A UVM blog Rocco Salomone’s Phenology Blog

This assignment gave me some trouble. I chose the tree that was most prevalent around my phenology spot. These trees were 40 to 80 feet tall, had rough, dark colored, ridged bark, and had opposite branching. What made this especially challenging was the lack of leaves. Leaves are the first thing to look at when trying to distinguish between oak and maple since the barks can be similar. I came to the conclusion that the species around my area was Red Maple. I am sort of unsure since I couldnt see any leaves, nor could I see any buds to use as identification either. I hope I was able to guess correctly. Maybe Ill just have to wait til spring to see if I was right.

This week I was able to see my spot covered in about 8 inches of snow for the first time this year. I was excited to see that there were some animal tracks that were made easily visible in the snow.

I suspect the tracks to come from either a rabbit or a squirrel but since the snow was pretty deep and the tracks were old, it was tough to tell. The only animals Ive observed in my spot are squirrels and birds, hopefully I can get a better idea of the fauna in my area throughout the year.

As I continued on towards the stream, I took note of the plants that surrounded me. All the underbrush and shrubbery that is usually thriving in the small patch of woods was gone, and all that remained was a blanket of snow across the forest floor. If you take note of my earlier posts, you know that I have been noting the abbundancy of pine sapplings in the area. While there were about 5 to 10 sapplings the last time I visited there was one singular plant today. I suspect the reason for this is people coming into the area and removing them to have makeshift Christmas trees but this is only a speculation.

Next, and most importantly, I wanted to observe the quality of the stream, especially considering the high amount of snow weve been getting lately. The stream looked better than usual. The water was clear as always, but the duckweed that usually flows through the stream was gone. This is likely because of the drop in temperature which the algae is unable to thrive in. Another reason for this may also be the high amount of salt in the water since the stream is drainage for a large portion of UVM’s roads.

Hopefully at some point I will be able to use actual measurements and experiments to tell me a little more about my phenology spot. Thanks so much for stopping in this week. See ya’ later (:

Today I visited my phenology spot for the last time this year. One difference today was the snow on the ground. This change made me think about how the changing seasons will affect the vegetation surrounding my stream, and how the changes in the water entering my stream will change my area and further affect the greater watershed. Some things I observed this week might have a big affect on how my stream will look and function. First, I noticed how the water basins that my stream flows from were frozen.

This would probably lower the velocity of my stream since the water is stuck in the solid state. While this may be good for lowering the amount of runoff, it makes me wonder if during spring, all the materials tied up in ice and snow will melt all at once and overload the stream. This thought also made me realize how my stream will affect the greater Burlington watershed and the water quality of Lake Champlain. Another change I saw around my area was the lack of vegetation. I came across where lots of Staghorn Sumac, an invasive species, was removed from around the water basin.

Most of the leaves on the sugar maples in the forest had fallen but the ground was not completely covered in leaves wince the wind likely blew them away. One place where I did see leaves accumulating was in the stream. The leaves seemed to catch the duckweed algae, any oil that accumulates on the water surface. I wondered if catching these contaminants and allowing them to sit and go back into the soil is better than allowing the materials to flow downstream where they may end up in the lake or other bodies of water.

While most of the understory, leaves, and grasses next to the water sources were gone, the Eastern White Pine saplings continued to thrive. I have really enjoyed visiting my spot and seeing how my stream is affected by our school and our climate. Even though our blogs will no longer be required I will continue to visit my spot and check on my stream.

Thanks for reading this week. Come back soon!

https://goo.gl/maps/VaF4rhZfuNqSZzYV6

Over Thanksgiving break, I visited my Grandmother in Arizona. We decided to see the Grand Canyon since the weather was absolutely beautiful. It was a crisp 45 degrees and the sky was clear and bright blue.

As I stood near the edge of the canyon, I looked around and compared my new spot to my spot here in Burlington. The first major difference I noticed was the lack of moisture in this section of the canyon. The only water present was the meandering Colorado river which I could see peaking past the sandstone and limestone ledges below me. The soil was dry wherever I stepped, in fact, Im not sure if most of what I was walking on was soil, it seemed to be the eroded material of the bright limestone layer that the trail was formed on. This material made it seemingly hard for plants to root along the canyons edge. As I took a closer look however, the shrubs and small trees seemed to thrive and be able to wrap around rocks and really dig in for some reason. Some of the common flora I found were the Utah Juniper tree, the Pinyon Pine, the Fernbush, Big Sagebrush, and plenty of cacti of course. All these plants are able to thrive with very small amounts of annual rainfall, however they serve important rolls in preventing erosion, keeping moisture in the ecosystem, and providing habitats for animals. I saw lots of birds, the only of which I could identify were these huge ravens. I observed what I think was coyote scat slightly off of one trail. I saw some cute chipmunks as well. These chipmunks reminded me of my spot in Vermont, since I often see chipmunks in forest that surrounds my stream. Obviously one big difference between my two spots was the arid climate of the Grand Canyon. One might think that this lack of water would prohibit the survival of wildlife, but when I compared my two spots, the Grand Canyon was way more rich in plant and animal species. I think that the size or scale of my blogspot here in Burlington doesnt allow for the survival of so many creatures in the same way the Grand Canyon does. I am so thankful I was able to see such a beautiful part of our country and do it with the people I love. As always, the pictures I took dont do the canyon justice, it’s just something you have to see with your own two eyes. Thanks for reading!

While I sat besides my stream, I found serenity. The birds chirped all around, squirells scuffled through the leaves, all while the water ran past me, burbling away. I enjoyed my time there. Although it is very close to so many people, the trees, plants, and natural decline prevent me from seeing the world of UVM. Although I could not see the red brick buildings I am so familiar with, I could see the signs of UVM in my small secluded habitat. Cans laying about, a chip bag waving in the stream, oil from the parking lot accumulating on the water’s surface. I tried to remove what foreign objects I could, but I knew that ultimately, the high concentration of people at our school made it hard for this small ecosystem to survive. Since the last visit I made, there are many more leaves on the ground, mostly from trees but also from shrubbery. The only plants that are still green are the grasses that lay next to the stream and the pine sapplings which lay in the understory of the nearby forest.

Today I made my first visit to my blog spot. My area is centered around a stream which comes from two drainage basins behind the WDW complex on Redstone Campus. I chose this spot because I loved the Potash Brook lab. I thought it would be cool to see how where I live directly affects a stream and how the stream would change throughout the seasons. As I walked off the trail I took note of the most common species surrounding me.

I saw lots of tall sugar maples turning bright yellow and orange. I also realised that the farther from the trail I walked, the more Eastern White Pine saplings I observed. This was odd because I struggled to find any full grown Eastern White Pines.

Once I arrived at the stream I tried to measure it’s deepest and shallowest parts, I estimated the depths at 10cm and 1cm. I think today the water was deeper than usual since it was actively raining while I was taking observations.

The stream was flowing quicker than the last time I visited my area and I saw some bubbles starting to form on top of the water. At first I though this was just the water being oxidated by turbulance but as I looked closer I saw how the bubbles were more of a scum.

I also saw some of the Duckweed that completely covers the larger of the two drainage basins accumulating in certain parts of the stream. I think that the scum is likely caused by oil runnoff from one of the many nearby parking lots. I think this because in certain small puddles next to the stream I saw a thin shiny film over the water. I am not sure what causes the overgrowth of Duckweed but it may be related to over fertilization which could be explained by the nearby golf course. I cant wait to see how the forest around the stream and the stream itself change throughout the season. Hopefully by the end of our phenology project I will have some ideas on how to fix the issues I observed today.