By The Silver Maple Grove…

Good News! I finally got my iNaturalist account to work just in time to participate in the City Nature Challenge iNaturalist BioBlitz! The challenge couldn’t have taken place on a worse weekend in terms of weather, as it managed to be cold and rainy almost every day. Somehow, however, that didn’t stop me from spending far too many hours out in Centennial Woods, the Burlington Intervale, and down on the Lake Champlain waterfront documenting hundreds of different species. In total, I documented 225 different species and submitted 537 observations.

Primarily, I identified plant species, although I also managed to capture a few bird species and some mammals as well (primarily identified by their tracks). Thanks to the rain, there was also a lot of fungi to log (although I wouldn’t actually trust any of my fungus identifications if I were you).

I spend a lot of time wandering around Centennial woods and other natural areas anyway, but this BioBlitz encouraged me to do it even more. I spent more-or-less my entire weekend out in nature, identifying and documenting species, and it was a lot of fun (although I probably should’ve spent some time doing other homework…)! Looking at the results that came in from other cities, however, made me really wish that I had been documenting somewhere that wasn’t so phenologically behind (although I love Burlington, it still barely feels like spring here, especially last weekend).

Overall, however, this project was a lot of fun! Also my lab section, like, almost won? So that’s cool also 🙂

I returned to the grove the other day for the final (official) time and, to my delight, the magic has begun to return. Color has finally re-emerged in the area as the trees begin to leaf out and the ground cover returns. Dandelions have begun to bloom and ostrich fern fiddleheads have popped up everywhere, making the grove feel like an enchanted forest.

I never realized until this last visit just how attached I have become to the grove over these past months. I’ve been here in the pouring rain, in frigid temperatures, on brisk, almost haunted seeming, evenings in October. I’ve sometimes visited with the intention of updating this blog, sometimes just to read a book, and once to show my family around a place that was growing near to my heart. Over time, I’ve watched leafs turn red and gradually tumble off the trees. I’ve watched as parts of the river froze over and the ground became coated in what felt like an almost permanent layer of icy snow. And I’ve watched as that snow melted and the ground became muddy and the plants began to re-emerge. If I had to define what it meant to have a sense of place with a location, I would simply give the example of my relationship with the silver maple grove.

Having spent so much time in the grove, it’s been incredible not only to build my relationship with the place, but to observe others doing so as well. In the fall, I watched as a family went foraging for mushrooms nearby and placed each individual one in a basket – it felt like something out of a fairy tale. In the winter, when I thought the area would quiet down, it did no such thing. Rather, cross-country skiers took over, each one grinning as they passed the grove, clearly just as much in love with it as I was. Now, the casual walkers and hikers have returned, bringing their dogs along for a frolic in the woods, making gleeful conversation with everyone they pass about the perfection of the weather on any given day.

I’m not sure that I’d consider myself a part of the grove, because what have I done to deserve that title? Sure, I’ve visited the area. I’ve documented the changes through the seasons and observed the minute details. I’ve peered into the crevasses in the tree bark looking for bugs and I’ve sat, perched for hours, on a tree branch with a book in my hands just enjoying my surroundings. I’m not sure that I’d consider myself a part of the grove because I haven’t changed with the seasons and endured the harsh storms – rather, I’d consider the grove a part of me, and I think that I’ll carry it and all of its mysticism with me for quite a while.

Earlier this week I managed to make my way back to the Silver Maple Grove to check in on my silver maple tree from a couple of weeks ago! I noticed a significant difference in the lower and upper buds on the tree in terms of development as the lower ones seemed farther behind on terms of blooming. Unfortunately, I was only able to reach the lower buds to capture an image, but I was able to get photos of some more developed buds (albeit, at a distance) from a few other, nearby silver maples.

Other than phenological changes in the trees in the grove, I was also able to spot some other sure signs of the arrival of spring. The whole area has begun to come alive with bird calls again, and I was able to identify Tufted Titmice, Black-capped Chickadees, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers in the mix! I also spotted some budding and growth action on non-tree plants in the grove.

Perhaps my favorite part of this visit to the Intervale was these cool mosses and lichens that I found growing on a few of the silver maples in the area.

This past week, while I was unable to visit the silver maple tree which I wrote about in my previous post, I was able to observe and photograph a different silver maple in order to keep an eye on the phenological changes occurring in this species around this time of year! This different silver maple is not located in the Intervale, but is still growing along the banks of the Winooski River, close to downtown Winooski.

As you can see in the above photos, the buds that were present in my previous post are beginning to bloom! Although the rest of the tree as well as the landscape around it still seem quite winter-esque, these blooming buds are a sure sign of the soon arrival of the spring and the warm weather which comes along with it.

Stay tuned for another post soon (hopefully at my original tree in the Silver Maple Grove…) containing more updates on phenological changes!

I made the trek back out to the silver maple grove this past Tuesday in an attempt to find and identify a tree to observe through the spring season. I ended up choosing a silver maple tree (as was the only fitting choice considering the name of this blog…) which is growing towards the edge of my site. I was able to identify this tree and distinguish it from the other local maple trees by observing its:

• Bark!
  • Silver maple bark is grey and noticeably thin and easy to break off. On mature trees like this one, the bark is also relatively flaky.
• Buds!
  • The buds on a silver maple can range from red to purple and are 1/8 to 1/4 inch in length. The buds also tend to form in clumps
• Growing Location!
  • Silver maples, unlike red, Norway, or sugar maples, tend to grow on stream or river banks. This is perhaps the most obvious way to distinguish my tree from any lookalikes, as it is growing on the banks of the Winooski river.

