Gilbrook & Bolton Phenology

I explored towns a little farther on the eastern part of Burlington, mainly Williston and Essex. I was planning on a bike ride that went through that area and wanted to see if the vegetation and ecological features in suburbs contrasted qualities within Burlington itself. I saw that the areas east of Burlington actually consist of very manicured suburbs for a while but quickly change to farmland. Regardless, the vegetation in the heavily developed suburbs is very non-diverse and areas where vegetation is allowed to grow unobstructed by humans were few and far between. Many precisely planted Norway Spruce and Eastern White Pines were planted along the roads of these suburbs, and provided an interesting contrast to areas within Burlington such as centennial woods. I still documented as many different species as I could and noticed around eight different trees in the areas I visited. I’m sure there were more species I didn’t observe but I believe I made a note of the most common trees in the areas I visited. It’s also worth noting that the transition from suburbs to farmland is very abrupt and I was eventually able to reach quieter areas with ease and once I got to quieter areas species diversity quickly increased.

The most interesting trend I saw in terms of global data is that observations are very coastal-heavy. Species observations tend to drop off significantly just slightly inland and become incredibly rare in deeply inland areas. Citizen science is a good but still imperfect way to research species diversity on a large scale, and I’m curious if differences in species diversity are truly as significant as the iNaturalist map portrays it to be or if there are external variables that result in less observations inland. Noticing trends within individual countries can be tough but iNaturalist provides cumulative statistics from global reports that provide interesting insights regarding citizen science and how it can be used to identify big-picture trends in global diversity. Lastly, it’s clear that the United States was the largest contributor to the City Nature Challenge, and I wonder how awareness for events like this can be spread globally to encourage more citizen participation and allow for more intensive research and more reputable data.

The main peak of the Bolton Valley backcountry area experiences the seasonal changes that come with spring much later than other parts of Vermont at lower elevations. I was able to hike up the Bolton Valley skin track this past weekend and I noticed a theme of increasingly wet conditions as elevation increased. Hiking the skin track during mud season is certainly one of the less common activities to do in Vermont and there were only a handful of human footprints. However, the footprints and tracks that were present were all very distinct and noticeable considering the trail was so immensely muddy and the slightest presence of a human or animal would leave a significant impact. Farther off the main trail and into the woods I noticed that the ground itself was undoubtedly experiencing the impacts of mud season as well but not to the degree that the main trail was experiencing. This shows how trail creation removes vegetation that can absorb and uptake water from the ground, causing moisture to collect and become considerably more concentrated in areas that are cleared out. The impact of human-made trails is less noticeable in times other than mud season when the ground is either fully dry or snow covered, but mud season is the one time of the year where the impacts of trail construction on water drainage is very noticeable. This all suggests that the backcountry recreation aspect of Bolton likely has little environmental impact during winter when vegetation is dormant and snow cover is abundant, but during mud season it is obvious that human made trails are significantly more delicate than natural woods.

I mainly visited the Bolton backcountry area over the winter and only visited during the freeze-thaw mud season once. Over the winter it was difficult to gauge changes because of the sheer amount of snow covering any sort of fallen debris and it was also difficult to gauge the amount of snow present during each visit as well. Despite this, I can confidently say that when the ground is bare in the backcountry area it is clear that there is an immense amount of fallen debris. Some of this debris may be from storms just this past winter, but I have to assume that most debris is a result of years of storms and buildup. The backcountry area is not maintained for summer use at all, leading to a network of trails that appear full of downfall and are occasionally difficult to navigate during times of bare ground. However, this also suggests that the lack of human activity in the summer may be good for the overall health of the forest, seeing as vegetation and wildlife can experience seasonal change and development without any human intervention. 

