NR1010 Phenology Project

How has your site changed over time?

The understory of my site has experienced significant changes over time due to it being predominantly small beech trees, ferns, and smaller woody plants that bloom in the spring.  However, the overstory of my site has stayed relatively the same from September to May as it consists mainly of Norway Spruces and Eastern White Pines, which do not experience leaf loss or change in color during the winter.  When I first entered my site, I noticed a new fallen branch that was blocking the path I normally take down to the water.  This encouraged me to look up at the tree it had fallen from, a Norway Spruce, only to find that there were many other branches that had broken but were still hanging up in the tree.  Additionally, the Eastern White Pine that I have been tracking over the seasons now has a green stem, which I didn’t notice before, and new buds in the middle of all of the needles.  Finally, I have noticed additional erosion on the sides of the stream bed.  This is most likely from heavy rain events and the snow, which are increasing the water level.

What are the major and minor landmarks you’ve become familiar with?

The major landmark is the bridge that my phenology site sits underneath, along with the largest Norway Spruce that towers over the bridge and shades part of the stream.  The minor landmarks are the young Eastern White Pine that greets you as you venture down the steep hill to the stream, the downed log that lies across the upper part of the water bank, and the snag on the right side of the stream.

In what ways do nature and culture intertwine here?

This natural area is right below one of the biggest recreational paths in Burlington.  The path is paved, starts at the UVM campus, and leads right down to the waterfront.  As people recreate, they move between urban life and the natural world, which illustrates how Burlington specifically has been designed to invite an interaction with the environment, along with living in a more developed area.  Despite being so close to this highly trafficked path, the natural area remains slightly hidden as it is located directly below the bridge that everyone crosses.  It’s only when you pause and slow your pace to really look around that you begin to notice the layers of plants, the sounds of birds, and the shift from pavement to dirt.  This separation shows how nature can exist right alongside our cultural routines and how it is always waiting to be seen and appreciated when we take the time to be present.

Do you consider yourself a part of your place? Why or why not?

I definitely consider myself a part of my phenology spot because I have spent the whole year getting to know it, through multiple weather events and seasons. Today, I felt especially a part of it because after exploring the phenology, I sat on a rock right in the stream and meditated/thought about what I was grateful for. This helped me be present in my spot and ground myself with the smells, sounds, and feelings of the area. Getting in touch with all of my senses just for 10 minutes enhanced my experience and allowed me to feel like I was a part of this place and adding to it, rather than a mere visitor. Additionally, since this is not a natural area made for human recreation, I feel especially connected to this place because it is a hidden gem under a bridge with minimal direct human intervention.  Over the school year, I have gotten to know this place and watched it evolve, and am now familiar with many of the stories and life that thrives here.  Spending time wading on the river bank or sliding on the ice that froze over in the winter has allowed me to become part of the stories of this place, rather than an outsider hearing about them.  This whole project has provided me the space and time to reflect and appreciate the small intricacies of nature, and I now feel a sense of responsibility to protect my phenology spot as it holds a special place in my heart.

What areas of Greater Burlington did you explore during this four-day urban BioBlitz?

How was your experience using iNaturalist?

My experience was very positive as the NR1020 students are now very well versed with this app because we have been using it throughout the entire school year to document our explorations. It is a very simple app to use, helps with identifying unknown species, and it is fun to see all of my classmates findings along with my own, all in one place.

How many species did you encounter?

Throughout the BioBlitz I encountered a total of 10 species including sugar maple, dogwood, garlic mustard, box elder, ostrich ferns, american robin, common merganser, black-capped chickadee, northern cardinal, and herring gull.

What did you find interesting about reports coming in from other cities participating globally?

I found it interesting that the majority of observations were plants, however some participants were able to identify an animal based on the influence they had in an area, for example a beaver. Someone identified a beaver just by the clear bite marks on a tree. I sometimes forget that even if I can’t see the actual animal in front of me, their presence has still been there and made an impact on the specific area. The same theme goes for woodpeckers. Whether that be hearing them drilling into a tree or discovering the deep indents they create with their sharp beaks, we are able to identify animals without even seeing them directly which I think is something very important to remember when participating in challenges like this one.

