Ronit Lunken Phenology Place

Over the seasons my sight has changed from green to brown and now back to green. The water has risen and fallen, frozen and thawed. Over my visits I have become familiar with the Willow tree at the entrance of the water, the fallen tree across the water, and the bank that often has animal prints. The nature in my creek meets the farm field on one side and the bike path on the other, and the water comes from the UVM dairy barn. These are the ways my pocket of nature meets human culture. For my sketch I drew my willow tree hanging over the water and the banks on the other side.

I am going to miss visiting the place. I feel as though this year I have become a part of my little creek, and it has become a part of me.

I visited my small creek again and noticed spring changes. Forests ground cover has started coming in and greening the area. I saw a song sparrow, chickadee, and American robin. In the mud I saw tracks for raccoons and ducks. The water level has increases and is flowing steadily. The ground is still holding lots of water. The sun is shining and spring is here!

Today I visited my small creek and immediately noticed a higher water level then normal. The groups was muddy and had the texture of a full sponge. There were tiny spaces all around the creek in which water was flowing into the creek, second picture. This is because of melting of the snow and the increased spring showers.

I noticed a pair of mallards in the water, which might be the same pair that I noticed at the beginning of March. I wonder if they will nest here for the season.

My Red Maple does not have many new changes from the beginning of March. Although the buds are becoming more green and will soon become leaves.

Today, when visiting my Phenology site I found a Red Maple, acer rubrum. This tree was towards the back of my site and was covered in red leaf buds. All around the bottom of the tree there were animal tracks. Not all were fresh, but they were very diverse. There were smaller tracks, which I think could have been a shrew. There were also many tracks along the bank of the creek, these appears to be animals coming to the water for a drink. I recognized raccoon tracks, squirrel tracks, rabbit tracks, and I think some could have been a skunk and others could have been a fox! Lastly, I watched a male cardinal singing in the trees and a pair of mallards flew off when I approached.

For my iNaturalist project I walked around Waterman and towards the lake. I found old prints which I concluded were made by squirrel. Although I could not see the toes in the print, the pattern was a gallop and started and ended at the base of a tree. These signs brought me to the conclusion of a squirrel. I found these old prints in the snow along with some in the dirt at the base of some cedar trees. Lastly in a spruce tree I found a birds nest. I believe this nest belonged to an American Robin because of its size and the use of mud in the nest. This nest could have also been used by a small animal during the colder winter days.

My location is full of snow and ice. The water is still running with ice crystals formed along the edges. There was a section of the creek where the ice was completely frozen over, although I could see the water flowing beneath the ice. There were holes as well as tracks. I thought might be burrows for mice, and the tracks seemed to be made by rabbits and squirrels. I could hear some song birds as well as seeing a cardinal jumping through the trees and a crow flying over head. It was very peaceful seeing the sun hitting the snow and watching the creek flow.

My favorite part of my chosen site is the creek that runs through it. I enjoy sitting by the water and listening to the babble of the brook. I watch twigs and leaves travel through the water, over rocks, and around the bends. The trees and plants along the edge of the creek filter the water as it runs past. When I visit my phenology site I sit next to the water with my eyes close and listen to the movement of the water over the rocks and leaves, and I listen to the birds singing and jumping through the trees. The peacefulness of the creek centers my location.

Today I visited my site and observed many winter changes. There was one tree with lingering foliage which was an alder buckthorn. There were also many black raspberry plants with remaining leaves. Although the only green plants remaining at my site were different kinds of ground cover including grasses, white avens, and woodferns. The ground was full of water. I felt like I was walking over a sponge. There was a layer of decomposing leaves on the soil as well.

I noticed raccoon footprints along the mud banks of the creek. With the lack of foliage I could see many nests in the trees, squirrel nests and a couple big birds nests, maybe robins nests. Although these nests seemed to be abandoned. There were very few birds in the trees, only a few chickadees and goldfinches, who had lost their bright color for the winter.

I spent Thanksgiving with my family at my childhood home. It is located in Illinois on a small man made lake. Located here are many birds, white tailed deer, beavers, frogs, and lots of other wildlife. My house is surrounded by forests, with many old growth oak trees. There are many flower beds located around my house, which attract pollinators in the spring and summer.

There are lots of differences in ecology between my home in Illinois and my phenology spot in Burlington. My place in Burlington is made up of mostly new growth trees and lots of shrubs throughout the area. While they both contain a water source, my place in Burlington contains a small brook compared to the lake present at my house in Illinois.

During the time I spent in Illinois over break I left multiple gifts for the land. The first is seen in fourth picture, where I covered my blueberry plants to protect them from frost. I also put pool noodles around the bottom of my apple trees to protect them from deer eating the bark in the winter. Lastly, I planted daffodil and hyacinth bulbs to flower in the spring.

Over the past month there have been dramatic changes in the plants at my small brook. The trees have completely lost their leaves with only a few understory trees with leaves remaining. The ground is covered in leaves and other dead herbaceous plants. The space has cleared up and is more visible too. I also observed an increase in water in the brook.