I decided to make Salmon Hole my phenology “spot” for a variety of reasons. It is right on the Winooski River and by the Winooski dam so it has a lot going on and a lot to observe. This spot is also only about 2 miles from campus, a very palpable distance for a leisure bike ride. I figure the repeated visits I make here will give me opportunities to explore beyond the direct outskirts of campus.
To get to Salmon Hole, I ride my bike from Athletic Campus, all the way down North and South Prospect Street and along a bike path on Riverside Avenue. There is one big hill but otherwise it is a moderate ride lasting 10 minutes.
Here is a link to the Google Map of my spot:
The vegetation is largely green, however you can see that fall is right on the horizon, some trees are turning orange and yellow. Some common woody plants that I identified are: Northern Red Oak, Paper Birch, Sugar Maple, Barberry, Mugwort, Buckthorn and the odd Northern White Cedar and Eastern White Pines.
I explored beyond my exclusive spot, I crossed the Winooski bridge and looked over the river from the other side. The water level was quite low so I was able to walk very close to the water on some exposed rock.
