Centennial Phenology Spot

This past weekend was the weekend we’ve been anticipating since September. Chris and Walt have been gearing us up to lead the city of Burlington in the 3 day international BioBlitz. I am a big fan of seek so I was excited to see what I could identify. On Friday I captured a few species when I was walking to class. My friends and I kept sending each other pictures of what we found. I was not expecting to have as much fun as I did with this. On Saturday my friends and I went up to Rock Point to see what we could find. Walt greeted us on his bicycle which was a nice surprise. He was looking for peregrine falcons down at the shore line. After we spent about an hour and a half identifying we walked back up near the school to celebrate with the community. It was great to see everyone come together in Burlington for this event.

I can now say confidently that I can identify common blue violets, grape hyacinths, and red trillium. Just by having a weekend of exploration has opened my eyes to how many species of plants there are out there. I went on a hike on Sunday and I was able to identify fiddlehead, red trillium, and many trees. Being able to identify species around me has fostered a deeper connection to the world around me. I will definitely use seek and inaturalst when I go home for the summer. It would be amazing if I could identify species of plants that are native to Pennsylvania.

Throughout the weekend I made a total of 52 observations, 48 species, and 25 species are research grade observations!

To start LOOK AT THIS CUTIE I WAS ABLE TO PHOTOGRAPH!!

I saw about 20 chickadees at the feeders near the entrance of Centennial

How has your site changed over time? Phonologically, and also maybe larger human-caused or storm-caused changes.

In the center of my spot there was a down log when I first visited. I have seen moss grow on this log and then turn dark green in the winter and back to bright green in the spring. I got to experience the Vermont fall in my phenology spot. The leaves of the Norway maples and the American beeches turned orange and light yellow. I witnessed the ferns on the ground go into hiding for the winter. I was so shocked to see them bloom after the winter snow covered them for months! I saw the ground pile up with leaf litter and overtime I watched the leaf litter decompose into the ground which was super neat! There has been no changes from humans or storms that I saw.

What are the major and minor landmarks you’ve become familiar with?

I would say my landmarks start on the walk to my phenology spot. In the beginning of the semester I noticed a beech tree that fell on the way to my spot. I took pictures because I had thought that moss would grow on stump. Every time I visited my spot I would be surprised that even through winter there was no moss, lichen, or mold growth on the stump. Stay with me here. In lecture we learned that Indigenous cultures make food containers out of beech bark because of its antibacterial and antifungal properties. What if there has been nothing growing on it because it fights bacteria!!!! It was also a shock to see that all of the leaves from the beech tree remained on the branches throughout the seasons. It’s almost like it’s preserved in time.

The first two landmarks at my spot are two huge eastern white pines. I remember hearing the first creeks from the tree one of the first times I visited. These two coniferous trees always leave a bed of needles on the ground. The main piece of my spot is a fallen down log in the center of my spot. I love watching the growth that emerges from this dead tree. The moss and lichen are aways so vivid and lush especially in the fall and spring. I would consider the ferns on the ground very familiar to me as well. There is a barberry bush at the back of my sight and near that bush are two Norway maples that just sprouted!

mossy log

ferns

Norway maple sprouts

two twin eastern white pines

In what ways do nature and culture intertwine here? 

My spot in Centennial is connected to the UVM culture and the greater Burlington area. The woods is a place where people of all kinds and students can go to explore. In many courses at UVM the ecological processes in Centennial are investigated by students. The woods is an outdoor classroom for so many people at UVM. This is apart of our culture because it is the most accessible natural area for students.

Do you consider yourself a part of your place? Why or why not?

I am so torn with this question! Here’s the thing, I don’t think I contribute to the growth/health of my place. This spot would still exist without me in it. I guess that could be said about a lot of things. Life goes on. I think what I contribute to my space is, what feels like, a deep understanding of my place unlike any other person. It like I am watching my kid go through the stages of puberty/teenagerhood. At first I didn’t really understand my place. There were bushes and random tree sprouts everywhere that looked awkward. That was the first stage. Then just as I began to get familiar with place and started to deeply appreciate it the winter came. It felt like my place was shutting me out. I was angry because I thought to myself “why didn’t I appreciate the greenery more” and “should I have visited y spot more to enjoy the green while it lasted”. But then I realized that I did enjoy my spot and that just like a lot of things in life things go through changes. So then the winter came. I found the beauty in the cold. Nothing compares to the silence of the woods as the snow falls lightly. How the branches would delicately hold the snow creating a glowing outline of the dark tree branches. It wasn’t necessarily a shut out but a time to slow down. Similarly, teenagers are sometimes misunderstood about certain things that they do. Then came march, a time for new beginnings for all living beings. My spot slowly but surely opened up to me and showed me the beauty in regrowth and regeneration. It is beautiful to watch my trees that I know so closely sprout. So in this reflection I think I am very closely connected and will always be connected to my spot. My spot has also seen me in many different lights. On tough days my spot has always been there for me. So in a way we both see each other go through the stages of life.