I’ll be sure to revisit this tree as the spring progresses and note any changes that I observe!

This week, instead of returning to the sliver maple grove, I made an expedition into Centennial Woods in hope of finding some evidence of wildlife in the area. This trip would’ve been amazingly successful, I’m sure, had there been any snow or non-trampled mud to find tracks or scat in. Unfortunately, however, almost every day this past week had temperatures that peaked in the 40 and 50 degree ranges and so almost all of the snow which could have been found on the ground just a few weeks ago has melted. Because of this, I regret to write that I was unable to find any identifiable wildlife tracks.

What I was able to find, however, was an astonishing amount of woodpecker holes in the dead trees which line a good portion of the Centennial trails. Although I saw no physical woodpeckers, much less and tracks produced by them, this is evidence enough I suppose.

As I navigated the trails, moreover, I also recognized the calls of chickadees and sparrows – a sure sign that there are plenty of birds in the area even if I cannot physically see them.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a complete blog post without the mention of a cool fungus that I found on my visit. I have yet to identify the specific species of this one, but I did find that, upon touching this fungus, if feels almost solid.

I do hope to explore Centennial, or even the Silver Maple Grove, again in the next coming weeks when the snow has returned to find wildlife tracks and maybe even a den!

The Silver Maple Grove feels different now. The space which was once defined by its almost magical iridescent glow now has a more quiet, majestic quality. A layer of snow coats each branch of every visible tree, highlighting the sheer breadth of the forest. Somehow, the trees feel taller and more powerful than ever and its as if the woods have grown silent in their midst. Because of the snow and dropping temperatures, the welcoming chorus of birds which used to echo through the air in the grove is now gone and has been replaced by an eerie but oddly calming silence.

On my visit to the grove a few days ago, I’d hoped to find some tracks or other evidence of wildlife activity in the area but I was unable to find anything other than dog prints in the snow. Perhaps its because there wasn’t snow that was deep enough or fresh enough, or maybe its because any tracks that had existed in the grove had already been trampled by dogs on the trails, but I will definitely have to return at another time to look again.

It’s actually remarkable how the snow seems to have completely taken over the human activity in the area. If it weren’t for the obvious footprints and ski tracks imprinted in the snow, it would feel completely as if nature had taken over. Any litter which might have lain on the forest floor is now coated with at least a few inches of snow and ice, and even the metal scraps which can be found scattered throughout the trees are buried and almost completely hidden.

Although all of the leaves have left the trees and the herbaceous cover which used to dominate the space has completely died back, I find it incredible that some stubborn mosses and lichens still dot the grove with green. How is it that they’re able to survive when all the other plants and even fungi have completely receded?

This past Thursday I finally conjured the courage to bundle up, face the cold, and return to the silver maple grove. When I arrived, I was struck immediately by the lack of green. No leaves remain on any of the trees, save perhaps a couple of stubborn silver maple leaves which are clinging, shriveled and brown, to their parent branches. In fact, the only green which remains in the grove is that of the mosses growing on some of the tree trunks.

The area has grown bleaker in the time since I was last here, and there’s hardly a trace of wildlife activity in the area. While a few months ago I was able to spot frogs at the edge of the river and watch as squirrels scurried across the trail, now the grove has grown quiet save for the persistent calls of crows and some scattered american tree sparrows and white-throated sparrows as well.

Now that the vegetation has died away, it is easier to see into the forest from the trail and I noticed some abandoned scrap-metals lying on top of the leaf-litter. I’m not entirely sure what this metal was from but the Intervale is known to be littered with scrap-metals as the area used to be a junkyard before it was restored into a floodplain forest.

The fungal life in the grove seems to be thriving even in this harsh cold weather and I wonder if it will persist into the snow as well. Underneath a leaning tree branch, I found a very cool fungus which I was unable to identify. It was growing into what appeared to be a hollow portion of this branch and I’m not sure if the fungus had actually been what hollowed out this branch?

I don’t think that I’ll be able to return to the grove until mid January and I’m looking forward to seeing what changes the snow brings to the area.

Earlier today, I returned to the grove to pay the area another visit. I hadn’t been back to my site since my last post from about two weeks ago and I was immediately struck by how much has changed. The grove no longer has the same ethereal golden glow. The leaves which were previously an almost iridescent shade of yellow now almost all are lying browned and crispy on the ground. The Jewelweed which had grown like wildfire all around the area has almost completely died back, and the Asters are completely gone and have hardly left a trace save for some stubborn dying stems which can be spotted only if you really search. Although it was nearly 65 degrees during my visit, it is clear that winter is approaching fast.

I was able to spend some time sitting on the stump of one of the silver maple trees in the grove today, reading a book and listening to the sounds which surrounded me. In the quiet, I could hear the rustling of leaves as squirrels made their ways through the area. The cries of Ravens were particularly prominent as well, and at one point I looked toward the sky to notice a pair of birds, likely a Raven and a Red-Tailed Hawk flying together in unison.