May 5, 2023

I did not get the chance to explore a ton during the BioBlitz because my dad was in town and we were moving a bunch of my stuff out of the dorm. However, the last few days of the challenge I found some species across campus that looked interesting to me. I enjoyed exploring around campus because I think it helped me notice the species that I pass frequently but do not pay much attention to. I hope I get to participate more in the future years and get out into the Greater Burlington area! I liked using iNaturalist for this because I find it pretty easy to use, and it can help you identify species as well. Posting on there is very simple, and it is nice that once you made an observation it automatically was added to the project.

These were some of the species I encountered while I was out! I was not able to identify the species in the photo above, but the others. Overall since I did not have much time to get out and observe species, I probably encountered 10 or so while I was on campus that I was actively observing.

Looking at the City Nature Challenge website, I was surprised to see a lot of global participants from places that I have never even heard of. It was interesting to see how many people and places participate all across the world. I looked into Cape Town more specifically because I don’t know a lot about the species in that area of the world and was curious. They have a ton of really cool bird species on there!! I enjoyed looking at the different plants and animals they saw because I knew most of them are not species I would ever encounter unless I went to that region. I love that this project connects us to other places across the globe and gives us a glimpse into their landscapes. I would have never guessed that Cape Town is one of the biggest participants in this challenge!

April 24, 2023

Today I visited my phenology spot (and tree) for a final time this semester. I am definitely starting to see some spring phenological changes! This site was super bare and there was not a lot to see when I went in the middle of the winter. Almost all of the trees lost their leaves, which meant I was mostly looking at twigs and branches, as well as woody brush. Today however, I saw some color and life come back into the forest! Many of the trees have begun budding or flowering, with some in the area also producing berries. The red maple I have been following is finally starting to flower, which is really exciting after all this time! Some of the buds were fully flowering and some of them were just budding. The area is very wooded so there are still plenty of twigs and branches to see, but it is refreshing to see flowers growing and leaves starting to reappear. There are plenty of fallen trees and branches throughout the woods, so it is possible that some are new and a result of recent spring storms.

Some of the nearby landmarks that I have become familiar with since visiting this site are the golf course and the UVM barns and farming area, because they are both on the way. To be honest, I did not even know the Country Club existed right off of campus until I visited this place. Another minor landmark could be the signs marking the path that I take to get to the wooded area, since that is how I know I am going the right way. I think that nature and culture intertwine at this site because it is so close to the University, and also is surrounded by a lot of residential homes. Every time I visit I see so many people walking, biking, or running on the path, some students and some not. Also a lot of people walk their dogs around the area! I think it is nice to see a variety of people sharing the outdoor space. I would consider myself part of this place now because I walk down that way whenever I need to take a break from homework or go for a walk. It is easy to get to and familiar, which is something I can really appreciate on rough days. While it is not the most unique natural area and is definitely not extravagant, I have grown to love the simplicity of the nature there.

April 13, 2023

Visited my wonderful tree again today! To my surprise, she was not looking very different from the last visit. While plenty of the trees around were flowering and fruiting, my red maple was still just buds. But the buds on the twigs did seem to be more open to me, so hopefully that means we are almost ready to start flowering! Here is what they looked like:

I am definitely ready to start seeing some flowers and changes!! It was such a nice day and week that I was really hoping the trees would be as ready for summer as I am. But like I said, many of the other species around were full of flowers and berries! I guess the red maple flowers a little later. I saw a lot of white flowers that looked very fluffy, and some other green flowers too. There were still berries on some of the trees, but they definitely are on their last leg. The ones I noticed today were dark, a blue or purple color. Many of the other species that do not lose their leaves looked much greener today too! I also saw some evidence of animals, finding a caterpillar on the walk there and seeing a tree full of woodpecker holes. I am excited to see nature thrive in the upcoming seasons!!