The most notable landmarks in the area for me are probably similar to many other Bolton backcountry visitors: major viewpoints, significant forks and intersections in the network, occasional man made structures, and so on. I haven’t spent enough time exploring the less notable hidden gems of the Bolton area, and while the areas I’ve become familiar with are still quite special to me, I haven’t ventured around enough to become fully in tune with the area. Furthermore, I would not consider myself a part of my place, only a visitor. I only traveled to Bolton on the occasional weekend over the last few months, which I believe is barely enough time to consider myself acquainted with a place, let alone an entire part of a place. It’s difficult to consider myself a part of a place that I see not as a home but only as an area to visit occasionally. I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the Burlington area over this past year, but I still wouldn’t consider myself a part of any place but campus itself for now. Being on campus for the majority of my time makes it difficult to really be in tune with a more natural area. I hope to one day live in a place where I’m out of an urban area and I’m instead able to spend most of my waking hours experiencing the minor parts of nature that take immense time to experience and comprehend. I’m not a part of the Bolton area by any means right now, but I hope I can know what it’s like to be truly part of a forest one day. 

Before today, it had been fourteen days since my last visit to Centennial Woods in the great state of Vermont, but after today it has now been 0 days since my last visit to Centennial Woods (because I went there today). I was exuberant to see that the buds of the birch tree have began to show the first signs of swelling and are on their way to reaching a state of bloom! After a long winter of dormancy and weeks of waiting for buds to ripen, I’m happy to report that spring appears to be underway. The ground in the Burlington area is entirely absent of snow by now and most areas even appear to be entirely past mud season considering how firm and dry the surficial soil is. Despite the clear springlike conditions in the Burlington area, it’s important to note that conditions at areas of higher elevations surrounding Burlington are still in the thick of mud season and Burlington is likely experiencing an earlier spring bloom as a result of the warmer climate. Regardless, getting to experience budding and flowering in the Burlington area earlier in the spring is enjoyable and I will make a point to continue observing the ever-changing buds of the trees. Even then, spring in the hills of Vermont is still right around the corner, and I look forward to seeing the green put in the Green Mountains!

Three weeks have passed since my last visit to Centennial. After finding the Paper Birch in the same southeastern area, I observed that the most significant changes were in snowcover and ground softness, but not much had changed with the tree itself. The Birch still was not showing any signs of budding, which was the same across all wooded vegetation in the forest. Despite some warm days here and there, temperatures have still been a little too cold and inconsistent for any kind of budding to happen. In terms of the tree’s health, it also appeared to be in the same state as last time. A good amount of peeling bark and decent branch presence; not thriving but certainly not in poor health either. The tree’s close proximity to a highway likely keeps it from reaching its full potential. Snowmelt is noticeably less than my last visit and the ground is starting to thaw, leading to muddy conditions. Even though mud is abundant and skies are gray, these conditions are still the first signs of spring in New England and I look forward to seeing the trees bud and create a canopy of green soon enough. 

Paper Birch are a less common tree species in Centennial woods but I managed to find one in the southeastern area of the reservation. The bark of the birch was my first indicator that the tree was specifically a Paper Birch. The tree had peeling, stark white bark, and showed no signs of grayness or yellowing like other Birch species. I was able to confirm it was a Paper Birch by observing the twig of the tree. The twig had spur-like shoots with thin hairs and a slight reddish color. There was no wintergreen odor either. These traits distinguished it from a Gray or Yellow birch because these other species have minimal to no hair, gray or yellow-brown buds, and often have wintergreen odors. 

Burlington is a unique city in the sense that a surprising amount of wildlife lives within the city limits. I first traveled to the waterfront in the South End area and was excited to see a good amount of avian critters out and about. I went on a sunny day where temps were in the 40s, so wildlife was abundant, likely because they were excited to take a break from winter dormancy. However, most birds were flocking to small chunks of ice in Lake Champlain and were a good distance away from the shore, so photographing these birds wasn’t exactly easy. Regardless, I managed to capture one mallard that was swimming relatively close to shore. 

On a separate day I poked around the woods behind Trinity campus. This area is a very steep, ravine-like hill where a narrow river flows at the bottom. The weather was overcast and in the 40s and the ground was very soft from immense snowmelt. I was hoping to find some animal tracks in the mud, but had difficulty finding anything significant. Instead I found some bugs and maggots living under the bark of a rotting downed tree. I did some research online to see if I could identify these insects, but results were inconclusive. iNaturalist recommended some species after I uploaded a photo, leading me to decide that the critter was a Fire-colored Beetle still in its maggot stage. There are many maggots that look similar to the one I spotted, but I settled on the Fire-colored beetle because of the dark red pincers and distinguishing pale orange, almost transparent body.

