Before winter break, I had to visit my phenology spot one more time. Admittedly, it was a struggle to get there on my broken, decade-old, cheap bike. I didn’t think to wear gloves so my fingers suffered in the freezing air. I passed the Aiken Forestry Research Lab, which was built on the open land in 1973. According to UVM’s website, it was originally a Sugar Maple Laboratory not owned by the university. It became a Forestry Laboratory in the 80s, and UVM didn’t acquire ownership of it until 2013. When I got there, though, after stopping to fix my bike’s chain, it was totally worth it. I was the only person in sight, and a soft silence filled the air. The once lush meadow is now deplete of any grasses or wildflowers, which gave me a much better look at the solar panels in the distance. The panels were installed in 2012 and are a source of renewable energy for the University. I walked down the path as light snow began to slowly fall.
Sources:
Spear Street Forest Service Lab Transferred to UVM. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.uvm.edu/rsenr/news/spear_street_forest_service_lab_transferred_uvm
Renewable Energy Projects. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.uvm.edu/arch/renewable-energy-projects
Weird But Fun Little Story
On my way back to my bike, I saw something frozen in the snow. Upon closer examination, I realized it was a vole.
His body was in tact, but half of his body was frozen to the ground. I thought of my younger self, burying dead mice I would sometimes find in my yard, against the discretion of my mother. I reverted back to my childhood ways and placed her on a leaf. I then placed her inside a fallen down tree and covered the entrance with the leaf. I know an animal will probably still come along and eat the dead vole, but my 10-year-old self would be proud.
First to Last Visit Comparisons
