Phenology Assignment Bessette

• April 23, 2020
• 41 degrees
• Sunny with little wind

Vermont is finally starting to see spring! The Daffodils are all starting to bloom, other spring plant species are popping up, and i’m starting to see more animals. Our bird feeder in particular has been very popular with Chickadees, American Goldfinch, Bluejays, a red squirrel, and grey squirrels. We also have a lot of chipmunks in my yard and robins. Yesterday while driving home, I saw two doe in a field and then a turkey crossing near my house. The Canada goose call I have also frequently heard. So it seems the animals are finally starting to move around and migrate back home.

Typically, we have quite a lot of animal activity in my backyard but because of the rain and cold, there hasn’t been much going on. However, today I did see chickadees at the bird feeder, a few grey squirrels, and I did hear crows when I went outside. This past week I have seen, heard, or noticed signs of returning species. For example, one of my favorite species that returns during the spring are the cardinals. Each year we have a pairing that hang out in a bush we have by our driveway. I’ve seen them multiple times when Ive been coming and going from my house. Robins have also returned and have been all over our yard looking for insects and such. When considering mammals, chipmunks have started to move around and i’ve seen a few under our bird feeder collecting dropped seeds. Buds on trees have also started to pop up and spring flowers like daffodils have started to poke out of the ground.

In regards to the pictures I took, they are all from different places around my yard. We have a lot of oak trees so acorns coat the ground in multiple places. Eastern white pines are also in a few different spots but are mostly in the back where the forest becomes denser. On one side of my house, there is a marsh that stretches between our property and the street parallel from us.

• Cottontail Rabbit
• Will find shelter in empty burrows, woody brush, or in more development areas, under porches or sheds
• Crepuscular animals. During midday and night, Cottontails stay hidden from predators.
• Diet: wintertime– woody plant parts (bark, buds, twigs), or anything else they can find while foraging. summer- grasses, berries, clover, garden vegetables, as well as other green plants
• Predators: Birds of prey, foxes, coyote, fishers, raccoons, etc.
• Interactions with 2 species: Coniferous tree: ate the bark off the bottom. Predator: cottontail appeared to be running based off of the tracks seen. They were far apart and had snow kicked out around the edges.
• Phenological changes: Not much has changed weather wise. There is a decent amount of snow and temperatures are still dipping down into the teens. However, there has been some warmer days here and there. When it comes to animals, I have yet to see any returning or winter dormant species.

Resource: The Virtual Nature Trail at Penn State New Kensington. (2013, October 8). Eastern Cottontail Rabbit. Retrieved from https://www.psu.edu/dept/nkbiology/naturetrail/speciespages/cottontail.htm

Wildlife Activity:

When viewing my site for animal markings and tracks, they were few and far between. However, I did spot some squirrel tracks by the base of one of the trees. By looking at the straddle, track pattern, and shape of the paws, I guessed that this was a grey squirrel. First, the straddle fit the guidelines for a grey squirrel (10-14cm) at around 11 cm. Next, the track pattern followed the typical hopping pattern of most rodents. Lastly, the tracks clearly showed larger, elongated back feet, toes, and smaller, round front feet. From these observations, I was able to conclude the species of animal that made them. In regards to the urine I found, its highly plausible that it was a domestic dog. The walking trails at Centennial are frequented by owners and their pets. Furthermore, the urine was right off the main trail. If this where a wild animal, I don’t think it would have stopped to urinate so out in the open.

Winter Twig Identification

Finding twigs at my site was rather difficult…there were plenty of trees to identify, but not many had branches close enough to the ground for me to take pictures of. The other problem was that majority of the smaller trees were in the marsh area were there was unfrozen water and mud…However, I was able to get a close up image of an American beech tree and identify other species. Tree species at site: American beech, Sugar maple, Boxelder, Eastern white pine, and Red oak

Twig Drawing/Labels

Phenological Changes

When comparing my last visit to now, not much has changed. There was less snow due to the warm weather and rain, but the plants are still brown, the stream still has ice, and snow is still on the ground. However, not having much change makes sense. From mid November to early March (ish), Vermont is cold, wet, snow, and ice. You may have some weird weather days here and there, but overall, winter drags on for a long time.