March 27, 2023

I went to check-in on the red maple that I observed for the last blog post yesterday! It was really nice out and has been warmer here, so I wondered if I would see differences in the buds and the phenological phase of the species. At first glance, it seemed that the tree had not changed much in the last few weeks. There were no bright red flowers or anything yet. However, looking closer at the twigs, I could see that they looked much more red than before, and the buds as well. They were very vibrant, and even seemed like they could be approaching flowering. So while the phase of this species is definitely not fruiting or flowering, I decided to say that it was “minimal flower budding.” I think there were some significant differences from my last visit and a sign that spring is coming!

I saw many other signs that spring is coming around the area! Some trees were fruiting and full of berries, some seemed to be flower budding, and others had some visible leaves among the branches. This is also part of what led me to assume that the maple will be budding fairly soon. I would also say I saw more green and yellow colors throughout different species and plants. Less brown and lack of color than there has been throughout the winter! It was a really nice day and has been somewhat consistently, I really hope that means spring is actually coming, but we never know. Hopefully when I go back to my site I can see some more flowers budding!

March 8, 2023

Today I went back nearby my phenology spot to locate one of the four assigned tree species. The species that I ended up finding and identifying was a Red Maple (Acer Rubrum). I found this tree off of the path on the way to my spot, and I immediately looked up to see what I was pretty sure were the buds of a maple. I was able to identify this tree as a Red Maple specifically because the buds did not have a scent when crushed like a Norway Maple, and they were obviously very red, counting out the Sugar Maple whose buds are brown. Those are the two winter lookalikes for this species.

At first I thought that the tree was fruiting because I saw some berries. But I think there was overlap of a few tree species in some of the branches because of the way the trees were growing out of the ground. Ultimately, I realized that the berries were not from the maple. A lot of the surrounding trees were fruiting though, which I think is an exciting sign of spring!! Looking at the buds, you can see that they are not flowering, so the phenological phase is defined as “no evidence of flowering.” This was recorded in my iNaturalist post as well as the species.

February 19, 2023

For this phenology visit, I decided to explore a place I had never been, and went to Red Rocks Park! After a long week of very nice warm weather, there was not a lot to see in terms of wildlife tracks in the snow. Any snow cover was very icy, and the majority of the area was just mud. This made some tracks visible, but not as clear and identifiable as when were in Jericho.

In terms of wildlife, I only really saw gray squirrels running about, and the occasional domestic dog on a walk. All of the identifiable tracks that I saw were most likely just from the dogs walking through the area, although there were tracks of various sizes. Some had visible nails in the tracks and others didn’t, but they all had four very round toes, and the pads of the tracks were smooth, simple shapes. The larger track that I saw in the mud could have either just been a larger dog, or potentially a fox track, but I did not see any more that could confirm.

Those were the only visible and distinguishable tracks that I found on my visit. I saw a few squirrels running through the woods, but getting a clear picture was difficult because I had to stay a good distance away to keep them from running off completely. They seemed to be on the hunt for food and digging through the leaves, then climbing up into the trees.

The other thing I noticed out there that was not directly wildlife related, was this one species of tree that I kept seeing with a ton of holes in it. I am not sure what this can be attributed to or whether it is even related to the animals at all. It could also have something to do with disease or invasive species. But I was intrigued by this pattern and hope to look more into it!

January 29, 2023

For second semester, I chose a new spot for my phenology blog. The trip to Rock Point was getting a little complicated with the weather, so I opted for somewhere closer and easier to get to. I will now be visiting the wooded area that is behind the Country Club golf course and near the UVM Bio Research Facility. You can get there by going around the back of the Fieldhouse and the track, and following the bike path. The path will take you past the barns and some research areas until you turn into the woods. You can also cut through the golf course! Here is the map 🙂

here is the wooded area –>

When visiting this new spot, there were plenty of tracks and evidence of life in the snow. The difficulty is that lots of people walk through there with their dogs, so a lot of the tracks can be attributed to that. However I did see some tracks that I thought were definitely other animals!! I don’t know much about tracking yet, so I cannot tell exactly what they might be from. My best guess is probably bunnies and deer! I didn’t notice any trees that had been marked or gave more clues of animal presence, besides a few nests and lots of crows. (Trying to get over my FOB….)

I saw some really cool old growth trees when I was out there!! Also, the birch this time of year have so many eyes, it feels like they are alive and watching over the rest of the forest. So cool!!

