My place was different than it was when I last visited a week ago. For starters, the temperature when I went last week was in the upper sixties and when I went this week it was in the lower forties. With this weather change has also come a change in season. In and around my places many of the fall leaves had moved from the trees to the forest floor. Although I do think my spot contains the last green tree in Vermont…
Unidentified Tree (Scannell, J. 2016)
The past couple of days have been very rainy, exactly what we needed. This recent rain has had an effect on my place. Centennial Brook is higher and moving more quickly, and the fallen logs are covered with more moss than before.
When I arrived at my spot this week I went searching for signs of wildlife like holes in trees from woodpeckers or tracks left by deer. I became so frustrated because I could not find signs of any of these big animals. I sat down on the fallen log in frustration. Then I noticed small holes in the log that weren’t there before. They must have been caused by recent insects entering the log. I realized that there is more to wildlife then big animals like birds and deer, the smaller animals too. After discovering signs of insects I went to the brook searching for water bugs and I found small minos. They were swimming in a slow moving, shallow area of the pond. They swam away before I could capture a good picture.
Minnos (Scannell, J. 2016)
Evidence of Animals (Scannell, J. 2016)
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=1y792NG2jl3WZbj8Dd59yHGWV09Q&ll=44.47666588682111%2C-73.18668539999999&z=18
Centennial Woods, Burlington, VT
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Welcome,
My spot where I will be spending the future weeks exploring is in Centennial Woods. After entering Centennial Woods Natural Area from the trailhead on Carrigan drive, it is a short 10 minutes trek down the trail. I knew I wanted to explore Centennial woods, but I chose this specific spot because it is right next to Centennial Brook. I find the ecosystems around water features fascinating so I am excited to spend more time with the brook. I made sure to choose a spot that I found peaceful; I can hear the brook babble as I sit beside it.
Fall in the Brook (Scannell, J. 2016)
There is a lot of vegetation in the area. The ground is covered in ferns with many small bushes that I am unable to identify at this point. For trees, there is a Red Oak on the edge of the forest to my left, a massive Red Maple that towers above me, and a large Norway Maple on the other side of the brook.
Log (Scannell, J. 2016)
View to the right of my spot (Scannell, J. 2016)
I am excited to learn more about my beautiful “hide-away along the brook” and share it with you.