A UVM blog Mary Wattu Phenology UVM

05/05/2023

During the four-day BioBlitz challenge, I explored the life on campus. I found many plants around Harris Millis and the surrounding fields. I tagged many trees as cultivated/captive, which posted them to iNaturalist but did not count them towards the City Nature Challenge. I had ten species that were included in the CNC. I had the easiest time documenting plants, which were abundant and did not move around like birds. The only bird I observed were herring gulls.

Using iNaturalist was simple and straightforward. Sometimes it had trouble identifying immature plants and trees, and I had to move on.

I found the ratios of observations interesting when compared to the population of cities like New York. Burlington did not seem to be very competitive compared to larger areas at first, but once we considered these factors, our city had a lot of engagement. Cape Town was a very competitive city, which was also something that was surprising. It does make sense due to the high biodiversity in the area though.

The effects of the warm spring weather were apparent at my phenology spot. There were large buds and small leaves all over the woods. Understory grassed and plants were springing back to life. I encountered a group of people who were observing moss, and they showed me swarms of male bees of varying species.

Some landmarks I am familiar with are the human made bog-bridges, the muddy buddy sign, the soil pit on the way there, and centennial brook. Nature and culture intertwine here. Centennial woods hosts many organisms of the more than human world, and whenever I visit Centennial woods, there is a large human presence. I have seen many other naturalists and hikers enjoying the ecosystem. I consider myself a part of my place. I am connected to it from the shared watershed, home place, and experiences of the seasons. To be more connected to this place, I could spend more time there and identify more of the natural inhabitants.

At the beginning of my observations, the beginning of fall was apparent. The trees then lost their leaves, and went dormant for the long winter until they started to awaken recently. Winter wind storms caused trees to fall across the trail and into the woods. The wooden bridge over the brook has started to slip into the water.

I also located 2 eastern red-backed salamanders under logs.

As it turns out, my phenology tree that I have documented the last two times was a separate tree than the Northern red oak that I initially viewed. I think the second phenology tree is a Norway maple. In the past week, it had some impressive growth due to the warm weather.

I believe I chose the wrong tree after I got disoriented after some trees had been removed. I located the original tree and took a picture of its buds now.

It was a very sunny and warm day when I revisited my spot. There was lots of bird activity, including cardinals and woodpeckers.

I could not distinguish any differences in the bud from last time to this time. It may have grown in size somewhat but I am not sure. As the weather continues to warm, I expect to see more radical changes.

I visited my phenology spot on Wednesday afternoon. The weather was warm and sunny, and it felt very springlike even with the trail being covered in snow. There was a lot of black-capped chickadee activity as well.

The bud of the Northern Red Oak was larger than last time, and had more of a rounder profile and purple hue. I am predicting that it will develop into leaves and not flowers, but we will have to see.

Attached below is the original look at the bud on March 3rd. Overall changes occurred over a 20 day period.

I went to centennial woods this Friday and visited by phenology spot. It was a warm and sunny day, perfect for some identification. I saw a young tree by the trail and looked at the buds. It had opposite branching, so it could have not been a maple and was probably an oak. The buds were too pointy to be a white oak, and the red-brown coloring made me think it was a red oak. The buds were also pointed, characteristic of a northern red oak. A lookalike to red oak is the cottonwood, but cotton wood buds are longer and stick closer to the stem, differing from the pointed crown shape of northern red oak buds.

I travelled deeper into Centennial Woods with some friends on 02/12/23 to see what animal signs we could encounter in this urban wild. I encountered a lot of Black Capped Chickadees, but failed to encounter a clear image of one. One chickadee stopped to preen just a few feet from us, which was really captivating. We also heard their calls. Next time, I would like to figure out how to upload an audio file to iNaturalist.  

Uploading my deer track to the iNaturalist site was easy. I posted the deer track easily, but I cannot figure out how to link my other observations to the group project. I appreciate the map included and the ability to view my classmate’s observations.  

While sitting on a log, I discovered two small bones buried in layers of old pine needles. I do not have much experience identifying bones, but one hypothesis that I have is that they belong to a gray squirrel, since they are small, common animals. Next to the bones, I encountered an Eastern White pinecone that had been stripped of its scales by an animal, again probably a squirrel. If there are squirrels living in the area, the bones could be from a dead squirrel.  

I also encountered animal tracks in what was left in the snow. The animal was moving uphill and had a diagonal walking pattern. The animal left two hoof-shaped indents in the snow, more than two inches large. The only wild hoofed creatures in Vermont are white tailed deer and moose, and these tracks were much too small to be moose, so I identified the tracks as belonging to a white-tailed deer.  

 

The last time I had visited my phenology spot, there was no snow. Today, I visited during a snowstorm. There were several inches of snow on the ground already. It was fairly warm, so the snow was thick and some of it was melting.

Because the snow was actively falling, only the freshest footprints were visible. I saw a lot of human footprints as well as dog footprints. The only sign of wild animal activity I saw was a disturbance in the snow. Something was digging down to the dirt (also could have been from a dog).

