Going out to visit my phenology spot for the final time I felt as if it were summer already. 70 degrees with the sun beaming down and a nice breeze coming through Centennial. The fresh leafy canopy is dense with fully formed leaflets compared to the last time I came out here. There is also a larger variety of surface vegetation to be seen. Ferns and other shoots are sprouting up through the leaves. The biggest change compared to the last cold windy day I came out here are the sounds. The leaves muffle the sounds of the surrounding streets and highways, which put in combination with the number of songbirds in the area, makes for a far more enjoyable experience.

The grasses are taking hold down towards Centennial Brook and working their way up the leaf littered slopes.

Along with the larger trees the woody plants are starting to leaf out as well closer to the forest floor.

The Eastern White Pines are joined by the Norway and Red Maple the days get warmer with increased sunlight. This has created far more shade for the plants below which will keep the soils moist down towards the brook under the summer sun.

The way that Centennial interacts with the surrounding human world is pretty interesting. Centennial is managed by humans from a forestry perspective which is an easily observed input of change. However, I think that Centennial interacts with the culture of UVM and Burlington on a deeper level. In going out to my spot it is always a nice adventure especially as the days have gotten warmer. Walking through the woods is something that I miss and reminds me of being back in the White Mountains of my home. I see that same enjoyment in all the people that I pass on the trails. I have seen nurses or doctors walking through the woods wearing their scrubs as they walk to the parking on the other side of Centennial. Centennial provides a good sanctuary for people to destress in and contributes to the outdoor culture of Vermont and Burlington.

I am definitely a part of Centennial Woods. I am sure that even without my Phenology Blog that I will find my way out there again in the future. I have been getting outside a-lot so I haven’t had the need recently, but I see some pre finals walks in my future!

As I was home getting my vaccine I had to improvise which ended up being pretty interesting! These were all taken from my home in Littleton NH. My mom hasn’t stopped feeding the birds yet which made for some good visitors from our surrounding natural community. I had a good time exploring my property with my improved identification knowledge. Spring phenology here is slightly behind Burlington as we are at a higher elevation. Our perennial plants have yet to bloom in full force. There aren’t many postings on I-Naturalist in our area. I showed my mom how to use it so now there will at least be some bird indexing coming out of Littleton.

I enjoyed observing the house with a different eye and I kept noticing all the ways that my family interacts with nature. All of the things that my parents do to bring in wildlife like planting flowers or putting out seed bring in birds, bees, and evidently bears. While I was home we planted several areas with Service Berry on the edge of our lawn to further attract a variety of avian life.

Moving in to March there are a variety of new things to spot around the Burlington and lower Winooski Watershed. A prime example, driving the phenologic changes, we see now is the fact that it is 4:30 pm and there is still ample sun coming in from the sky to warm the ground and put the green back in the Green Mountain State.

An early riser this flower has already poked through the surface getting ready for spring. This is one of the first truly green things that I’ve seen this early spring.

One change that I have noticed over the past week especially on the warmer days are the number of birds that are out and about. Consistently it seems that they are more active. Which in my mind could be a result of several reasons. More birds could have moved back in to the area with the increasing daily temperatures. Or that the winter residents no longer need to conserve as much energy as possible to make it through the cold winter nights. Also, it could be the start of the mating season for some birds making them more apt to show a presence.

Under a similar but different note. Compared to the fall and late summer where so many leaves still hang in the trees it is far easier to spot the birds nests that dot the upper branches of trees. A couple of examples below.

I am not sure what type of scat this is but I found it while walking around a park. There is a high likely hood that it is a dog.

To finish it off there were a number of trees that have begun to sport buds out on the tips of their branches.

In returning to my spot in Centennial Woods the landscape has fully shifted to winter. There are birds calling in the air and possible a few animal tracks on the ground. It looks like I am not the only one who walked up off the trail in this direction either. Other than the snow on the ground the plot itself looks to be relatively similar to when I left in the Fall. There are no new fallen trees and the leaves were already down when I left. Hoping for some new changes in the future.

These were the only marks that I thought could be animal tracks from my visit today. With the wet snow I think that any tracks wouldn’t be preserved as well with the edges melting in.

The differences from the last time that I was out here seem minimal. There are more leaves on the ground and fewer in the trees but other than that there is little difference. I haven’t seen any other animals out an about while I have been here apart from the squirrel that I saw during my first visit to the plot. I can hear some birds, but they are elsewhere within Centennial.

All photos or art work in this post were taken or created by me, Hudson Marks, in October of 2020:

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Marks, H (2020) Centennial Woods 1, [ Picture ]. Centennial Woods Natural Area, Burlington VT, United States

Marks, H (2020) Centennial Woods2, [ Picture ]. Centennial Woods Natural Area, Burlington VT, United States

Marks, H (2020) Centennial Woods Species Distribution, [ Drawing ]. Centennial Woods Natural Area, Burlington VT, United States

The phenology here is in a similar stage to that of the Burlington area. Our property is in full on stick season with the remaining leaves having fell over the past storm cycle. The shorter of the beech trees, protected from the wind, are still holding a majority of their leaves but their taller counterparts are bare. There are few birds in the area apart from chickadees and the occasional blue jay from what I have seen.

