53621f5a139352ea!2m2!1d-89.487946!2d43.1242972

A panorama including Frederick’s Hill (above), and looking the other way (below).

The path (above), prairie plants (below left), and the oaks on the hill (below right).

All photos are mine.

November 8, 2018

Posted: November 4th, 2018 by erader

My visit to my phenology spot was fairly sunny, especially for November! Although there was still wind coming off the lake, it did not feel too cold. The temperature lingered in the high 30s and low 40s (Fahrenheit). At my site, there was less color than last time. The ground had more down leaves, which were wet underneath from recent rain I suspect. I also noticed a new woody shrub at my phenology spot this time. I’m not sure what it was, but I think I discovered it because it was hidden under other plants that recently have lost leaves. Below I have a “World as Events” map posted. There is also a poem about the northern white cedars that are so prominent at my site and often remind me of the shore of Lake Michigan.

 

“The World as Events” Phenology Map

 

On Being Familiar with the Unfamiliar

I know cedars like these

That hang on rocky bluffs

That shelter the trail

That withstand forceful winds

That do their best under stress

I know cedars like these

Their relatives are my companions 1000 miles west

In a new place

I know these cedars

 

All pictures and the poem are mine.

October 20, 2018

Posted: October 22nd, 2018 by erader

I visited my phenology spot again on Saturday, October 20. I visited just past noon, and it was 59 degrees Fahrenheit and a bit windy and cloudy. It was not as green as it was last time I visited. Even though my site has many northern white cedar trees, the white oak tree leaves were noticeably more yellow and brown. Many leaves had fallen to the ground. The buckthorn was also farther along. The ground had many down and dead leaves. While I was at my phenology spot I saw little signs of wildlife. There were a couple squirrels as I walked along the path to my site, but none when I got there. However, even though I didn’t see anything, I heard a bird while I was there. I could not identify what the bird was, and it could’ve come from Lake Champlain. I’m curious to learn more about the wildlife at my site in the future, including tracking in the winter.

 

Attached is a map of my site. Most of the trees are northern white cedars, though there are two white oaks as well.

Pictures are mine.

October 8, 2018

Posted: October 8th, 2018 by erader

Today I went to my phenology spot to do my first blog post! It was parent’s weekend, so I went out to my site with my mom. It was a good morning hike. To get to my phenology spot from campus I make my way down to the waterfront via Main Street or College Street. From there, I take the bike path out towards Rock Point and North Beach. At North Beach, I hike along the water up towards the fence and along the trail. There is only one trail from here and it is pretty easy to find and follow. The trail leads to an intersection at a prairie where I turn to the right and then hang left, following the signs for the outdoor chapel. There is a clearing at the outdoor chapel, but the path continues behind it. Here, the path goes along the cliffs on the north side of Rock Point. There is a small clearing on the left of the trail as you come from the chapel. It’s not super obvious right away, but it is the first small opening. This is where my phenology spot is! There is a large white oak tree that also helps me recognize the spot each time. In addition to the large white oak tree, there is another smaller one at my spot as well as a few smaller American beech trees and many (in the area that I consider my phenology spot I counted 11) northern white cedars. The forest floor at my spot has many fallen white oak leaves and beech leaves (the freshly fallen ones were a beautiful yellow), and a few golden rod plants. There are also a couple of buckthorn plants at my site. When looking at my site, the vegetation is fairly dense, but it is not too hard to see through it. When standing at my site, I can see the lake through the trees. The lake and the cliffs on which my phenology spot are up on are part of the reason that I chose it. I knew that I wanted my phenology spot close to water, and Lake Champlain and Rock Point offered a great opportunity for this. I chose my particular spot on Rock Point though for the northern white cedar trees. I really love those trees, and they remind me of Lake Michigan and the property where my grandparents live. The spot really reminded me of that area of home to me, so I think the familiarity of it drew me to the spot in the end. I can’t wait to keep visiting it!

My Phenology Spot

My phenology spot looking away from Lake Champlain.

Picture is mine.

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