The Phenology of Centennial Woods A UVM blog

The time has come my fellow nature enthusiasts where I must say goodbye. I recently took my last trip of the semester to Centennial. It was so cool to be able to see the phenological changes through the seasons. As I’ve mentioned before Centennial woods has a long human history. Culture is defined by Oxford dictionary as “the customs, arts, social institutions and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group.” Nature can hold a great cultural importance that impacts many people’s lives. Nature holds greatest significance in animistic belief systems/religions. For example, the Abenaki tribe used this land far before colonial settlements. Another culture that values nature is the “Vermont culture.” Something that drove me to UVM in the first place was its respect and curiosity for the natural world.  Humans use Centennial Woods recreationally which makes them part of the social-ecological system. So, my time spent in Centennial these past two semesters makes me technically part of this natural area. My frequent observations of this place have brought me closer to nature and have shown life where I thought there was nothing.   

On this last trip, I saw clues of an emerging summer. Vibrant greens, blooming flowers and warm breezes greeted me. I encountered an apple (malus) tree in full bloom. On my walk over I also saw beautiful flowers like tulips, daffodils, and lilacs. 

Anyways, it has been a pleasure being your Centennial nature guide through the seasons. I hope everyone has a lovely summer!!! 

Hello everyone! I’m hoping you all knew about the City Nature Challenge that took place around the world during April 30th – May 3rd. If you didn’t, no worries because I’m here to fill you in. This annual international event helps to motivate people to get outside and explore their area’s biodiversity. It is a friendly competition between cities to see who can observe the most amount of species in their area. The 2020 collective results found that there were over 815,000 observations made, over 32,000 species found and more than 41,000 participants. All you have to do to participate is go out and find wildlife, then take a picture of it and then share your observations through websites like iNaturalist.

My experience using iNaturalist was really interesting and educational! I was able to see observations from my lab group which has recorded over 100 species; I also saw that Burlington/Winooski has reached over 400 species recorded.

What I also found very cool about the City Nature Challenge is that it was able to connect people from all over the globe. Over 400 cities participated this year. It was really interesting to see observations made from people on the other side of the world. Wildlife observations were made from every climate type (tropical, dry, temperate, continental, polar). For example, I saw that an Arabian Sand Boa was spotted on Dubai’s inaturalist page which would obviously not be spotted in Vermont.

I decided to explore the Burlington waterfront because I thought it was a great example of urbanization and the natural world integration. The waterfront is a beautiful attraction for tourists and locals and is a great place to catch the sunset. Lake Champlain is of great ecological importance for wildlife and fisheries. Freshwater fish like sturgeons and Lake trout inhabit this watershed. You are likely to spot duck species and Ring-billed gulls. My most memorable observation, on the way down to the waterfront, was a male cardinal. It is said that cardinals are a “visitor from heaven” so I always get excited when I see one.

Link to the City Nature Challenge website: https://citynaturechallenge.org/

Link to the Burlington/Winooski City Nature Challenge website: https://www.citynaturecelebrationvt.org/

I was in a rush this visit so I sadly didn’t get to explore as much as I wanted to. As I’m sure we all have noticed, the grass is greening, trees are budding and birds are chirping; these are all signs that spring has officially sprung. One plant that I have spotted around Centennial Woods and in Burlington is Daffodils. These flowers are known for blooming in late winter, early spring and are part are some of the early signs of spring emerging. I sadly did not see any animals but heard many birds chirping. I heard calls from Sparrows, Cardinals, Red-winged Blackbirds and many more.

I have attached my best try at a small species interaction diagram that I made based on my spot. It shows the relationships between American Robins, Black Capped Chickadees, Pileated Woodpeckers, Worms, Carpenter Ants and Eastern White Pines. All of these species have been spotted in Centennial Woods (by me or by Inaturalist). The interrelationships between these organisms include predation, parasitism, commensalism and competition. My diagram does not include interactions from species of higher trophic levels. The species mentioned are either primary consumers, secondary consumers, decomposers and producers.

Although this prompt could take place anywhere in Burlington, I already happened to be in Centennial this week. I didn’t find tracks last time I was there but this time I was super excited to find some on the side of the footpath. Judging by its unique shape, I would say it is either a red or a gray squirrel. I also hiked to the power lines which I have never been to before. Lastly, I ended up at the beaver dam that still had remnants of the non-native invasive phragmites that invade wetlands. A tree that I was able to identify was an American Beech. The American beech can be easily identified in the snow because it is known to keep its leaves. Its leaves do not retain its color, but its shape is unmistakable. On the end of its branches are its pointy buds that will open up in the spring months. As the snow starts to melt, I am excited to see the phenological changes to the landscape as Spring blooms.