Guys look my American beech STILL has not bloomed. The tip appears to have gotten bigger and the tip is turning to a white color. I have a feeling that this week they will pop open. I’ll keep you all updated!

Also I figured out, on my last post of course, that I can change the color of the text and make my post look cool. I also found out you can add pictures for background and add different layouts. Maybe I’ll go back and edit my other posts bc I honestly love doing this.

My twin brother Cole is in town this weekend! I thought that it would be a great idea to bring him to my phenology spot to see if my tree has made an progress in blooming. We walked around the muddy paths to get to my spot (mud season woo!). There were clear skies today and I only needed to wear a fleece! Signs of spring are not only evident in the temperature but also in the nature in Centennial Woods. We noticed that the ferns were beginning to pop up on the forest floor again. Many species of birds could be heard in the distance but I was still unable identify which species specifically they were. Small shoots of wildflowers and ground berries sprouted in the dirt throughout the woods as well. When we got to my spot the first thing that I noticed was that the moss was a bright green color. Soon the green from the floor will spread to the budding trees, but my American Beech was yet to bloom.

I inspected more of the tree today and found that my tree is possibly infected with beech bark disease. There are small bumps forming beneath the surface of the tree which lead me to my hypothesis. This diseases is very common in beeches and can have harmful effects on the trees and surrounding organisms life. These bumps grow in size and begin to cut off the nutrient flow throughout the tree, causing the tree to eventually die off. If this is a disease on my tree it could kill the beech in a few years. Luckily there was not infestation on the other beech trees I looked at that were in and around my area.

After visiting my tree Cole and I decided to explore Centennial more. We walked about just over a half a mile deeper into the woods. As we got deeper and deeper in the trees changed from primarily hardwoods to coniferous. The tree coverage got denser with the change in dynamics. Here are some pics from our walk.

Overall a calm and peaceful visit 🙂

Today was yet another sunny day in Centennial Woods! The walk to my spot was treacherous. Compacted snow turned the path into an icy and sloshy trail. I should have not worn my carhartt jacket because after the concentration I needed for where I was placing each step mixed with the hot sun I was sweating so much afterwards. Here are a few pictures from my walk up. Oh also, I used my roommate Meryl’s camera to take these pics so hopefully they upload in better quality than my phone pictures!

There wasn’t any difference in my American Beech tree. The buds shown no sign of blooming. Typically American Beech trees bloom in late April to early May. Some of the leaves from the fall still remained on the branches of the tree.

Beneath the snow I caught glimpse of the green ferns that stayed hidden all winter. Hopefully my next visit the snow will be all melted and I’ll be able to see the full forest floor. I want to learn how to identify bird calls! My ears were open to listening to the sounds that I would subconsciously block out. I heard a wide range of birds in my area with many different patterns of calls. Next time I want to sit out there and try to identify the species I hear.

I could hear running water in the stream south of my spot. I walked down to photograph the water. I suspect the increase in flow was due to the melting snow. I’ll talk to you guys next time thanks for your dedication to my blog 🙂 Have a great day I love you all 🙂

Hellloooo blog!! We are in the thick of the winter season. Snow storms through the night left a new coating on white on the forest floor. As I walked into Centennial I immediately noticed how bare the trees were. It was so open that I could, for the first time, see the hill that lies in the center of the woods. Today was a sunny Sunday afternoon, a rare beauty. I didn’t have plans to go out into the woods today but I could not pass up the 40 degree weather. As it was the perfect opportunity for a study break from my chemistry filled week.

For this week’s blog I was in charge of identifying a deciduous species in my spot that I am going to track as we move into spring. On the edge of my spot I found a beautiful American Beech tree that I decided was going to be the tree that I am going to observe. The DBH (diameter breast height) of this tree was fairly small and I am estimating it to be around 5 inches. I’ll get back to this blog post on the exact DBH. Anyways, the distinguishing features that lead me to identify this as a an American Beech, fagus grandifolia, was the bark and the buds. This tree is fairly young. The bark is gray and smooth with what looks like lichen on the bark. The branching is alternate on the branches and twigs. The buds were very long and thin with a zig-zag pattern. These buds with their overlapping scales, are similar to the shape of cigars.