Even though the patch of woods behind Trinity wasn’t thriving with activity on the day I explored, I still managed to photograph a squirrel running up a towering Eastern White Pine. The process of uploading to iNaturalist was easy and intuitive. I especially appreciated the suggestions of species pictured during the uploading process. 

To be comfortable outside in a short sleeve t-shirt in northern Vermont in December is an unfortunate plight. Regardless, the misty air and temperatures in the mid-50’s were the conditions I experienced in my last visit to Gilbrook. Hopefully this spring-like weather is just a blip and winter can come soon. The effects of colder temperatures through November were still visible when observing Gilbrook. Leaf presence was practically negligible — only a few sparse leaves on Northern Red Oaks and White Oaks were visible.

The amount of foliage on woody plants now is similar to the amount seen in early November, but a more noticeable difference lies within invasives and marshy plants. While there were large amounts of buckthorn and marshy reeds that still showed signs of thriving in early November, in my most recent visit almost all marshy plants appeared dormant along with various invasives.

Leaf litter appeared similar to early November. The surface of leaf carpets displayed negligible to absent signs of decomposition, but lower layers appeared to be in the process of early decomposition. Actual fungi and decomposing organisms were not prominent — the only evidence of decomposition was the withered appearance of leaves.

On the particular day I visited I did not notice any squirrels or small mammals like I had previously. Small birds occasionally flew short distances to travel between trees, but there were no songbirds to be heard. However, traces of small mammals were apparent. It had been raining for almost two full days by the time I visited, which resulted in very soft ground throughout the reservation. This resulted in prominent viewing of squirrel tracks and other footprints from small mammals.

The most appealing element of Gilbrook is the ability to study the impacts of development on a natural area. The body of water in Gilbrook is heavily impacted by runoff from the highway less than 30 feet away, which allows for isolated examination on the effects of water quality from road pollution. I’d like to perform qualitative tests on the water quality of Gilbrook and compare to other bodies of water to see just how great the differences are.

The section of U.S. Route One in Saugus, Massachusetts has been voted as one of the worst roads in the United States. Most people see this road as nothing more than a three-mile long over-congested eyesore of a strip mall. However, at the very back of a Jeep dealership off Route One is the trailhead to Lynn Woods, possibly my favorite reservation/trail system in Massachusetts. This 2,000-acre forest is landlocked by the densely populated cities and suburbs of Boston, yet remains a hidden gem. Within ten minutes of entering this forest, one can become completely immersed in greenery and escape all the noise and traffic of the urban world. There are many small protected areas surrounding Boston, but these all areas are often overcrowded with other outdoor enthusiasts and still have plenty of noise pollution from adjacent highways. Lynn Woods is the one reservation in the Boston area that I’ve found to be an exception to this rule. For reasons I can’t explain, hardly anyone visits these woods, and despite being adjacent to the bustling highway of Route One, there is some natural barrier that prevents noise from getting into the reservation. This place is magical and special to me because it’s so surprisingly unheard of, and contains some of the most fascinating topography, geology, and vegetation diversity of any green space near Boston.

The vast majority of forests in Massachusetts have subtle rolling hills and an abundance of small jagged rocks. Lynn Woods could not be more different than these trends. Most of the geology in this reservation consists of smooth, massive boulders, ranging from a few feet tall to several stories in height. Lynn does not have many of the conventional “rock gardens” one would find in Massachusetts, and instead is riddled with remarkable boulders. Furthermore, the topography in Lynn Woods is relentless. There are not any towering peaks or significant hills, but rather a myriad of small 50 to 100 foot hills that are unbelievably steep. This also goes against the trend of typical Massachusetts hills that have relatively tame grades; hiking or biking in Lynn Woods is brutal because of the punchy elevation, but remains a refreshing change of pace from typical Massachusetts features. I could spend all day just admiring the beauty of Lynn Woods’ geographical features, and these qualities also make for exceptional mountain biking terrain. Gorgeous geology and unbelievably fun recreation are the main reasons I’m drawn to this place, and although I selfishly do enjoy having it as a quiet hidden gem, I also hope that more people can visit Lynn to admire its unconventional qualities.