The phenology is likely so similar due to the congruence of ecologic characteristics from here in Northern NewHampshire to Burlington. This area shares many of the same plant species as Centennial Woods. There is an abundance of Eastern White Pines that are likely a result of the past history of the area. In the past this area was clearcut for pasture lands as a part of a farm as we have found dumping grounds and old farm equipment in the woods on our property. Also, this is evident from the distribution of the types of trees across the landscape. In areas that have greater amounts of surficial ledge there are fewer Eastern Whites as those areas would have made for poor pastures.

Our state is known as The Granite State for a reason and that is exemplified across the property. Similar to what we observed at Rock Point in many areas trees have rooted themselves in very shallow soils on top of large bedrock formations. In areas with shallow soils the species differ greatly from terrain that allows for extensive root systems. Through observing the surface ecology it is easy to predict if there is ledge close to the surface because the area will lack large hard woods like Oak and Maple but will be covered in smaller trees with the occasional mid sized pine.

The land here is similar phenologically and ecologically to that of Centennial woods as a result of the similar past both landscapes have experienced. The differences lie in the geology of the area. Centennial is based in sands similar to the newly succeeded areas in our area. But, the shallowness of our soils in some areas creates an interesting difference in ecology.

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Marks, H. (2020) Oak Tree [Picture] Littleton NH, United States

Marks, H. (2020) Sap Buckets [Picture] Littleton NH, United States

Marks, H. (2020) Sugar House [Picture] Littleton NH, United States

Marks, H. (2020) Old Stone Walls [Picture] Littleton NH, United States

Marks, H. (2020) Bed Rock [Picture] Littleton NH, United States

Marks, H. (2020) Gravity Fed Lines [Picture] Littleton NH, United States

Marks, H. (2020) Wood Piles [Picture] Littleton NH, United States

Marks, H. (2020) Sugar House 2 [Picture] Littleton NH, United States

Google Images. (2020) Mapping of Property [Screen Shot] Littleton NH, United States

Today there was lots going on at my plot. For starters there was someone out enjoying the nice weather we’ve had sitting on the bridge with their puppy reading a book. I believe that in the wind over the past week that one of the dead trees fell over which I noticed today. Any remaining leaves are now down on the ground which gives the area a new feeling of being desolate for the coming winter season. There were a few different types of wildlife that I noticed while out there today. My friend saw a fish of some sort feeding on insects in the brook which I didn’t expect. It swam away before I could catch a glimpse of it. There was a large red squirrel that I startled when walking up in to my plot. It ran up the newly fallen dead pine that is leaning against another Eastern White Pine.

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Marks H. (2020) Dead Tree [Photo] Centennial Woods, Burlington VT, United States

Marks H. (2020) Trees [Photo] Centennial Woods, Burlington VT, United States

Marks H. (2020) Story Map [Drawing] Centennial Woods, Burlington VT, United States

My phenology plot is located in Centennial Woods on the campus of UVM. When starting an adventure from the medical campus side of the grounds you will find my plot after crossing over the large bridge that spans Centennial Brook. Crossing that bridge you will see a sign that says “Muddy Buddys” on it. Directly to the right of that sign is what looks to be two game trails that split from the main path. Follow the leftmost of the two and within twenty feet you’ll be in the center of my phenology spot.

Why Here?

I chose this ares due to the interesting species within its borders. In my scouting for a plot I saw some interesting leaves of a herbaceous plant on the ground that drew me in, it turned out to be Cockle Bur. I also wanted an area that was close to campus so that I could easily access it so Centennial Woods was a great option for me.

The composition of my plot is primarily Eastern White Pine which is expected in the sandy acidic soils of Centennial Woods. There is also an abundance of Buck Thorn that occupies a large amount of the plot. Other trees consist of: two Butternut, a Norway Maple, and three Sugar Maples. There are also some Barberry plants growing along with the Burdock that originally drew me in.

Many of these trees are making their transition to dropping their remaining leaves. Looking up at the canopy it was difficult to identify some of the trees due to their lacking a key descriptor. The Eastern White Pines are obviously holding their needles.

I have not seen any sort of wildlife tracks on the ground but I was kept company by a chipmunk that was scampering up and down a dead Eastern White Pine in the center of my plot. The chipmunk seemed to be dismayed with my presence.

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Marks H. (2020) Trees [Picture] Centennial Woods Burlington VT, United States

Marks H. (2020) Trees2 [Picture] Centennial Woods Burlington VT, United States

Google Maps. (2020) Location of Plot [Screenshot] Centennial Woods Burlington VT, United States