Phenology Blog – Kelly Manley

I visited my phenology spot in Centennial for the last time this week. It was sunny on Tuesday afternoon and I did not have my afternoon lab so I took advantage of the nice weather and extra time to really enjoy Centennial. From the entrance to my spot, it was cold and damp in the shade, with not much change from my visit last week. I noticed more loose leaf litter, some more fern and moss growth, and some fungi in the tree crease. I sat on the usual fallen tree trunk and listened to birds for a while before deciding to continue hiking into Centennial. I walked until the bridge over a stream, where I sat in the sun for almost two hours just enjoying the warmth and healing sounds of the stream. On the way to the stream, I saw fiddleheads, ferns, turkey tail, and some bugs. There also appeared to be two tadpoles in the stream. After a while of contemplating in the sun, I headed back to campus and the reality of studying for finals.

Nature and culture intertwine at my place by being an accessible recreation place for Burlington residents, but especially UVM. Centennial is an excellent option for students who do not have transportation to farther hikes or for those just looking to get outside for a few hours. Centennial is the location of assignments for all sorts of classes from forestry to biology and enjoyed in all four seasons. Since Centennial Woods is a spectacular oasis in our backyard, it is the perfect example of the natural world and recreation culture blending to create a multifunctional area for many types of enjoyment.

I consider myself, as well as the UVM community, to be a part of Centennial Woods. While others likely do not have the same connection with my specific spot, Centennial as a whole is enjoyed by a wide variety of UVM and Burlington community members. This relates to creating a sense of place and anyone who visits once or more will have a new connection to this place that they will remember for its ability to be a sanctuary seemingly in the middle of a bustling city.

All photos are my own.

Though it has not felt that way this week with all the rain, spring is showing its first signs in Centennial. Buds are opening on trees, birds are chirping (Robin and Red-Winged Blackbird), and the stream is babbling as it flows around the natural area. My spot did not show any signs of spring wildflowers beginning to emerge from the soil, however, I did find some cool growth on some trees around my phenology spot (turkey tail and mosses). The only growth from the leaf litter that I found was I also encountered the unravelling of the leaves on an American Beech. Many of the other trees around my spot are conifers (Eastern White Pine and Hemlock) so they have kept their needles throughout the winter.

All photos are my own from 4-25-2019

For the week of Spring Break, I spent my time on Sanibel Island off the gulf coast of Florida. Scientists believe the island sediment rose from the sea and was shaped by centuries of storm activity. We visited many places on the island by bike, which provided a great opportunity to see a significant amount of species biodiversity and human land uses on the island (specifically restaurants and shops). We briefly visited the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, known for its bird diversity, however, I selected my phenology spot at the Gulfside City Park Beach because that is where we spent a greater amount of time so I could study it best.

The tree I found most fascinating was the Gumbo Limbo, bursera simaruba, because of its peeling bark which reminded me of birch. I also saw many different types of palm tree, specifically the Paurotis Palm, acoelorraphe wrightii, which I have attached an image of below. For wildlife, we saw bottlenose dolphins (tursiops truncatus) in the water, brown pelicans (pelecanus occidentalis) flying overhead, and marsh rabbits (sylvilagus palustris) eating in the bushes. I also managed to find a starfish near the edge of the water as the tide went down (image below), but have not been able to identify what type it is. I saw tracks all along the water’s edge from spotted sandpipers (actitus macularia) who constantly plunged their beaks into the sand looking for a snack. I also saw prints of domestic dogs in the soft sand further away from the water while searching for seashells (which were in extreme abundance).

This phenology spot is completely different from my spot in Centennial Woods. The palms and flowered plants of coastal Florida are not suited to survive the cold, snowy Vermont winters like Centennial’s oaks and pines are. The wildlife is different, too, considering I looked at marine habitat animals, which do not exist in Vermont. I enjoyed getting the chance to explore these alternate-climate species because the species at my home in New York have always overlapped greatly with the natural world in Vermont, so this was greatly different.

As usual, all photos are my own!

Since my phenology spot is along the edge of the forest and the meadow, I would consider it to be a part of multiple natural communities. The forest resembles a Northern Hardwood Forest because of the presence of Eastern Hemlock, Eastern White Pine, and Red Oak. The marsh edge on which my spot resides could be classified as a cattail marsh because of the abundance of cattails and tall grasses in the warmer months. Both of these communities are characteristic of the Champlain Valley Biological Region.

While this Centennial location was not my phenology spot first semester, we did visit Centennial for our first lab and I can recall many of the traits from the numerous visits made in the fall. In the fall, the trees all had leaves, the stream was flowing, and the natural world was alive in the fullest. Moving into November, leaves covered the muddy, damp ground as vegetation was preparing for snow. Now, the substrate is frozen and ice hides under patches of snow along the paths in Centennial. Maples are without leaves and it is the Eastern White Pines who continue to tower over the forest with their needles.

All photographs are my own.

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The details of my new phenology spot are on the previous post.

I have decided to change the location of my phenology spot for the new semester from Crescent Woods to Centennial Woods because I did not see many signs of animals at Crescent and was concerned about being able to find tracks there this semester.  To get to my spot from Aiken, go out heading east until you get to Carrigan Drive and follow that across the intersection for about 6 minutes until reaching the entrance sign for Centennial woods.  In the woods, I followed the path down and across the bridges until I was on the other side of the wetlands.  I turned left and walked for 3-4 minutes along the wetland to where there is another bridge and a stream comes into the marsh.  At the intersection between the stream and the marsh, there is a fallen tree that is a perfect sitting spot for my phenology spot.  Some of my pictures from my spot and map are shown below.

