Recently with the warming temps and frequent rain, many tree buds have been waking up all across Bolton valley, especially the Paper birch I have selected. While previously all of the flower stalks had been a dark brown and barely opened, most of the brown scales have begin to shed revealing small, delicate white/green flowers. …
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April Updates
On my last visit to Bolton there was still some snow on the ground, while there is still a lot of melting that is occurring. Already you can see a lot more of the flower stalks towards the ends of the branches. While I didn’t see any that are really starting to split there are …
More Yellow Birch
On my most Recent visit to Bolton, I noticed some distinct differences with the Yellow Birch I had selected. Towards the end of the branches flower stalks have been beginning to appear. These stalks will begin to grow around mid-late march and will continue as the flowers and seedlings begin to mature. These stalks will …
Tree Phenology Extravaganza
For this phenology assignment, the tree I choose was one I found near the entrance to the backcountry trails at Bolton Valley. It is a very large Yellow Birch which I estimated to be around 150-200 years old. While it seems a little beefier and the offshoot trunks seem out of place typically for birch …
Burlington iNaturalist Excursion
For this months phenology post, I started walking downtown on Pearl Street to see what I could find in one of the most developed parts of Burlington. The only true wildlife I saw was a bunch of American robins. For a good portion of the road every tree was inhabited by some robins, or they …
Intro to Bolton Valley
For this semester I switched my Phenology location from Gilbrook Nature Area to Bolton Valley. Bolton Valley is about a 30 minute car ride from campus and holds a ski resort, and also many trails for hiking, snowshoeing, and backcountry skiing. For this project I will be focusing on the trails and areas that are …
Final Visit
For my last trip to Gilbrook Nature Area for this project, I choose a very rainy day. I couldn’t find any deciduous trees with leaves left and there was virtually no animal activity. One thing that interested me was how there were still patches of grass that were very green, I assumed that most patches …
Pearl Hill
While I was on break this past week, I went on a trail ride at a state park near my home in MA called Pearl Hill. The specific trail I took was one I hadn’t gone on before and crested at an unnamed hill near Rattlesnake hill. While the area overall is pretty similar to …
Nov. 7th Visit
Since last visit, most of the colorful foliage has dropped. While there were still some animal activity (mostly frogs), there is much less overall including virtually no insects. Now that the air temperature is dropping, I can feel how the pond has retained its heat from the previous months. Soon, the colder water will sink …
Intro to Gilbrook
Gilbrook Nature Area is a small conservation area in the city of Winooski, right outside of Burlington. The Area is the highest elevation point in Winooski and it is a predominately forested area. The major forested areas tend to be hardwoods, specifically Eastern White Pine in the overstory. In the center of Gilbrook, is the …