Nov, 23, 2019

The area that I explored over my holiday vacation was the woods in my back yard. I currently live in Essex, VT in a house my family built around eight years ago. We live on about three acres of land just bordering the town of colchester. The land itself is very hilly with shallow soil and a large marsh to the left of the house. Over the years, people have utilized the land as a hunting area as well as a place for new development. My own family and friends have used our property for hunting during deer and partridge season. However, the new development of houses has somewhat hampered the hunting in the area. Right up the road is a natural pond called colchester pond. My family, and many other citizens of Vermont, have used colchester pond as a place to hike, fish, canoe, and kayak. Due to places like these and the memories I have of them, they are the first to come to mind when considering sense of place. My house is definitely the most important but places like colchester pond make me think of SOP in terms of scale. Not only are these places important to me, they are also key pieces in the community. Because Essex, VT is a rather small town, people share many of the same areas. Everyone I grew up with had hiked around colchester pond, had passes to Indian brook reservoir, and knew every restaurant in town. Since going to school, it has really made me compare my home to life at UVM. Talking to new people from out of state has made me realize how small my town and community was compared to others. Burlington is the biggest city in VT, and it’s weird to hear people compare it to cities they grew up in like NYC and Chicago. However, how and where I grew up significantly shaped how I am. Im used to a more close knit community comprised of people who like to ski, hunt, and be outdoors. Growing up in Vermont is very different than how other people may have grown up. But, I personally have thoroughly enjoyed how I grew up and the Vermonters I have met.

Nov 12, 2019 — 25° — 11:44

By experiencing the phenological changes of my site, my sense of place was explored. Through observing changes like the leaves going from green to brown, or the water freezing to ice, a feeling of familiarity was formed. I personally noticed the sense of place piece after going on my most recent visit. Seeing the drastic alteration of the environment, from green and brown to bright white snow, really made me look around and notice the changes. By realizing this, I couldn’t help but feel a close association with this place. However, Im sure i’m not the only one who has noticed these changes. Centennial woods is a very popular area around campus. Students can run on the trails, go for a walk, or just go somewhere to get some peace and quiet. The rest of the public also frequents centennial woods. When there, you are very likely to run into some dog owner or jogger. Even in the past history of centennial woods it was frequented by humans. Whether it was sheep farmers or indigenous peoples. Even though I currently am noticing these phenological changes, there are many other people now, and those in the past who also experienced them.

Oct 31st, 2019

While exploring my area, I identified 6 living organisms that I thought characterized my site. These organisms included minnows, burdocks, raspberry bushes, a snail, buckthorn, and slugs. Personally, I feel that the minnows resinate with the site the most due to the presence of the brook. Every-time I have gone you could see the minnows darting back and forth in the water. However, the other living organisms are just as important. The burdocks for example are a key feature that border the walk way when you first arrive. Furthermore, there are countless patches of raspberry bushes spread out across the surrounding area. They are especially noticeable now due to still having green/yellow leaves. To find animals I had to really look, especially because of the cooling weather. One spot I checked was under the rocks in the stream. There I found grey snails, smaller than my pinky nail, stuck to the bottom of the rocks. Another very noticeable plant at this site is buckthorn. I think this invasive also characterizes this site due to being located in many different spots. In fact, as soon as you walk over the bridge there is buckthorn growing from the bank. Lastly, another organism I found were slugs. Because there are fallen down branches and logs around the brook, it’s very common to find slugs either under them or on them when it rains.

When comparing my notes from last visit and my own observations, a variety of changes at the site where noticed. The most apparent was the very little amount of leaves left on the trees. Last time I was there, the leaves were in full fall color and not many trees had started to go bare. Continuing on the pattern of plant color, another change was the weeds and grasses starting to turn. Some, like the raspberry bushes, where finally starting to turn yellow. Contrarily, one thing that has stayed the same is the soil. Each time I have visited the ground has been very muddy and moist. Especially Around the banks of the brook. The soil overall all though is more gravely around the water while the rest is more clay like.

When creating this map, I found that in doing so I discovered a lot more prominent features in the area. I really had to look around and observe my surroundings to find markers that people could follow. Most of the ones I did find I hadn’t even noticed before. The vine for example, that is pictured below, I had never noticed until making this map.

Prominent Features:

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Centennial Brook Valerie & Abby

Oct 8, 2019 Whether Conditions: 61 degrees, sunny, no wind Soil Conditions: Moist/wet

Observations:

Defining features: foot bridge, brook, and the Green Ash trees on the edge of the water
Character/Atmosphere of place: It’s a very calming and peaceful area that receives direct sunlight. Listening to the water and birds while laying in the sun is a great way to destress and focus on the surrounding area.
How to get there: begin at entrance of centennial woods and then follow the path on the main trail until you reach a brook with a foot bridge
What its like there: Open clearing, can hear the trickling of water and birds, quiet despite being so close to a busy road

Compared to last visit, the leaves have noticeably started to change colors. In this specific area, yellow is the predominant fall leaf color. Although, much of the vegetation is still green in areas. This is due to the variety of tall grasses, weeds, and Buckthorn that surround the brook.

Due to heavy rain the previous day, the brook was cloudy from the churning of sediments. The water level had also noticeably risen along with the velocity of the brook. In addition, the muddy bottom could no longer be seen and the rock bridge that usually protrudes from the water was nearly covered.

While sitting in the sun and observing the surrounding area, a Blue jay call could be heard and water striders darted back and forth across the water. If you closely looked into the water, small dark shadows of minnows could be seen beneath the surface. At one point, a chipmunk ran past with cheeks stuffed to maximum capacity with food.