A UVM blog Morehouse Phenology Blog at Centennial Woods

Returning to our orignal site, I was suprised to see how it hasnt changed all that much. It seems before I got there the power company did a sweep of the lines and cut back much the trees and bramble. Along viewers right the tress still seem dead, having no green yet but time will tell if they open. The evergreens are still green with life and the grasses are poking up among the cut down brush. I have become familiar  with not only the distinct path of the powerlines but also with the different sections below: conifers on one side and hardwoods on the other. Down the back side of the crest the hiking trail sits on lies a road and houses blocked by bushy evergreens and a few hundred yards away lies a parking lot alongjng for easy acess to this spot and the deeper woods. I would indeed consider myself apart of this site, many a time I have gotten lost in these woods and many a time I always ended up where I’d hope to be- sometimes I’ve ended up somehwere but at least wasn’t lost. I have had wonderful interactions with the animals living there and it is wonderfully restoring  to leave campus and be in some woods.

Our lovely tree has been feeling the warm weather we’ve been having in Burlington. Most of the dead leaves that have been hanging on have dropped off the tree, but new buds for leaves and flowers are starting to open up in their place. Though the image may be blurry and we can’t see them open, we can see the distinct three-bud clusters taking shape. That’s all the changes for this week, see ya next time!

Not much as changed since last we saw our oak

tree. The temperatures have remained chilly and the buds are still small. The smoothness of bark seems interrupted with something creating ridges, possibly infected. As warmer temps sit on the horizon we will see how the buds open up to form new leaves!

A week before spring officially starts, I looked at tree near my building. This tree was a Pin Oak, it’s buds were very small and conicle and its leave had that pointy oval shape- though they were shriveled from a long winter. The bark had that light grey color and smooth exterior.

During this “bioblitz” week I didn’t go very far into Burlington, just around campus. The snow in the hill section of Burlington lost most of its snow by the time this is written on Monday and so tracking was a little more difficult. Though if you look closely in the mud you might see some. I saw some right next to a sidewalk with 4 toes and maybe 2 or 3 inches around. I am under the assumption someone was walking their dog and buddy had some fun getting muddy.

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the dog print and didn’t get to upload it to iNaturalist. Looking at iNaturalist in Burlington, it seems one other person found and thought to record the domestic dog track

Finally some deep snow! Our phenology spot is covered in a warm blanket of snow covering the earth for her long slumber and absorbing all the noises that’d keep her up. Its quite serene out here, especially at dusk. The young trees barely poke out of the snow and the older trees have lost all their leaves, save the evergreens who trudge on through the bleakness.

Though the world is cold, wind-whipped, and desolate, tracks can be seen dotting off trail from those hardy enough to stay. Who knows if they’re on the hunt for food, running from hunters, or burning energy to stay warm. A track I found amongst the ground is either of a large stray cat or the elusive bobcat that has scruffly “meowed” at me many a night in the woods. They seem to be at least a day old has they accumulated a centimeter or so of fresh snow but not fully crystalized over. It is with this observation I drew my time to a close, as it was getting dark and the water in my boot from when I maybe had my foot slip through the ice was getting uncomfortable.

As we near the end of my first ever college semester, there is change amidst the air. Change that consistently is ever present, every year. Winter is right around, officially starting December 21. That’s only 13 days away!! But still, you can feel the changes. Though there is no snow, most every tree at our phenology spot has lost its leaves. All but the hardy eastern white pines and eastern hemlocks- even the younglings have held onto their needles.The leaf litter seems to have remained stagnant throughout the seasons and I didn’t notice any nesting or tracks, but come winter I’m sure they’ll be ample vole, rabbit, and maybe even some predatorial tracks.

What I find most enjoyable about my phenology spot is the view overlooking the banks on both sides. From one side I can see over into Winooski with the city lights and further into the mountains where as on the other I see into the abyss of woods and meadows.

Todays blog takes place 3.5 hours south from our normal spot at the Bousquet Ski Area located on the north slope of Osceola Mountain- a mini peak along Yukon Ridge- in Pittsfield, MA. The top elevation of this mini peak sits around 1,818 ft asl and has a base elevation of 1,068ft. Much like our spot in Centennial Woods, this area has been used by humans for hundreds of years. The hill started off as mink farm then in 1932 became a ski hill and has been ever since. Instead of power-line trails, there’s ski trails with snow guns, chairlifts, and snow fans. However, this spot is largely surrounded by forested hardwoods and it’s not uncommon to see a deer or hear a coyote. Though a developed recreation area, the ridge-line is in proximity with Massachusetts’ largest state forest- October Mountain- and so the hill is largely wild land. So it’s a little different from Centennial but you can find many similarities if you look for them (think the abandoned ski hill and the urban interactions). On my journey I took only pictures and left only footprints, if you can count that as gift back to the mountain.

Sitting on the side of the sandy dirt path, eyes closed from the brightness of the setting sun, you can really hear all the noises of the forest. It’s pretty peaceful. Despite a bank leading down to a busy road, between the roar of cars you can hear birds chirping all around you. The grassy landscape is perfect habitat for them, if you open your eyes you might even see them flying above you. While looking up towards the sky, it is also noticeable that area is no longer a sea of green but more of a sea of browns, goldens, and dark greens. The season is slowly shifting toward winter, most of the grasses and trees have gone into their hibernation – except for the coniferous still standing tall.