Date: April 2nd, 2025

NPN’s Website

The National Phenology Network (NPN) provides many important figures depicting phenology trends each Spring, including predictions of first leaf and bloom compared to previous years. Not only do these interactive, visual maps help track the timing of seasonal changes, but they offer a visual representation of how spring is progressing each year. This is valuable for studying the impacts of climate change, managing agriculture and wildlife, and understanding ecological patterns. As of April 7, 2025, the NPN’s “Status of Spring” maps indicate that spring’s onset in Vermont is occurring earlier than the historical average. By tracking the Spring Leaf Index, these maps reveal that Vermont’s trees, such as sugar maples, birches, and red maples, are budding earlier than average, reflecting long-term climate trends towards warmer winters and earlier temperature shifts. These factors can disrupt ecosystems by causing mismatches between pollinators and blooming schedules, altering the seasonal flow of maple sap and increasing vulnerability to late frosts.

Where did I go? What did I encounter? How did using iNaturalist go?

Describe what you saw specifically. How did you narrow down your identification? If you were deciding between species with closely resembling scat or tracks, why did you choose one ID over the other?

The majority of tracks that we saw consisted of hares and squirrels, however, there was a decent variety of species we identified.  The animals we are confident that we saw tracks for are snowshoe hare, American red squirrel, American robin, and field mice.  We also might have encountered a meadow vole and a coyote or fox.  We narrowed down our identification by analyzing the animal’s movements and path.  It was clear that the snowshoe hare was hopping as drag marks from its toes and all four legs landed in the snow in a similar area.  With the robin tracks, we noticed that it stopped to snack on a branch close to the ground which was the same plant we saw many robins perched on later in the day, indicating that this was most likely an American Robin.

Pictured above is a sparrow or robin swooping down and grabbing a mouse from the ground (left) and then tracks from a robin nibbling on the branch (right) as I mentioned earlier.

Phenological Changes:

I have noticed various phenological changes since the last time I visited this natural area. In December, the river was not frozen over yet and now, it is frozen enough for me to walk over almost every part of it. Although in December there was more snow than there is now, this was because I visited the morning after the first major snow and now, there has not been any snow in a couple weeks. Because of this, the trees and ferns in the understory are a vibrant green which brings more life to the area than in December.

Animal Tracks:

I noticed these small animal tracks running all around the river bed. I am unsure what animal this belongs to but it could be from a marten or weasel. It was running all over the frozen river and on top of logs as seen in the middle photo above.

Venturing to my phenology spot on December 7th, 2024 was no small feat.  I woke up to 5 fresh inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing consistently.  Today was not a day for biking so I bundled up in all my layers and started the walk on the recreational pathway.  When I arrived at my spot I attempted to go further down towards the stream however the hill was far too steep and slippery to make it down there safely so I stayed at the top of the hill and observed from afar.  Here, I noticed that there was little to no green vegetation as all of the leaves had fallen from their branches and were now decomposing under the blanket of snow.  However, the Eastern Hemlocks that covered this area were still dark hunter-green, which gave this area more hints of life.  When comparing this are to my observations before winter break, I have noticed that there is a lot more debris on the ground.  Even though it was now covered by snow, there were many sticks, branches, and even a new tree that had fallen over and were now coating the ground.  This could have been from intense wind events or weaker trees not being able to withstand the weight of the new snow.  I did not notice any animal signs on the ground however this area used to be full and vibrant of bird sounds and due to the harsh cold and the heavy snow, it was eerily quiet due to less active bird species and the insulating soundproof blanket that snow provides.

This Eastern White Pine particularly caught my eye during this visit to my phenology place. I have been studying this tree ever since my first time coming here, and now with snow on it, the tree felt magical and delicate. The way the snow rested between the needles on its branches was so perfect and I was impressed that a tree this young and fragile could withstand that much snow on its limbs.

What Aspects of My Phenology Place do I Enjoy the Most?

