Phenology at Centennial Woods

I have been visiting the same site since the beginning of last semester and there have been some changes. I saw my site in the fall, winter, and in the spring and each season was very different. In the fall, everything was very green and the leaves on the tress were just changing colors from green to vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows. In the winter, the leaves had fallen off the trees and there was a layer of snow and iced covering the ground. Now, in the spring, plants are beginning to grow, buds are sprouting, and the wildlife is becoming more active.

During my last visit I noticed there was a lot more bird activity than there was in the fall and winter. I saw many birds but the main few I saw were the tufted titmouse, downy woodpecker, and northern cardinal. Other then birds, I also saw many eastern grey squirrels foraging for food. While I was walking past the stream I saw small schools of fish that included eastern blacknose dace and creek chub.

The major landmarks at my site that I have become familiar with are the Norway maple and the barberry. Whenever I visit my site I always check both of those to see any changes as when winter stated to approach and progress, the Norway maple was one of the only trees in my site that kept some leaves hanging and the barberry was one of the first plants to loose all of its leaves and there was one berry on the barberry that hung on during the time I have been visiting this site. A minor landmark I’ve become familiar with was a fallen log by the Norway maple as I noticed animals using it for food or crossing and plants using it as a base for growth.

The land and culture at my site intertwine in multiple ways, one of them being recreational use. Centennial Woods as a whole is a place that many people utilize to go on hikes, runs, bird watching etc. which allows there to be a connection between nature and us as humans. At my spot specifically I feel that the land and culture intertwin though mostly bird watching as I have noticed many people stop for a while and look for the different birds. I also feel that land and culture intertwine through healing because I find that myself and many others come to nature to decompress and to find a peaceful area to relax and Centennial Woods is able to offer tranquility to people who visit.

I would consider myself a part of my place in Centennial Woods. I feel connected to the surrounding nature as I have honed in on observing and listening to changes throughout the seasons. This connection has grown over time and I have noticed small things such as where the squirrels tend to look for food or where the birds are often found at. Being able to watch this place grow and change has been an amazing experience in which I have been able to be a part of.

During the City Nature Challenge BioBlitz I visited Centennial Woods, Intervale, and Potash Brook. I visited Centennial Woods on April 26 and April 27 to go bird watching and there was a lot of activity. unfortunately I wasn’t able to get picture of all the birds I saw but there were: two red cardinals that I saw and a lot of chickadees and a few pileated and hairy woodpeckers. I was able to get a picture an American Gold Finch. I went to Intervale for the Spectacular Nature Day event on April 28 and I found more woodpeckers and some plant species such as the ostrich fern. On April 29 I went to Potash Brook where I found a tiger beetle and some plants such as a yellow trout lily. I was able to identify the unknown plants I found using iNaturalist and I was able to upload most of my findings on this platform for the BioBlitz. my experience using the iNaturalist app went great and it was a great resource for identifying things.

I encountered about 15 species and I was able to record about 12 of them. There were a few species that I was unable to identify. I looked through some other cities and their contributions and I found all of the different observations really cool. As I was looking through the cities I noticed how diverse all of the observations were I and thought it was interesting how in some cities, the spices found were very different than the ones we have in Vermont and some species were very similar. I looked at Maine and thought that all of the aquatic life was also really cool and different from what other areas have found.

Instead of a warm spring we got snow. And a lot of snow. At my spot everything was covered in a blanket of snow in the understory. The ferns, the logs, the soil, and the smaller baby trees were slightly covered in snow. However, there were no animal tracks in and around my area. I did hear some birds but I was unable to identify them. There were two crows that were flying around Centennial Woods and on the walk over to Centennial from campus, there were lots of robins in the trees.

The barberry had little to no berries left on it and all of the trees had no leaves except for the Norway maple which had about 2 very dry and droopy leaves. There some trees that were beginning to bud such as the red maple and the red oak.

I went and visited Mackenzie Park with some friends after it had snowed to track animals in Burlington. We found multiple tracks but we were unable to identify most of them because of how fresh the snow was. Some tracks looked like they had been there for a while and were slightly covered in snow and other tracks has some snow fall over onto the tracks. The main animal tracks we found were from cottontail rabbits also know as Genus Sylvilagus. Using the iNaturalist app I was able to compare my findings with other peoples findings. Using this app and recoding my observations also allowed me to show other people what I found and what animals are in the area.

We were unable to identify all of the tracks we found but I used my field guide and previous knowledge of some animals to identify the cottontail rabbit tracks. There was one set of tracks that was hard to tell if they were from a cottontail rabbit or something else because snow had slightly covered them but we used the field guide to look into it further and we found that they were more cottontail rabbit tracks. We also heard many birds and I only got a picture of one of them which was a Hairy woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus). We also saw a Tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) and unfortunately I was unable to get a picture of it. My friend who was with me had a bird field guide that she used to help identify the birds. Here are some more photos of what we found while wondering around Mackenzie Park.

Hello I have chosen to continue blogging the phenology at Centennial Woods at the same spot as last semester. Since my last visit I have noticed there was a lot more snow cover and a lot more ice. Almost all the plants in the area either had a thin layer of snow on them or they were buried under the snow.

