Today truly felt like spring. The sky was completely blue and the sun was beaming down on Burlington. Everyone was out and about walking, running, biking, and basking in the sun. For the first time I biked to my phenology spot rather than running. I ran the Burlington Half Marathon yesterday, so I needed a running break. All along my ride I noticed that beyond more people being out, there seemed to be more critters out and about too. I saw a ton of birds and squirrels along the way. I also noticed that the lake was extremely calm, almost glass-like. This means there was no cold winter wind like there has been for the past few months.
My tree looked pretty much the exact same as the last time I visited. I did not see any signs of budding or flowering yet, although all of last year’s leaves are gone. I have not seen much evidence of budding on very many trees yet, but I have seen some plants sprouting up from the ground. I am excited for the trees and plants to start flowering soon.
Another observation I made about my sight that is not related to my tree is the water quality of the lake. My spot is situated in a shallow little bay area of Lake Champlain, and I noticed that it looked especially green today. When I got closer I saw a thin layer of green material on the top and recognized it as cyanobacteria. This is the material that makes up the algal blooms we learn about in NR 1. My hypothesis is that the warmer temperatures are causing this bacteria to spread in the shallow waters.