December 10, 2022

Today I visited Rock Point again before I head home!! It was a really cold day but it was sunny out and gorgeous. Once again, the biggest transformation is how bare the forest has become. There were definitely more leaves covering the ground, and most of them looked like they were from oaks, versus in November when I mostly saw maples leaves. There really are not any leaves hanging onto the trees. Most of the greenery and life that I noticed was on the spruce trees, probably because they are thriving in the colder seasons and provide a stark contrast to the bare and grey branches. Another thing that I noticed about the tree species throughout the forest was that many of the paper birch trees looked much more grey than they previously had.

I did not see any animal species at Rock Point, but I did see some evidence of life when I noticed a lot of bird nests in the trees! Unfortunately I could not see any animal tracks in the soil. Part of this was probably because there is no snow on the ground yet, which would make the tracks more visible. Also, I noticed some ice frozen in the ground as I walked along the trails, which I thought was interesting since it has not been super cold lately and is not always below freezing. I also saw some ferns in the understory! They were definitely a nice counterpart to all of the fallen branches and trees that were scattered in the area and a pop of color 🙂 I also saw a lot of berries! Maybe they were there previously and I just never noticed but they really stuck out to me this time. I hope the animals get to have the berries as a food source!

Reflecting on the semester, I REALLY enjoyed getting to visit Rock Point and observe how it has changed as the seasons do. It is always my favorite to get to see Lake Champlain from the lookout area. I think one of the best parts of this project was just getting to be outside on the weekends and take a little break from busy life. I loved getting to see a wide variety of tree species in one area, and see how the natural communities differed in their changes. I also love having Rock Point as my spot because it is never very busy so my experience always feels very grounding.

November 28, 2022

While I was home, I chose to go to the Big Rivers Trailhead as my phenology spot. There is a great overlook of the Twin Cities nearby that makes this spot special to me, but I could not make it there this time I visited. I like this particular trail and area because it is close to home and really nice to bike or walk on! It is also a very interesting natural space because you can see both the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, as well as the spot that they meet at along the trail. I will admit, the spot is much more beautiful in the spring and summer than it is this time of year.

As you can see, the trees all around the area have become very gray and lost all of their leaves. This is often the case this time of year, with only the evergreens not completely transforming. The species composition is very different than my place is Burlington because much of the trees there are native to the Northeast. Being in a new region, we start to see coniferous species like the Eastern Larch, White Spruce, and Balsam Fir. In terms of deciduous trees, the area is dominated by ash, oak, and maple trees. I saw some new species like Bur Oaks and Silver Maples, but also species that I have seen all around Vermont like Sugar Maples and Red Oaks. Overall, I think a lot of the ecological components of the area are very similar to my phenology spot, but there were definitely new things to see.

November 7th, 2022

Exploring my Senses at Rock Point

I sat quietly in this area of Rock Point for 15 minutes, and there was definitely a lot for my senses to take in. The first thing that stood out to me while I sat here was the noise of the rushing waves. I came on a windy day, so they were louder than usual. I could have spent the entire 15 minutes just listening to the waters of Lake Champlain. I also watched the leaves blow around in the heavy gusts of wind, making their final fall off of the trees, or blowing around on the floor of the Earth. The leaves were very crunchy and mostly consisted of maple leaves, however there were also leaves of oaks, basswood, birch, beech, etc. One specific thing that I noticed was that a lot of the rocks were covered in moss. The moss was very soft and bright green, and it really stood out to me. It was very warm outside, the sun was on my face and the breeze was blowing. Under my hands and feet I felt moss, lots of jagged rocks, clovers, the leaves, tree roots, and the dirt and soil underneath.

Since visiting last, the most prominent change in the vegetation at Rock Point has been the trees losing their leaves. They are much more bare and gray, and obviously the landscape looks much different when the leaves are covering the ground. I noticed that some of the birch trees seemed like they were peeling. Also, only some plants in the understory really still have their leaves. The more I recognized this, the more I realized that the majority of the leaves that are still present and green are on buckthorn plants. The species has taken over in some areas throughout Rock Point.