Because of the blanket of snow, I walked off trail a bit and entered a field of cattails that I had not entered before. I could not see any green plants, only brown stalks and stems. The bittersweet berries were still there however, and are still red. I also saw some burrs waiting for an animal to latch onto.

Plant Changes

This was my last visit of the semester. It was seasonably chilly, but pleasant and sunny. The foliage was similar to last time, but almost all leaves had been blown off the trees, except for a few red oak leaves that are still holding on. The fall foliage that was on the forest floor last time had lost some of its vibrancy and is in the process of decomposition.

Most of the plants have gone dormant or died, but some still remain green, such as the invasive garlic mustard growing under the bridge, and some grasses and ferns. Of course, the evergreen Eastern White pines did not change in appearance since my last visit. The oriental bittersweet berries look the same as the last time I observed them.

Animal Activity

There was a lot of bird activity in my phenology spot today. Entering Centennial woods, I immediately saw several Black Capped Chickadees flying across my path and heard them chirping throughout my visit. I was unable to get a good look at the smaller birds or photograph them but there were a lot of them active.

I did get to take a picture of a Pileated woodpecker. I noticed it after hearing it call loudly and fly into a tree. I observed it eating berries then fly off. I then observed a second woodpecker before they flew off. Later, I saw one high up in an oak tree pecking a hole in a branch, and I saw the larger one flying low to the ground. They were very noisy creatures. It is possible that they are mates. If that is the case then they are bonded for life!

I looked around in the frozen mud by the brook for some tracks. I saw lots of human footprints in the mud, indicating the popularity of Centennial woods with the community. I saw a few dog footprints as well. I also saw what at first looked like a dog footprint, but with closer inspection looked too round to be a dog’s foot. I looked it up, and it resembles a bobcat footprint.

I chose to visit the woods behind my house and walk to the powerline clearing there. As a kid, we called it “Blueberry Paradise”, because the clearing provided conditions that allowed a huge field of wild blueberries to thrive. This place is personally special to me because I have a lot of childhood memories exploring the area and learning about the nature around me.

There is an old stone wall right alongside the trail, indicating that like many areas we visited in NR1, land was previously cleared and used for farmland. The forest was composed primarily of Northern Red Oaks. There were some red maples and younger eastern white pines as well. Since there are only a few young white pines, and the forest is dominated by hardwoods, it is likely that this area had another cutting event to harvest the eastern white pines.

Like Burlington, there is evidence of the affects of the Laurentide Ice sheet. There are lots of random rocks and cliffs. The picture below shows a steep rocky hillside at Blueberry Paradise. That is a nice place to chill and look at the woods.

Clearing the land for the powerlines reduces the amount of forested land, but it does provide an opportunity for lots of blueberries to grow, which are a food source for birds and squirrels.

There is a retreat center uphill from the spot. There is a parking lot and large building. Pollution from construction and runoff from the impervious surfaces of the Holy Cross Contemplative center, roads, and highway impact the site. Benefits of the retreat center is that the college made a new trail, and the center allows people to experience nature.

The highway is right near my spot, and very noticeable. The highway is a source of noise pollution, air pollution, and water pollution. It also segments habitats and kills animals that try to cross it.

Although my area is very ecologically similar to Burlington, it is in a less densely populated area. There is less human impact from stormwater pollution, and my area is much less trafficked my people than Centennial woods is. My area is also larger than centennial woods.

In addition, being located further south than Burlington means that it has a milder climate and more daylight. Fall phenology happenings, such as leaves turning and geese migrations, occur a little later in the year than in Burlington. Spring events, such as trees budding out and flowering, occur earlier than trees in Burlington.

Instead of draining into Lake Champlain, my area is located in the Wachusett Watershed and drains into the Wachusett Reservoir, which provides water to millions of people. The forest helps slow down the passage of water and filter out pollutants, helping to ensure access to clean water.

The forest slowing down water is very important to my house. The people who made our house diverted a seasonal creek with a concrete basin and pipes, but the water still naturally wants to flow into our basement. The basement floods from time to time, but if the trees on the hill above us were to be clear cut, our house could be destroyed during the spring rains.

It was nice to head back to my spot. I took a seat on the footbridge for my five senses observations.

Sight: I saw a few little fish in the water, and saw the water swirling around the rocks. I saw red and yellow bittersweet berries. I saw some ticks that crawled on me!! (I got rid of them)

Touch: The air was crisp and fall-like, but still had a pleasant warmth from the sun. I felt the water and it was really chilly.

Sound: I heard some birds chirping and the quiet noise of the brook. Compared to last week, the brook was much lower in volume. I heard crickets as well, and the sound of cars and people talking in the distance.

Smell: There was a nice “leafy” smell in the air, and the earthy scent of mud.

Taste: Unfortunately I did not taste anything.

Last time I visited, there was a lot more colorful foliage on the trees and bushes. Now, the trees and bushes had dropped almost all of their leaves. The bittersweet had produced new berries as well.