Welcome back everyone! I am hoping you all had a meaningful and restful holiday season. Yesterday, my friends and I trekked to Centennial woods to play in the fresh snow. It was so peaceful to be surrounded around good friends (socially-distanced and with masks of course) and beautiful nature. Obviously the biggest phenological change I saw since I last was there in the fall was the SNOW! The trees that once had the most beautiful foliage are now bare. I ended up at the eastern white pine natural area. As we know, eastern white pines are extremely hardy throughout winter seasons. Much respect for trees facing these harsh Vermont winters!

I sadly didn’t see many animal tracks because it was a blizzard when I was there and covered up all the prior tracks. What I was hoping to see was small rodent tracks; I will have to visit soon and search again.

Happy winter everyone! Continue to think critically and explore fully!

In Centennial woods, there is clear evidence of recreational, agricultural, and educational land use. Centennial woods is a social-ecological system. Every environmental factor has been imprinted by human impact. If you observe the surrounding area of this forest you cannot miss human imprint, e.g. hotels, busy industrial roads. When you get into the woods you can see human impact everywhere. There is trail steps stop erosion, making it easier for hikers to walk and helps redirect water during storms. There are small ladder bridges to get over the brook. There is an ROTC bunker which is now just used as a canvas for graffiti. There is remnants of barbed wire. Which is an indication of agricultural grazing of cattle.  As well as current human use of this land, it was also originally used by Abenaki Indigenous people. They had respect for the natural world so they didn’t change the landscape much. Whereas, the hospital used it as a dumping grounds for human cadavers. Clearly, there is opposite ideas and opinions on how the natural world should be treated. It has been a long time since Centennial went untouched by humans. Mass deforestation occurred when white European settlers arrived in the New England region. Forests were cut down for economic purposes like agricultural development and logging (wood used for fuel). At one point, Vermont was over 70% deforested, as we learned in class. When studying this and other lands, researchers should always look at it as a social-ecological system. It is important to consider human history alongside natural history.

This morning I stepped outside into my back yard and to my surprise, the early morning dew had frosted over on the ground. I walked a couple hundred feet to my pond. I listened to the water from my hill slowly trickle into the pond. The hill is mostly forested with new growth shrubs. I think of our class discussions about the big transition in New England regions (1600-1800) that went from almost completely forested landscape (pre-settlement) to pastoral landscapes with patchwork of farmsteads and villages. Along with Vermont, Pennsylvania was also largely deforested. The major difference between Centennial Woods and this spot is that Centennial is filled with older growth and a larger overstory. Whereas parts of my hill is cut down and groomed every year. The focal point of my Pennsylvania phenology site is the pond. When compared to Centennial Brook, both are very important functions to the ecology of their places. They provide better soil and habitats for wildlife. The difference between these two water sources is that the brook is flowing water and the pond is still. This means that although they are water sources, they both house different wildlife and provide different natural systems.  My challenge for all of you is walk outside your stuffy homes and look for the pieces, patterns and processes that surround you and the natural world. Happy exploring!

What I noticed most about visiting my site this week was the bleakness of the transition from autumn to winter. As leaves start to fall and snowy days become more frequent, the Centennial Woods ecosystem starts to prepare to hunker down for the cold and harsh season ahead. Vermont’s ecosystems rely on balanced seasons. Its’ stable winters are important to hibernation patterns. Chipmunks, for example, they store food to last them through their hibernation during the winter time. I can’t help but worry about how these complex systems will be altered with the warming climate.

The most visible change in landscape since I visited Centennial last is the clear changing of the seasons. The bright colors of the deciduous trees indicate that leaves are loosing their chlorophyll which is responsible for the transition from summer green to colorful autumn leaves. As peak foliage in Vermont comes to an end, leaves are starting to fall off. As wildlife starts to prepare for cold winter days ahead, I have been able to catch glimpses of a few different animals. I saw a flock of geese flying south for the winter. I see some eastern chipmunks scurry across grounds. I also saw a black-capped chickadee in the reeds of centennial meadow. I am praying for a safe winter for all the wildlife that is bearing with us in our changing climate. And for all my blog post readers… stay warm out there!

Hey y’all! So, I went to Centennial woods this week for to take a look around for this blog post. Centennial is one of Burlington’s beautiful natural areas and I am lucky to have it so close to my dorm! I highly suggest you get out there and go check out this unique landscape yourselves but if not, I’m here to break it down. Centennial is a total of 147 acres. Trail surfaces include packed earth, boardwalks and bog bridges. These lands have been occupied by indigenous people LONG BEFORE it was established as what we’d call “Centennial Woods.” Archeological digs have found Abenaki stone tools estimated to come from 3000-4000 years ago! There are many natural communities within this land including, the meadow, the hemlock forests, the pine forests, and the stream. The over-story includes an abundance of different species of hemlocks, pines, birches, oaks, maples and more.

I decided to wander over to the meadow because I haven’t gotten to spend that much time there. This area is filled with flora like Goldenrod, Sumac, Jewel Pie Weed, Honeysuckle, Milkweed, Phragmites, Cattails. Foliage around this time is extremely colorful and vibrant. The yellows, oranges and reds make my time living in Vermont so much more enjoyable. Happy Fall!