Entry #1, The Brook on Tollgate Rd. Manchester VT, 6/22/23
Description of my site:
My Wonder Blog site is located right off of Tollgate Road in Manchester Vermont. My first visit was on a beautiful sunny day with the temperature being 80° F. It was a perfect day to spend some time by some water, which is where I was heading. While I was walking the trail that lead me down to my spot, I admired wide variety of trees that surrounded me. The tress I could identify were spruce, golden birch, striped maple, and beech. The trail lead me down to solid, rock and a small brook with a water fall upstream from me. The waterfalls loud, gushing sound makes Its presence known despite it being hidden by the slabs of rock. I could see that the rock had been shaved away by the fast moving water over the years. Because of this, the parts of the rock that were close to fast moving water were smooth. This is in contrast to the scratchy, layered rock that was located farther away from fast-moving moving water. When I investigated further upstream to get a better look at the waterfall, I noticed the crevices of the layered rocks were filled with small amounts of moss, sprouting ferns, and other common, small greenery. At the top of the short climb, I saw two dark green pools of water which sat still. These were something I normally would pay no attention to because they look like nothing but a puddle. However, when I looked closer, I found that the pools contained green algae and hundreds of tiny little wiggling creatures that were no more than a centimeter long. I thought that they could be they are worms or small fish. Another thing I spotted from the flat surface of the landing was a burned pile of sticks that someone must have used for a fire. This place could make a great camping spot. The landing was decently flat to put a tent and the view of the waterfall from your campsite would be nice as well. Putting future camping ideas aside, I finally sat down hang my feet over the ledge to look at the waterfall from above.
Photos from my site:
25 questions I had while exploring the site:
- How has the path of the river changed over time?
- How does rainfall affect the path and current of the water?
- Where does the brook start and end?
- Is the fast moving water safe to drink?
- Are the small worm-like organisms in the green puddles small fish, worms, or something else?
- Will the worm-looking organisms grow? Are they already full grown?
- how many people visited this place today?
- How long does it take for rock to wither away and become smooth depending on the speed the water is moving?
- What caused the golden birch next to the puddle to get such a large and deformed scar?
- Which part of this place have not been modified by people?
- Are there fish in this brook?
- Looking at the light-green, new growth on the red spruce, how much new growth will it have by the end of the year?
- Is this a potential camping spot?
- There is a pile of burned sticks. How long ago were they burned?
- Is the water deep enough for me to jump from the top of the waterfall and not get hurt?
- What is beyond the hill next to the river?
- Is the wind coming from North, South, East, or West?
- What is the orange taped tight around some of the trees for?
- How does the eroded, exposed roots affecting the health of the tree?
- Why is the rock from the waterfall intact instead of break off?
- Does the size of the rocks indicate how old it is? Can rocks have age?
- Why does falling water appear white?
- What causes this tree (referring to a tree farther up stream) to fall? At first glance, is has no signs of disease or damage.
- How will the temperature of the water change over the course of the summer?
- Is the green algae in the puddles toxic?
Researching my question: Are the small worm-like organisms in the green puddles small fish, worms, or something else?
Out of all of these questions, I chose to identify the small figures in the puddles. I thought they could be worms or fish but I was wrong about both. After looking at some reference photos and articles, I think they could be mosquito larva. I was disappointed that they were not fish but I’m happy to have this question answered. This also answers the other question I had which asked if these organisms were full grown yet. According to a pdf i found on the mosquito life cycle, mosquitos have five stages in their life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult (1). The larva I saw can develop into pupae in just about five days (1). The larva are also aquatic so the only stage of their life spent out of water is when they develop into adults (1).
Something to follow up on during my next visit:
The mosquito larva was very interesting to become curious about today. Because their life before their adults only lasts a week, I will be surprised if I see them in those puddle the next time I visit. This is something I would like to follow up on on next time I’m at me site so I can see if my prediction was correct. I hope there isn’t new larva, they are mosquitos after all.
Citations:
- “Life Cycle: The Mosquito – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/dengue/resources/factSheets/MosquitoLifecycleFINAL.pdf. Accessed 23 June 2023.
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