Over the next few months I will be revisiting this tree and observing the budding patterns and growth into the spring 🙂

Yesterday I took a trip to Derway Island located near the New North End in Burlington. There were still parts of the area that had snow on it from a few days ago, and under that snow there was a layer of ice. About 10 minutes into my walk I decided to venture off the path and head towards a big patch of snow to see if I could scout out tracks. I first found a gathering of what appeared to be Gray Squirrel tracks at the bottom of a tree trunk. These tracks pointed in a few different directions which lead me to believe that there could have been multiple squirrels jumping around this one log.

Then I walked further into the woods to what looked like a frozen over marsh/pond area. I saw a new trail of gray squirrel tracks that I was able to follow across the area. I took a 7 minute vlog that I will be posted at the bottom of this post. That video is completely candid and my friend and I narrate out initial thoughts on what we saw. (we are quite the jokesters)

Here are highlights from the video:

The animal tracks show a hopping pattern with the hind feet planted in front of the front feet. The tracks were measured to be about 5 centimeters long for the front and back feet. On average there was a 13-14 centimeter straddle. The tracks showed four front fingers and five back toes. With all of these details combined I came to the conclusion that these tracks were made by a gray squirrel.

At the end of the video I saw a set of small tracks near the original squirrel tracks. My first thought was that the tracks could be baby squirrel tracks. The mating season of an eastern gray squirrel is from December through February and the babies are born at the end of August. This eliminates the possibility of those tracks being babies. My next thought for what the tracks could be was pray for the animal to eat. There is a high possibility of this because the tracks were placed in a chaotic way and were very messy. This shows the prey trying to escape the squirrel. These tracks had a galloping pattern and were less than a centimeter long. I think the animal could possibly be a shrew, mouse, or chipmunk.

Aaanndd we’re back! Today I took a visit to my phenology spot in centennial. That date of my visit is January 21st, 2023. There was fresh snowfall on the ground, about 4-5 inches of snow, from yesterday afternoon. As I trekked to my spot the snow creaked and crunched with each step. The snow had begun to melt when I got to my spot so there was a mixture of snow and melted snow from the branches falling. Every once in a while a clump of snow would fall from branches when it got to heavy for the trees to hold. I noticed that sound travels much further throughout the forest when there is snow on the ground too. I could hear hikers that were in other parts of the park.

The white layer of snow made the undergrowth more visible than ever before. In the pictures it is clear that my nature spot is abundant with new saplings.

The melted snow drops in the snow made it hard to spot any animal tracks. Although I did not see any tracks there was still signs of life. The main sign was that there were yellow spots on the ground around my spot. There were also signs of plant life. In the nooks of a fallen tree I could see a dry spot filled with moss and small plants.

BONUS PICS:

Red squirrel tracks spotted inside the water fountain in the front of the school!

Today’s visit to my phenology spot was bittersweet. This is going to be the last time I am going to see my spot for a whole month! I tried my best to document as much as I can because I have a feeling that by the time I get back there will be a lot of changes.

The leaf litter on the ground was a mixture of white oak, red oak, Norway maple, beech, and red maple trees. The red maple leaves on the ground suspired me because I had not noticed a red maple tree in my area ever before. There were a lot of eastern white pine needles and pinecones on the ground. Most of the pine needles are dark brown and decomposing. I saw an abundance of these leaves, so I am assuming that the tree exists somewhere right outside of my marked spot. The leaves are continuing to decompose as evident from the dark shriveled and pressed leaves that hid under the fresh layer of fallen leaves. I saw many signs of decomposers. Today was a rainy day so the fungi was very bright against the brown forest floor. These decomposers break down the dead material and turn it into nutrients that can be taken up by primary producers.

There was still an abundance of ferns that were scattered on the floor. Some of the ferns were covered up by the leaf litter. Speaking of leaves, there were still a handful of trees that had leaves hanging on the branches. The species that still had leaves were in the mid understory. There was a dogwood tree in my area that had leaves on the branches. Two other species in the mid layer of the forest that had leaves still were the Norway maples and American beeches. To the right of my spot there is a pine stan that is very shaded. I could see a few maple trees with leaves still on the branches.