The only real similarities between Lynn and Gilbrook are the fact that they’re both considered forests. Gilbrook has sandy soil while Lynn has loamy, silty soil, Gilbrook has a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees while Lynn is almost entirely deciduous trees, and Gilbrook has almost no rocks at all while Lynn has a plethora of boulders. Gilbrook is also right next to an interstate and has plenty of noise pollution, while most parts of Lynn are practically silent. Lastly, Lynn and Gilbrook do both contain small bodies of water, but the water quality within these places is very different. The lake in Lynn is at an elevation higher than developed areas, resulting in it being used as a reservoir for drinking water because of its healthy qualities. I89 is on a hill that feeds into Gilbrook, which likely results in poor water quality, and the water in Gilbrook is just visually less appealing than Lynn.

When viewed from a good angle, Gilbrook appears serene and wooded. Even if it was likely clear cut at one point, the reserve has been reforested to a point that feels like a genuine green space. There is a good mix of seemingly healthy coniferous and deciduous trees (mainly White Oak, Eastern White Pine, and Sugar Maple). It’s difficult to gauge the health of trees at this time because of the lack of leaves on all trees due to foliage. Regardless, there is a fully under and overstory visible in Gilbrook. 

The presence of invasives is a more concerning quality of Gilbrook. Once the leaves and “fullness” of native trees becomes absent in the fall/winter, invasives are even more noticeable because they don’t winterize as distinctly as native species. The sheer amount of Buckthorn present at Gilbrook is rather unsightly, especially when it’s emphasized so intensely in a landscape of brown, barren trees.

I observed a large black bird, likely a crow or a raven, fly the length of Gilbrook and perch on a tree at the southern end. The bird flew in from the northeast area of the reservation, traveling slowly above the pond until it reached a tree where it decided to rest. It then did a couple more circles around the pond and surrounding area before flying west across the highway. I’m not sure if the bird was hunting for prey or just exploring the area, but it was interesting to watch the behavior of the critter. 

There was also a small brown frog hanging out in the reeds of the marshy shoreline. The frog poked their head up for just a few seconds to observe the area past the shoreline before getting bored and heading back into the marsh. 

Other than the frog and the bird, there were a handful of squirrels running around, along with some songbirds singing and flying in the overstory. 

One more very noticeable quality of Gilbrook is the sounds from surrounding areas. Plenty of development encircling Gilbrook results in pretty intense noise pollution, which can be a distraction when trying to immerse yourself with the environment. However, when looking at Gilbrook from a purely visual standpoint, it’s a pretty area that serves as a nice buffer between the suburbs of Winooski. 

As one could expect, the mass shedding of leaves from branches was the most noticeable seasonal difference. Trees covered in green leaves have turned to barren trunks and branches, and their leaf litter covers most of the once-visible groundcover. Vibrant invasives appear more prominent than before due to the lack of greenery from other vegetation. The color of the water in the pond appeared more gray than blue and overall much less clear than when viewed during my last visit. This could have been because the first visit was a sunny day and the water was reflecting blue skies and the recent visit was more overcast and the water was reflecting gray clouds. However, this change in water coloration could also be due to pollution. Finally, there were practically no insects present, and the presence of other small mammals and birds was less noticeable than my first visit.

Zach Naley

Gilbrook Natural Area is a small reservation in Winooski, Vermont. This area is of interest to me because it’s a dense, woody area with a small pond in the middle of a very developed area. Small preserves at lower elevations usually receive intense pollution and environmental harm, but this reservation is near the highest point of Winsooski, so I’m curious about the health of this forest. A small pond in the preserve also could serve as habitat for a large amount of wildlife, and I’m curious if urbanization affects the amount of wildlife in this preserve.

To get to Gilbrook, head to the rotary in Winooski and take the exit onto E Allen Street. Turn onto Dion Street, then Lafountain Street, and finally Gilbrook road. This road leads to the entrance of the reservation, and the pond and forest can be seen immediately from the parking area. 

Around five feet offshore of the pond, the perimeter contains a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees. Immediately next to the pond there are marshy plants, and one spot on the northern side of the pond has an abundant concentration of reeds and tall marsh grass. The most common woody plants are sugar maples, red maples, white oak, and eastern white pine.