A UVM blog Phenology Spot

The culture and nature of my place have clearly changed over the years. Being once Native American land the traditional practices are no longer seen today. Instead, the sound of cars and people fills the air of a once quiet and melodic place. Paths go through every corner and crevice of the forest, and downed trees that seem unnatural make the space empty and lacking. I wish to see the forest 200 hundred years ago when everything was forested and undisturbed. At home, I have places I go to in the woods that are a little different. My forest is peaceful and deer are common to see wandering around on undisturbed grounds. The only sounds that can be heard in my forests are the ones of song birds, howling winds, and running rivers. I have no connection to my place now. I feel as though there needs work for my area to feel like a home. Hopefully there can be improvement in the greater Burlington area where nature can be respected and not seen as a zoo animal. We are apart of nature, and we cannot break apart something we are connected to.

During the BioBlitz challenge the two Burlington areas I was able to explore were Rock Point and Centennial woods. Both areas had multiple signs of wildlife and phenological changes. Using iNaturalist was a little difficult to understand at first, but once I got the hang of it I was able to identify a wide range of organisms. Some of the species I encounter were black locusts (tree), red fox, and a baltimore oriole. Overall I believe I encountered 11 species in total which was awesome to see. Some of them I had not heard of before which strengthened my identification skills. Postings from other cities were interesting. Globally the wildlife was a lot more different than Burlington’s, which was fun to compare and contrast between the different communities.

On my way down to Centennial Woods, I was able to identify a handful of species. Tracks were seen throughout my walk and some of the species I was able to identify were: white-tailed deer, mice, and squirrel. The deer tracks were diagonal and seemed like they were going down towards the brook. I suspect it was looking for an open water source or maybe vegetation to eat during the long winter months. The mice tracks on the other hand were located at the bottom of small trees. I was not able to locate any tunnels in the area but there seemed to be a decent amount of them in the area. Squirrels were spotted all over the area jumping from tree to tree. Their tracks would lead me to the base of the tree and all of a sudden vanish. There were also more animal sign in the area I was not able to identify, but I hope after a couple more days of tracking I will be able to figure out some more mysteries in the area.

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After reading Marry Holland and walking to my phenological spot, multiple observations were made. As I walked into the woods I was able to indicate burdocks all over the ground. As I continued walking I found out a lot of it had attached to me. The bracts, as indicated in the book, had the Velcro effect. This adaptation helps them disperse their seeds by attaching them to animals. When I made it to my spot I took a moment of silence. I was able to hear a crow and some kind of sparrow call followed by long stretches of silence. I was also able to hear some kind of woodpecker as well in the distance, and notice multiple trees that indicated their activity in the area. For plant life, wood ferns still have their foliage. Along with maples also containing some leaves that cling on for dear life. The snow melting didn’t help my tracking efforts as well. The only animal actually spotted in the woods was a grey squirrel scavenging for food. Overall it was a beautiful last day, and I am excited to come back again sometime soon.

Over the weekend I was able to visit Lucas Gilman’s phenology spot. It was a little bit further down the brook than mine in Centennial Woods and overall was very similar. Sugar maples and eastern hemlocks dominated the forest, minimal undergrowth was in the area, and the story floor had multiple deadfalls. It was sloped and pretty open in certain parts. Small frozen streams were dumping into the brook from the street above, possibly causing some chemical runoff. Animal activity in the area was minimal, bird calls were less common, and the only tracks I was able to spot was a squirrel. The I suspect the soil is somewhat acidic. The area is covered with needles and takes up most of the forest floor. Overall the day was overcast and warm resulting in no snow in both of the areas.

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Coming back to my hometown of Thetford Center, Vermont, I honestly didn’t think I would see many phenological or ecological changes. When I went to my spot it didn’t even look like there were any differences, I could only see the similarities in the two areas. It wasn’t until I took a closer look that I was able to make some comparisons. One thing I noticed was the amount of snow Centennial Woods had compared to the woods in my woodland area. When I arrived back to campus and visited my spot I was surprised how much more snow was up here compared to home. Probably due to the elevation and latitude of the two areas being different. Another thing I noticed was the amount of animal activity I found in my area. Multiple tracks and drops indicated a variety of animals. Some of the species included coyote, white tailed deer, chipmunk, grey squirrel, blue jay, and raven. There seemed to be more biodiversity in the area; probably because of the amount of people interacting with Centennial Woods. This can result in specieses wanting to move out of their habitat, and make them migrate somewhere else. This can also negatively impact the environment due to it throwing off natural processes that could normally be found in the area.

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My friends and I started our journey right outside of MAT and decided to walk towards the Redstone Lofts. We first walked by the basketball courts and than past the Patrick Gymnasium. All of us felt winter was clearly approaching Vermont: temperatures were decreasing, songbirds migrated for the season, and daylight was being lost each day. As we continued our walk around the track and back to MAT. We were able to make a couple of observations. We noticed the maples either had changes in foliage or the tree was completely bare in general. The only species to have leaves was the American Beech along with the coniferous trees that keep their needles for the season. The only animal we were able to spot was a gray squirrel hopping around the forested area. The day itself was particularly cloudy but a beautiful day overall.

During my time at my phenology spot I witnessed a lot of changes in my surroundings from the first time. I saw leaves falling and becoming part of the understory. Song Bird calls were not as common as the time before. Probably due to the colder temperatures causing them to migrate. The small stream by my spot was also overflowing from the rain this weekend and heading down into the brook. There was an almost earth like smell in the air. There were no signs of any animal activity near the area from what I saw. The area itself seems to be wetter than usual, and the moist deadfalls are laid out everywhere.