Over Thanksgiving Break I went to Arlington Great Meadows, a wooded conservation area down the street from my house! It contains beautiful trails and a boardwalk that is frequented by runners, dog walkers, and people eager to enjoy the natural landscape. Here’s what I have to say about my experiences, and a comparison of AGM to my phenology spot in Casavant Natural Area:
At a first glance, the meadow is desolate and windswept wasteland this time of year. The trees have shed their colorful plumage, the greenery that once coated the ground is brown and shriveled, many of the winged singers have migrated away leaving behind the ghosts of their summer songs. However, the are is alive with activity, even if it is not as obvious as during the summer months. A small amount of time watching and listening in the meadow reveals of the bustle of this ecosystem in November.
Squirrels scurry around the undergrowth, doing some last minute nut gathering before the ground becomes consistently frost coated. Fleets of geese occasionally traverse the skies in their lopsided V’s , honking to their fellows and alerting those down below to their presence. The few conifers that intersperse the deciduous majority are still green, providing images of the upcoming Christmas holiday.
Humans are still a relevant presence in the meadow, despite the brisk November chill. Dogs are leading their owners across the crisscrossing paths, subjecting their humans to the whims of their noses. Families explore the beds of vernal pools, kids dashing across the hard, leaf covered ground. Couples get some fresh air as they stroll through the wooded paths, enjoying the weak rays of the late autumn sun while they can.
My phenology site at Casavant Natural Area has a lot of similarities with the meadow near my house, despite the fact that they are located over 200 miles apart. Both spots contain wooded areas and meadow/grassland type terrain. I’ve seen similar species at both sites, such as squirrels, woodpeckers and red-winged blackbirds.
One difference between the two sites is the tree composition. Casavant tends to have mainly maples, including red, silver, and sugar. The wooded areas of the meadow tend to have more oaks and birches than maples. Other than that, species composition for plants and animals at both sites is fairly similar between the two sites.
The big difference between Casavant and the Great Meadow is who uses it. Casavant is mainly used by relatively young and hip people who live in Winooski and use the wooded area to walk their dogs or get a natural respite during their work day. Arlington Great Meadow on the other hand, is more often utilized by families and runners; you see a lot more kids in the meadow than at Casavant. Since the meadow is linked to the bike path, a lot more runners will use this area than Casavant. While these two areas are similar in appearance in composition, their uses differ significantly due to their locations in their respective communities.
