A UVM blog Phenology Blog

10/14/2023 Introduction

Centennial Woods is a local favorite for students on campus who want to get away into nature. The woods contain mature forests, streams, and trails to explore. I chose Centennial Woods as my phenology location because I really enjoyed it during our first lab for NR 1010. I would love to gain more knowledge about a location I will be able to revisit for the rest of my college years. To get to Centennial Woods, one would take the sidewalk behind the University of Vermont campus hospital and cross East Avenue. The trailhead is located on the left side of Carrigen Drive and the trail leads right into the woods. 

At my Phenology spot within Centennial Woods, one can find many woody species. In my field notebook, I recorded sugar maple, striped maple, American beech, eastern white pine, white oak, northern red oak, and green ash. The vegetation is low and made up of species that enjoy wet soil. Near the bank of the stream, I identified miss, ferns, and clover. 

During my first visit, I also found a few plants that produced these small red berries. They were such a beautiful color; they caught my eye right away. I have not been able to identify the species yet, but I hope to soon. I also had the pleasure of running into a mouse when I was there. 

The spot I picked within the woods is along a stream. The stream has very small waterfalls and makes a very peaceful sounds when flowing. There is also a change in the landscape on either side of the stream. One side has a very steep bank that drops off right into the stream. And the other side has a much more shallow slope that leads to the stream. 

One unfortunate aspect of picking an area open to the public is the impact that is left behind. I happen to run into multiple pieces of litter at the location and am planning on bringing a bag to clean it up with next time. I hope I will be able to see a change in this aspect of the location as well as a change in the phenology over the year. 

11/6/2023 Phenology Observation

During my fifteen-minute sit, I interacted with my phenology location using all of my senses. There was a slight breeze coming through the forest today. It was light, but still managed to pick up a few pieces of my hair and blow them into my face. I could almost smell the stream as much as I could hear it, rippling over the rocks in its way. It smelled clear and fresh, if that is even possible. I tasted the warm coffee I brought along, and it was a great contrast to the cool air. With my sense of sight, I noticed the change in vegetation since I last visited. Many of the trees are now nearly bare of leaves, quickly approaching ‘stick season’. The ground was covered in leaves, a majority of them now brown as opposed to the yellow and red hues I noticed when I last visited. The very small plants seemed to have little to no changes, just slightly less green and withered. One large theme seemed to stand out to me: the colors were much duller and more diluted. This began with the trees and flowed all the way down to the grass, everything much darker than before.  

A bird’s eye view of my phenology spot. One can see the large rock in the center, my favorite place to enjoy my spot. To the right it the creek and the left is the forest, losing its leaves.

12/9/2023 Last Visit

Since my last visit, the foliage has greatly decreased. Many of the deciduous trees have lost their leaves, but a few are still holding on. There are a few Norway Maples that can be spotted with leaves on their branches. The leaves that remain are also a much darker shade than my last visit.  

There is no strong persistence of fruit in the area, I no longer see any of the berries I noticed during my first visit. I do see some persistence within the understory however, with a strong presence of ferns and smaller bush plants. There is signs of decomposition with some of leaves on the ground: they have begun to break into smaller pieces and be mixed slightly within the very top layer of the soil.  I do not see many signs of animals, however there are a few birds’ nests to be noticed within the trees. I unfortunately was not able to get a high-quality image of them due to their height.  

My phenology spot has really become somewhere I feel a sense of place and I believe that to be because I have taken the time to get to know it. The time I have spent with it has taught me a lot about it and makes me want to spend more time there. I really enjoy how quiet the space is and how many birds I can hear. It really is an escape from the outside world.  

song of the day- A Woman’s Design Is Divine by Blood Red Sun