Changes I have noticed:

After not seeing my phenology spot for about a month, I have noticed significant changes in the landscape, especially because it is now November, and temperatures are quickly dropping into the 40s and even 30s. These sudden temperature fluctuations have caused the leaves to change color into more yellows and browns and many have also fallen off the trees, covering the ground beneath them. However, the majority of over-story in this place is Eastern White Hemlock which does not experience any color change with season changes. Therefore, there is still a lot of green cover with the understory becoming more colorful and dying off as winter approaches. In addition to the increased debris on the ground and woody plant color change, the water level in the stream looked significantly lower which could be a result of lower rainfall because the last time I visited this site it was actively raining. Overall, I have noticed significant changes at my phenology site, all due to the changing seasons and I am curious what the next couple weeks will have in store as the snowy months approach.

Snowmass Ski Resort in Snowmass Village, CO –> Sneaky’s ski run off of the Big Burn portion of the mountain.

Comparison of the ecology and phenology between this spot and the Spear Street Recreational Path

 I have grown up skiing right around this ridge line on one of my favorite parts of Snowmass Mountain called the Big Burn.  My dad and I have been on countless adventures in this area, strapping our skins to the bottom of our skis and gaining over 2000ft in elevation just to reach this point.   Skinning is one of my favorite forms of exercise because not only does it allow for a full body workout, but it provides a slowed down environment to be present in nature and connect with the people around you over this shared niche sport.   After my dad and I reached our stopping point on November 29^th, 2024, we ventured out to the cliffs edge and spent time in silence gazing at the majestic peak that towered in front of us.  Garrett’s peak can be seen from many different angles across my hometown and is the main lookout point for all ski runs from the Big Burn.  My dad has skied the peak many years ago and every time I look at this peak, I picture us skiing it together one day.

After spending a significant amount of time in both my phenology place in Burlington and this new place on my home ski mountain in Colorado, I have noticed that these two places are vastly different.  Near Garretts, there is little to no vegetation as this area stands at around 11,200ft in elevation, almost above tree line.  There are sparse coniferous trees scattered throughout the area but due to the dramatic cliff line, there is not much structure for plants to hold onto.  Additionally, there is about 40 inches of fresh snow laying on top of the frozen ground which automatically makes this place vastly different from my phenology spot in Burlington that I studied throughout the fall months.  Unlike my Burlington phenology place, the Big Burn receives an immense amount of sun due to the sunny nature of Colorado, and being close to tree line, there are no tall trees to block the sun from reaching the understory.  However, one similarity between these two places is that the most abundant tree species are both types of coniferous.  In Burlington the majority species is Eastern Hemlock however in Colorado it is Blue Spruce and Pine.   Additionally, both places are on public land however they share the simplicity and quietness of nature showing the importance of protecting public lands and national forests for everyone to enjoy equally.

Although these places are vastly different from each other, they both have unique characteristics that display the beauty in difference and how two places that share almost nothing in common can still both hold a special place in my life.

• Introduction to my chosen location 

This area is right off of the Spear Street recreation path.  This is a 4.6-mile out-and-back walking, running, or biking trail that runs behind the Gutterson Fieldhouse and alongside the Burlington Country Club.  Since I have been at the University of Vermont, I have been walking and running on this trail because it starts right on campus and will take you all the way down to the waterfront.  The trail is lined with many different native tree species to Vermont such as Eastern Hemlock and the American Beech.  Because this trail is home to many natural riparian buffers on both sides, I decided that this would be an ideal place to complete my phenology assignment.  The specific location on this path I will be studying is by the stream under the bridge seen in the screenshot below which is located about 2 miles out from campus.  Although this area is close to the road and has a high-trafficked recreation path, most of the green regions around are all natural and experience much human influence, making it an ideal location for the phenology project. 

• Location

• Description of the vegetation

The majority of the over story is eastern hemlock and green ash whereas the understory is fairly open with some small false buckthorns and ferns along the hillside.  Looking downstream, the left side of the bank has a steeper grade and a thicker undergrowth with many false buckthorns and some young red oaks and the right side of the bank is more clear with mainly ferns.  Overall, there is not super high biodiversity in this area because the majority of vegetation consists of eastern hemlock and false buckthorn.

• List of the most common woody plants

Eastern hemlock

Green ash

False buckthorn

Red oak

Eastern white pine

Paper birch