I saw many tracks along the way to my phenology spot including grey squirrel and mouse (first picture below).  The mouse trail had segments of it where it went into the subnivean level and came back up again to the surface.   At my spot, the best tracks I found were those of a deer (second picture).  The prints of the deer spanned most of the length of the wetland at Centennial and the biggest significant event with the prints occurs in the third picture below.  I noticed the prints in a grouping, not a typical diagonal walking pattern, with some ice chunks displaced.  It looked as if it stepped on the ice, broke through, and tried to get off of that area onto solid ground as soon as it could. My hypothesis was confirmed when I stepped on the ice and broke through, just as the deer likely did.

Some deciduous trees located around my new phenology spot include both Northern Red Oak, Sugar Maple (second picture and drawing), Red Maple, Norway Maple, American Beech (first picture), and Ash.  I found a bud of a tree I could not identify from our focal species list, but later researched it to be a butternut tree (not pictured).

Englesby Brook flows through many culverts underneath roadways as it works its way across the landscape.  At one point on the journey of the brook, there is a bridge that once was a part of Henry Holt’s expansive property which sat at the head of Englesby Brook near the Burlington Country Club.  Henry Holt was the founder of his own publishing company in the early nineteenth century who built his mansion in Burlington in 1809.

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All photos are my own!

I balance along the edge of the stream like a tightrope walker in a circus performance.  The gentle flow of the stream contrasts the anxiety felt when the leaves under my feet slip slightly as I walk along.  The path is familiar, yet my surroundings seem to redefine themselves each time I visit.  This hidden oasis existed just under my nose off a road I travelled frequently, but never manifested itself to me until this summer when driving by myself and enjoying the scenery.  It is hard to imagine now, as I stand on the rock I always do, a time when I passed this cascade without stopping.  This vault within the mountain that shares the same name as my hometown welcomes native residents to its splendor but shelters itself from those others who pass by and are distracted by the spread of corn fields on the opposite side.  I approach the cataract and feel the spray, refreshing my senses to the moment I am living in.  Icicles begin to reach down the rock, exposing places where small leaks are in the wall jagged stone.  Trees border the frozen grotto and loom overhead to add to the cavernous effect.  The water cuts through the otherwise solid mountain making me think these rapids were much stronger and provided a water source for the agrarian landscape it leads into.  Now that I have reached the base of the falls, the point where I stop, the stream surrounds my feet and the spray begins to soak my coat.  Then, I turn and look out through the tunnel of trees and rock I came from, I can see across the road and farm land to the peaks of homes in my neighborhood showing themselves behind the defenseless trees during the winter months. (Leopold)

Both my spot at Crescent Woods and Coward’s Falls are accompanied by the soothing sounds of rolling water.  The stream in Crescent Woods meanders whichever way it chooses, while the attitude of Coward’s Falls is much straighter and more honest as a path back to civilization.  Civilization surrounds Crescent and its beauty hides below the elevation of the unsuspecting passerby, and Coward’s hides in its own way in the shadow of the other views people are too busy looking at.  Both are sheltered overhead by an abundance of Oaks, both White and Northern Red, which at this time of year form a red carpet for its visitors.  Crescent Oaks are friendly with Maples as well, while these trees were absent from the roof of Coward’s Fall’s cavern.  Instead, the Oaks there shared their space with Willows and Eastern White Pine.  Wildlife has been shy in Crescent, but signs of deer were present at the Falls in the form of scat by the base of a vulnerable, leafless, Paper Birch.  Exposed rock surrounds at Coward’s Falls like a sturdy back to the curtain of the waterfall, while the stones in the stream encourage the child in me to take my shoes off and see if I could make it across.  Crescent does not have the same draw to the water rushing, rather pulls you through the winding of the stream wanting you to explore what is beyond the next change of course.  The movement of water has always been a sound which calms my senses and allows me to connect with the natural world, so it comes as no surprise both spots carry this trait. (Holland)

This is the event map I created for my phenology spot in Crescent Woods!  Some highlights include seeing several Park Boundary signs, a butterfly, mushrooms, and an unknown green growth on a downed tree.  I also heard several birds, a woodpecker, and a dog.  Since my last visit, more leaves have fallen and changed colors.  I also noticed that more trees were down, maybe from wind or the abundance of rain Burlington has gotten recently.  I followed the stream further this time than I had in the past and the land flattens out more and the ground was more damp and muddy.  My favorite part of this visit was looking up at the thick yellow canopy of leaves above me.  You will see I took several pictures of this because the bright yellow made me feel happy, sunny, and bright, even though it was overcast today.  I also took pictures of the unknown green growth, mushrooms, Park Boundary signs, and the largest maple leaf I have ever seen!

All photos and the drawing are mine!

This is a bird’s-eye view drawing of Crescent Woods (above).  The most prominent parts of my phenology location are the stream and the abundance of trees.  I take my biweekly photos from the area next to the large rock where there is some meandering in the stream and the footpath begins to disappear.  This week, the ground was covered in leaves of all colors.  However, there are still plentiful green healthy leaves on the trees around the stream, as you can see in the photo (below).  Due to the buildup of leaves in the stream, the water was flowing slower than before and it was hard to discern the stream bank from the walking areas.  While walking around, I heard birds, but could not find any to identify.  I also saw two grey squirrels chasing each other on a large sugar maple tree.  Since Crescent Woods is settled in a populated part of South Burlington I think it will be more difficult to find an abundance of animals, but hopefully I will have the opportunity to see some before the winter sets in!

Both drawing and photo are my own!