This blog is coming to a close, but it shall not disappear. Just as death seems ubiquitous in winter, and growth seeming to be over, this blog may seem like it too is winding away. However, it may not be the case, just like with winter. It may not be totally clear, but life is still quite present in the frigid winter months! It is in the evergreens, the mosses, the birds and squirrels,  the beetles and other bugs that hide under rocks and logs. For example, the Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum) has learned a way to take advantage of the winter. Instead of waiting until spring to find a mate, when the currently empty vernal pools begin to fill up, these little mole salamander mothers prefer to breed early and sit with their eggs under a log in a dry vernal pool. This way, the eggs are developed by spring, and as soon as rain hits them, they hatch and are already at an advantage over the other salamander species.

Ambystoma opacum: Marbled Salamander

(Pierson, T. 2010). Used under Creative Commons license.

Specifically at my phenology spot, I saw that there was still some snow dusting the land. The marsh has faded away quite a bit from its autumnal state: most of the grasses are flattened and dry, the saturated mud is frozen at the surface, and most plants have finished their reproductive cycle. In the photo below, one can see a single cattail standing in the foreground that has lost the mass of its seeds, just like most of the cattails in the background have.

It appears that the sphagnum mosses are still alive, even with some remaining snow from the last time the ground was covered.

All that is left are the browns, tans, and dark greens. Relatively, it is a quiet season. Winter does quite well at driving away those who dislike the cold. But for those who stay, we are left with this special beauty — the beauty of solace in this land.

All photos are by the author (Kevin Melman) unless specified otherwise

I had recently watched this video: Perfect Order — Recognizing Complexity in Bali: John Stephen Lansing at TEDxNTU. In response to it, I thought of how my phenology spot behaves like any other natural community, and I wondered what interactions went on within it.

My phenology site is located in a natural depression that has filled with water and become a cattail marsh. It would not be a surprise if it gets the brunt of some polluted runoff, especially considering that roads, suburban communities, and businesses fill the surrounding land. Centennial Brook runs through the marsh, which is sure to deposit excess nutrients. Although, this may be beneficial because the marsh behaves as a nutrient sink, preventing damage from occurring downstream.

Considering the health of natural communities within Burlington, local policy may be able to play an impactful role. This would involve legislature regarding restrictions on fertilizer usage, anti-ice chemicals, and various other causes of polluted runoff. If there were more public knowledge on fertilizer usage and its effects on water quality, the phenology site I visit would surely not be harmed.

Because of the cattail marsh’s location within public woods, many people find recreational use within the land near it. However, I would not say that it has quite the negative impact on the phenological development in the site, due to the fact that most recreation near it is only hiking or running. Typically, it seems to be a clean and relatively respected natural area, with only minor evidence of litter and pollution within the stream. Considering how seemingly insignificant events can affect an area in such detrimental way, it is important to maintain a natural community and treat it with the respect it deserves.

All photos are by the author (Kevin Melman) unless specified otherwise

Centennial Woods Map

(Vidal, E. 2002). From Wilderness in Our Midst: Stories of Centennial Woods: a Senior Thesis, with digital edit by Kevin Melman.

My phenology spot is located within the orange circle, which shows its proximity to the ROTC bunker.

In an attempt to dig through the history of Centennial Woods, I came upon Wilderness in Our Midst: Stories of Centennial Woods: a Senior Thesis written by Elaine Vidal in 2002. In this book is a small section of background information regarding a concrete structure near my phenology spot that was once an ROTC bunker. Apparently, the case was the soldiers sat in the bunker overlooking the cattail marsh and “back in World War I, they used to shoot across the valley,” most likely for rifle practice (Vidal 2002). This gave me the image of old bullets and shells littered throughout the marsh. I began to think about what consequences that could that have led to: Lead that leached from old bullets, animals that consumed pieces of metal or used them to build homes, trees that have grown over  bullets lodged within them, leaving only but a burl for us to see. Whatever was done at the phenology site, all I can think now is whether there should be continued land use within it.

I began to ponder on what could make this phenology spot even better, and I thought since in the warm seasons, its difficult to even get across the brook to the cattail marsh, why not create a small boardwalk that goes partly into the thick cattails and grasses? It wouldn’t need to go all the way through, but just enough to lead one to the edge of the marsh, perhaps with a small viewing area built there. This way, one can observe wildlife there, such as Red-winged Blackbirds nesting within the cattails, which is a common place for them to do so. Though, I created a diagram to show how one thing can create many reaction within various components of the environment.

Works Cited:

Vidal, Elaine. Wildness in Our Midst : Stories of Centennial Woods : a Senior Thesis. N.p.: UVM Voyager, 2002. Print.

All photos are by the author (Kevin Melman) unless specified otherwise