The first three pictures on the left are some moss, some ferns, and a pine cone with a thin layer of snow. In the picture on on the right, it is showing the snow cover and under that snow are the ferns and leaf litter.

The red oak still had some leaves on it but they were brown and a little curled and the barberry has barley any berries left on it. At my spot there was not much wildlife present but I did hear lots of birds around the area and past my spot but further into centennial woods past my spot I did find some tracks in the snow.

When I went to visit my phenology spot almost all of the leaves had fallen from the trees. I noticed that the coniferous trees such as the Eastern white pines still had all of their pine needles. This is because the pine needles do not fall off as easy as they are smaller and have less surface area that would get covered if frozen when compared to a deciduous tree. Other than the Eastern white pine trees, there were two other tree species that still had some leaves left on them. There is a young red oak that still had leaves left on it and its leaves were brown and curled. The other tree was the Norway maple tree. The leaves on the Norway maple were yellowish and droopy.

The ferns that dominated the understory are still persistent but they were flattened due to the snow cover and the leaf litter. The barberry also still had some berries left. All of the leaves on the barberry had fallen off but some berries are still present.

The leaf litter has increased and most of it is currently covered in a thin layer of snow. The leaf litter had mainly deciduous leaves but there were a few pine needles from the Eastern white pines. There was decomposition occurring as there was lots of dead organic matter being broken down on the ground. Some of the trail was also frozen on the walk over to my spot and there were some spots that had a thick layer of mud under the ice.

While at my spot I saw a few squirrels running around and a lot of crows in flying above the trees. I did find some animal tracks on a log at my spot which I think are squirrel tracks. The animal activity has decreased a little as in the past I noticed there were more birds other than crows but otherwise the animal activity has remained mostly the same.

As we are finishing up the semester I wanted to say that I have gained a great amount of knowledge from this class and from being out in Centennial Woods for this project. I have a deep appreciation for nature and being able to build a relationship to a place has broadened my understandings of nature and how everything works as a system. I really enjoyed the observing the ferns at my spot as they have been surviving through everything so far and I also enjoyed the diversity at my spot. There are lots of deciduous trees at my spot but right at the edge of my area there are coniferous trees that I included as they can show a comparison to how different types of trees are adapting to the different seasons. I can’t wait for next semester to continue observing the phenology of an area. 🙂

This place is very accessible and it provides a natural area for those who want to go out in nature. At the Memorial Waterway Park there is a sign that shows the different types of leaves in the area. There are also signs along the trail that help identify the plant and animal species that are commonly found in the area. Towards the middle of the park there are two small gardens and throughout the park there are multiple bird feeders. Towards the end of the park there is dock where people can spend time at and overlook the water.

Plant species at Memorial Waterway Park:

• red cedar
• magnolia
• red maple
• short leaf pine
• post oak
• sugar maple
• muscadine grape
• ladder fine
• black cherry

Animal Species at Memorial Waterway Park:

• great blue heron
• snowy egret
• gray squirrel
• blue jay
• red-tailed hawk
• red cardinal
• common loon

The phenology of the Memorial Waterway Park is different than the phenology of Centennial Woods. At the Memorial Water Park, it does not get as cold as it does in Vermont so there is less of a change. The plants in the area do not change colors like the trees do at Centennial Woods and there is leaf litter on the ground but not as much as there is in Centennial Woods. The plants at the Memorial Waterway Park did look like they were dying a little bit but that was only a small portion of the plants, most of them looked healthy and alive. To give back to nature, I picked up trash in the area and also made sure there wasn’t anything destroyed such as the garden.

Today I noticed that During my time at my spot in Centennial Woods I noticed that almost everything looked dead and I also noticed that a majority of the leaves have fallen from almost every tree. At my spot all of the leaves of the red maple and the two white oaks have fallen off. The leaves on the rest of the trees at my spot have mostly fallen off but not completely. The leaves on the barberry by the trail are starting to fall off. The ferns were mostly all upright but there were a few that started dying. On the ground there was a lot more leaf liter than the last time I visited my spot and there was a lot less green vegetation since most of it has changed to red, orange, or yellow.

My spot is in Centennial Woods which is a protected natural area that is about a 5-7 minute walk from UVM central campus. I chose this location because Centennial Woods has a wide range of plant and animal species native to Vermont. I first visited Centennial Woods during my first NR1010 Lab and I had a lot of fun walking around and observing all the vegetation and animals there. Centennial Woods is a place that I am very interested in and would like to gain more knowledge about. Centennial Woods is also a great place for hiking and taking a walk in nature and it is very accessible to everyone, even those who do not have a bike or car. 

Location

To get to my spot in Centennial Woods you have to start at the trailhead where there will be a big green sign. Then make your way to a large opening where there is a sign that says “poison ivy,” here there is a split in the trail so keep right. Keep following the trial past the bridges going over the stream and eventually there will be a second large opening. My spot is right before this opening and you will know you are there if there are lots of ferns on one side of the trail and a red maple tree on the other side.

Plant Life

Common woody plants

• Red maple
• Sugar maple
• Northern red oak
• White oak
• Norway maple
• Barberry
• Buckthorn 

Vegetation

• Intermediate wood fern
• Threeleaf goldthread