I heard a trickle of water in the valley near me. I decided to walk down to the source and I found a little steam that flowed through the valley. My spot is on a hill and I suspect that rain runoff can roll down my hill when it rains. I have gained a new perspective of my phenology spot from going down to the stream. I saw that there a lot of snags surrounding my area. I am unsure of the reason as to why there are so many dead trees but I want to explore this more. On my walk back I saw a beech tree that had just fallen. I took pictures of the stump to document what happens to it. I think it will be covered in moss and algae by my next visit.

At my spot I took a closer look into a stump of one of my trees. This stump was very full of life and moss and fungi that covered the stump. It is fascinating to take a deeper look into the intricacies of the stump and the life that emerged from the fallen tree.

I had a lot of fun visiting my phenology spot this semester. My favorite part about this project is that it helped me get outside more. I have had a long and stressful week this week and being out at my spot helped me calm my mind and get me into the right head space. Another part of this phenology blog that I enjoyed was the hands-on learning. This was a chance for us to apply what we learned about in class to the natural life that surrounds us. I am excited to continue to visit my spot in the new year 🙂

Today’s blog is going to be a break in my main phenology spot. I had the chance to go back home over Thanksgiving break and I was excited to explore the nature close to my house. I live in the suburbs of Pennsylvania about 45 minutes outside of the city. There are many nature spots in my area that the community has access to. I decided to take a closer look at the woods next to my house.

About one summer ago the woods officially became apart of the Upper Moreland Township Park Systems. The name of the wood is Pioneer Woods. There is a small half mile trail that runs through the area. This natural area is surrounded by a mix of forested and impervious surfaces.

Immediately when I walked into the woods I noticed how baren and open it looked. The trees had mostly lost all of their leaves and I was able to see through to the houses that surround the area. In the summer and spring these houses normally aren’t visible which makes the woods appear bigger than it actually is.

I noticed that there wasn’t a lot of species covering the ground. The main floor species I noticed were a bunch of thorn bushes. I wasn’t able to identify exactly what species they were but the woods were covered in these. There were also wineberry bushes on the ground too.

There were many old growth trees in the area. I did not see too many sapping’s on the ground. I know that the area where my house used to be was a farm, so these species could have been planted after the farm was established. There were three amin species that I observed. The most dominate tree in the area was American Beech. These trees were very mature. These trees were very easy to identify. The sad part was that there was a lot of graffiti on the bark of the beeches.

So what I did next was look on the ground to see what leaves I could identify. I noticed white and red oak leaves. Then I found where the white oaks were located. These trees appeared to be in a healthy condition. The main difference between pioneer woods and my centennial woods location was the species of trees that live there. There were no coniferous trees in the Pennsylvania spot I visited, but just outside of the park there are pines and spruce that shoulder the road. An animal species that I saw more in my area was deer. Since being home I have seen large packs of about 6 deer each roaming around my neighborhood everyday. Here is a photo of the deer that I caught.

I love where I live in PA and I am so lucky to have a nature area that I can walk to. I have gained a deeper appreciation for this spot now that I know how to identify the patterns, pieces, and processes that happen within these areas. I can’t wait to visit again in the winter to see how the place has changes 🙂

Today is my second visit to my centennial woods nature area! The weather was overcast and there was a warm breeze in the air. The temperature was surprisingly warm for the first week of November (but I’m not complaining about it). On my walk to my spot I noticed that the leaves on the ground were all decomposing, so I was interested to see if the leaves at my spot were decomposed yet. The area was quiet when I got there and at first I could only hear the wind blowing. I was greeted by an eastern gray squirrel sitting on a dead log that lays right in the middle of my spot. I took that as my sign to make that my focal point! I sat on this log for 15 minutes and took in the beauty of my spot.

Sounds:

• The eastern white pine trees creaking like an old wooden door in the wind! This was by far the coolest sound to hear in my nature spot.
• Birds chirping (I heard many different sounds but couldn’t decipher which species they were. Maybe one day I’ll be able to recognize bird calls!)
• Wind blowing
• The branches of the bare trees scraping against each other

Observations:

I noticed that the upper story of trees have all lost their leaves while the understory still have yellow and green leaves attached at the bottom of the trees. The ground last time was dominated by eastern white pine needles. This visit there were more maple and red oak leaves covering the forest floor. I observed that all of the pines sway in the wind. Not just slightly but they violently moved back and forth with the rhythm of the wind. The moss on the log that I observed last time was a bit more faded and less bright than last time. There were new spouts of pines coming up from the ground that I had not noticed before. All of the ferns that lined the floor were still thriving and alive. There wasn’t too much undergrowth because of the shade of the hardwood that are in the area.

Here is a map of my phenology spot!

I can’t wait to see how much my place changes as we enter the winter months 🙂