Month: November 2019

Upon my more recent visit to my phenology area, I observed a dramatic transformation. Within a day the area went form the bright colors and green banks of fall to a snow-covered scene. It must have been even more of a shock to the green plants that were on the ground then to myself.  The area that was so vibrant and lively with birdlife that the change to a white and snowy landscape changed my perspective of the area. I was even surprised to see thirteen mallard ducks floating along the pond. The snow-covered landscape looked so different from its first appearance in early fall that I was reminded that this site likely experienced dramatic historic changes. It likely didn’t even exist even a couple of decades ago. I assume that this site was man-made but I was unable to find any information on the previous site if in case it was at one point a pond or wetland. Looking at the slant of the landscape I imagine that water would naturally flow through the area either leading to a pond or would later feed into the nearby Centennial brook.

Although it may be strange to have chosen a site for phenology that is essentially unnatural due to its a human construction. As I mentioned in a previous post, part of why I was so attracted to this area because it is an attempt for humans to have a healthy interaction with the environment. The space feels like nature is actively recalling the area which reminds me of my hometown, South Bend Indiana. South Bend is a small city surrounded by corn and soybean fields. There are very few untouched or natural spaces, however, there are countless spaces that are slowly being reclaimed by nature and you can see natural succession in action. I feel that since I was brought spaces like this I naturally gravitate to them.

Spaces like these are either examples of how humans and the environment can coexist or how they can fail to coexist. As time progresses, we would hope that so too would our positive relationship with the environment. The stormwater retention pond is a clear example at an attempt to do so and thinking of the greater Burlington and the issue of algal blooms, systems like the pond are essential for managing nutrient runoff. 

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Above can be seen several pages of notes from the book Naturally Curious on the fall seasons

The fall season is in full swing and the muffled chirping of crickets and birds remind me that the wild and plant life that I have come accustomed to won’t be present as winter approaches. I tried to pay closer attention to some of the common species of this site. My mallard duck companion, species name Anas platyrhynchos, appeared to be alone today, his female companion was absent. He spent most of the time in the northern end of the pond, again feeding on the duckweed, species name Lemna minor, which appeared sporadically on the edges of the pond except in the northern end where the mallard duck was feeding. The amount of duckweed has greatly decreased from covering about 10% of the pond to about 5%.

As for the bank of the pond, the area nearest to the water is populated mainly by reeds, scientific name phragmites (due to their smaller seed structures and size I believe that they are native as opposed to invasive), these make it almost impossible to reach the water along with a fence. Above this layer of reeds, a strip of rocks covers the bank to prevent erosion which makes it difficult for plant cover, however, it appears that some brave avens navigate the rocky shore, it is difficult to tell which species of aven they are without flowers but I assume that it is Geum urbanum. These aven lay at the roots of a tree that I could easily identify as a black locus, scientific name Robinia pseudoacacia after getting caught on the large thorns attempting to get a closer view of the herbaceous plants on the bank. The other prominent tree of the easter bank is green ash, species name Fraxinus pennsylvanica, which were about equally frequent as the black locus.

On this visit to the site, I decided to take an excursion to the south-west side of the pond where there is an access path with no tree cover which has allowed for bedstraw, species name Galium verum, to cover the path to the stormwater drain.

The northern bank is covered in staghorn sumac, species name, Rhus typhinia, which are beginning to lose its leaves leaving its red berries. All of the foilage has either turned to vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds or fallen from the trees and although I will miss the wild and plant life I am excited to see how the area transforms going into the winter months. 

Thank you for reading and I hoped you enjoyed.