Noah Kaufman's Phenology Blog An ecological and observational journey through the Seasons

Some changes in vegetation that I have noticed since my last visit is that the leaves of the hardwoods have began to change color and fall, and one of the box elders have even become leafless. The conifers have not seemed to undergo any changes, nor have the shorter plants such as the poison ivy. It is also now difficult to see the forest floor due to the increase of leaves on the ground. It is difficult to observe changes in the shrubbery as it is as unkempt as before. This visit an owl graced me with its presence as it was perched at the top of an eastern white pine and hooting. It was too dark to try to identify the owl, but that was the only animal presence I have observed at my spot.

My location for the phenology project is the wooded area complete with a small clearing that is right off the golf course of the Burlington Country Club. To get there, I take a left on South Prospect St. from the Redstone dorm complex until I reach the club. Then, making a right turn right after entering straight into the woods. I chose this place for a couple of reasons. First, it is very close to my dorm building so it is very accessible. Second, it is a beautiful plot of land with spots of native Vermont forest, so I thought it would it be a good example for this project. Finally, I saw an owl there during my first visit so I figured it would be a good place for wildlife spotting. There is dense vegetation including poison ivy along with the hardwood forest floor which is characteristically covered in leaves and branches. Some wooded plants I observed in this plot included, black cherry, eastern white pine, striped maple, and green ash.

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