Centennial Woods

Centennial woods are a unique and essential part of the UVM community. Because the area is so easily accessible, students as well as other people in the area visit frequently. Even without people there, it is clear it is a utilized place. The brook always has new little stacks of rocks, and the surrounding area has a fort made out of branches. I even see peoples belongings, like bikes, hammocks, etc. left in the woods. Centennial woods have been a huge part of mine and other’s learning experience this year at UVM, and it is also loved just as much by people in the surrounding community.

I definitetly consider myself a part of Centennial Woods. Us and the brook are a part of the Winooski watershed, so everyone living here has an impact on the health of nearby waterways. It is important to remember we are a part of all of the nature around us to understand the connection between human and environmental health. Our actions significantly impact the state of the environment, in turn causing human health issues. Because I chose Centennial Woods as my phenology place, I was able to create an even closer relationship. I observed the seasonal changes from September to my most recent visit this past week, and I’ve developed a strong understanding of the woods learning more every time I visited. I have also brought my friends who are not in Rubenstein and aren’t introduced to the woods here. I have loved learning about the phenology of Centennial Woods and definitetly plan to continue visiting next semester, overall I am very grateful for its accessibility for the UVM community.

During my final visit to Centennial Woods of the semester, I noticed a variety of small bird species who made the woods much noisier than previous months. Other signs of birds were woodpecker holes which I find more and more of every time I visit.

The woods are appearing fuller as deciduous leaves continue to emerge as well as smaller plants along the floor. Wildflowers are one of my favorite aspects of spring and visiting forested areas in these months. Ostrich fern fiddleheads are scattered throughout Centennial Woods and have began to appear much more over the past month.

The amount of insects has increased significantly as well, with multiple bee species, moths, ants, etc. Also, down in the brook I was able to find a ton of small snails in the shallow water on rocks.

Over the past 4 days, I participated in the urban BioBlitz as part of the City Nature challenge. On may first, I explored between the church street area and the waterfront. The majority of my findings this day were plants, and I compared the street trees found in different areas. As I walked along the water, wildlife emerged. I was met with seagulls and a couple loons diving for food.

For the following day of the celebration, I made my observations at rock point. Here, I was surrounded by the sounds of birds, which were really fun to record on the iNaturalist app. The sounds I uploaded were quickly identified by other users, which is what makes the app so useful. It is also extremely easy to use and navigate through, giving almost anyone the opportunity to learn about the dispersal of species populations across the planet. The highlight of my trip to rock point was the group of white tailed deer walking through the woods. I also find it interesting to look for smaller observations like fungi, because the variation within a small area can be incredibly vast.

An amazing part of the app is the ability to watch as real time data comes in from completely different geographical locations, as 400+ cities are involved. With extensive participation from Cape Town, I enjoyed looking through those observations and being introduced to species I wasn’t before aware of. I especially found the sea life observations fascinating. Certain species looked drastically different than the species I commonly see, which out into perspective the diversity of nature.