Zach Puritz: Red Rock Blog site A UVM blog

Today was Zach’s final time going to his phenology spot for this blog site. For this one he figured it would be good to look back on what it looked like at the start of the year to now when many things have changed. His first monument was the train tracks that run under a bridge before the park even starts. Every time he would walk over it he found himself intrigued by the changes of this bridge and how such a simple area can change over the course of many seasons. It also just looks very nice to him. He remembers his first time going to it in the fall looking at all the colored leaves that loom over it.

While he isn’t disappointed he didn’t see the colors the rest of the year, he is glad he got that opportunity in the first place. His next monument holds a similar feeling. At the beginning of the year it was cradled by the warm autumn glow from the hearty trees around it. Now at the end of the year it hasn’t changed much itself, but the environment that it’s housed in has.

However, no matter where it might be, this tree gives a sense of belonging to this place. It has grown through hundreds of years, sat in a barren grove, encompassed many lifetimes. I cannot comprehend how many people may have seen this tree in its lifetime. And while it might be on its last legs, it still holds the memories and the experience it has been through with it, in its bark and view.

After this he makes his way to his spot, trudging through the woods. He winds up getting there fairly quickly thanks to how many times he has taken this trek. He gets there and much to his delight, it is seemingly the same as it has always been. That is honestly what he likes the most about it. No matter if it was fall, winter or spring, it always seems the same. Feels like familiarity.

Fall Winter

Fall Spring

And while Zach has a personal connection to this place. And while he knows he is a small insignificant part of this spots history, and he is ok with that. Even a small part of history should be valued because it was valuable to someone. And this spot is valuable to so many birds and squirrels and ferns and Cedars and many more memories. So he does consider himself to be a part of the spot as another creature that found value in it, no matter how much time he has spent there. And he may come back and revisit this spot, he may not. But that doesn’t change what he’s gotten from this spot, and in that same way the spot is a part of him too.

This concludes Zach’s Phenology blog, Thank you for reading!

For this blog post Zach was tasked with talking about his experience in the iNaturalist Bioblitz event which tasks citizens to record observations in their greater area for the sake of citizen science. This is not his first time engaging in citizen science which he’s done for other NR classes. And while he doesn’t particularly find a personal interest in much of ecology, he does both understand its use and appreciate the fact others are engaged in it. That being said, he did participate in the Bioblitz event. He explored locations in Red Rocks Park and some small exploring in Centennial woods.

In these areas he trudged around in the woods and scanned whatever things he found interesting. He notably didn’t scan very many things, but he still did. Things such as Canada Mayflower, Dutchman’s Breeches and the Round Lobed Hepatica were finds he found interesting and unique.

At least the ones he was able to identify using iNaturalist’s partner app Seek. He found it somewhat frustrating that he couldn’t identify these things directly through the iNaturalist app, preferably he would have wanted that feature to be included or better included into the app. The app also was unable to find his location even when he allowed the app to track his location. This may have been a fault of his on device but it was still a nuisance to pick the location he was at over and over again. Some of the sepcies he weren’t able to successfully identify were also animals. For instance he found a very small and interesting spider he wasn’t reliably able to get a picture of that he thought would be interesting. However, because he wasn’t able to identify it, it wasn’t able to be added to the bioblitz.

Otherwise, Zach’s biggest issue is that he is not very interested in ecology. Considering other people and project’s identifications compared to his, he hasn’t contributed very much. He finds not much issue in this however, for he is content in not being the one who looks at plants all day. Don’t get him wrong, he understands why people are interested and do it all day, it’s just not his preference and he finds it tedious. He much more likes presenting these topics and the findings of others for those who can utilize it. That is his role as he sees it, still a hands on approach but in a different field, through application rather than discovery. Looking at ecology is still useful for him though, through this he can see how ecologists report and show their findings. So while this process may not be as important to him as it is to others, he still understands why it is being done and where it may come into his life again.

Zach has once again returned to Red Rocks park to explore the natural area which it presents. This time as spring approaches he looks for signs of birds chirping and bulbs beginning to bloom. Today he walked to Red Rocks from campus and it was quite the trek. It took around forty five minutes but he enjoyed finding his way to the park from his dorm. On his way he encountered the bridge which he crossed a long time before. Now in the dormant time between winter and spring this once vibrant valley serves as a notable landmark Zach enjoys along his walk to Red Rocks.

As he walks into the park he already feels the presence of spring upon him. The birds are by all means the most notable. With his birding app he was able to identify a fair amount of these, from the American crow to the red bellied wood pecker, he spied himself the black-capped chickadee and the herring gull.

While he walked to his spot he tried to find a further evidence of spring in the tree buds. These buds now after being dormant all winter would begin sprouting out and making new leaves. He found multiple along his trail, some up high and some down low. Though he is not good at identifying them he still enjoyed getting to look at another marvel of spring.

Once he made it to his spot he sat and listened to the ruslting of the trees and the chatter of the birds just to enjoy himself among the greens. His spot still not being much changed was a very nice spot to dwell and he may have even found more critters around, though he only was able to hear them skitter about. Eventually, he went over to the cliff and sat there awhile too, taking in the nice view.

Suddenly though, a large hawk swooped up the cliff and startled Zach. While he thankfully didn’t fall down the cliff, the hawk was quite a tremendous sight. He wishes he could have snagged a picture, but the moment happened so fast, and he was encapsulated by the hawk’s elegance. Truly to him this meant it was the start of spring.

Hello, this week is a bit different instead of going to his phonology site Zach was tasked with finding animal signs in the local Burlington area. But we know that Zach enjoys hid Red Rocks, so he still decided to go there. However this trip wasn’t that eventful. Because despite the fresh snow and wonderful weather Zach couldn’t enjoy himself very much from what he would later find to be the flu.

However that didn’t stop him from looking for some tracks! He looked for a while but it was hard to discern if some were tracks or others weren’t because there were many from people and pets. He didn’t stray too far from the path due to his disposition, but he still looked none the less.

Ultimately he found these:

Which he was fairly certain were squirrels when he saw them. Thats because they came from a tree close by and the galloping prints left in the snow. This left little doubt in his mind and he regretfully left as soon as possible. If he had more will or resolve he could have possible found where it had gone or even seen the little critter, but ultimately he wasn’t in the best condition.

On his way out he tried to document the tracks on the iNaturalist app, but he got frustrated and decided he would do it later, and later became today.

It is unfortunate to say that it was probably the least productive and enjoyable trip to Red Rocks park, not do to the park itself but just the conditions he was under at the time. But he is proud he was able to complete it in any regard, and put at least a squirrel on the map.

Welcome back! Zach is happy to have been able to return to Red Rock for more phenology posts. He was very curious to see what the landscape would look like after returning this January, particularly with snow on the ground. However, the few days before he went were not as snowy as he would have preferred, and he went when it was only a bit snowy. That doesn’t mean he didn’t enjoy the winter sights, he found it especially interesting to see the trees once painted with yellow maple leaves, now bare like bark towers.

As he traveled further up his path he began to notice that many of the locations stayed fairly consistent, if not covered in snow on occasions. He also found it quite fun to slide on the icy paths frozen over by the melted snow and colder nights.

The ice, he found, was by far the most interesting part of his experience. They made pillars off of small cliffs and dense waterfalls which even when in areas lacking the expected snow made this feel like a wintery whimsey.

All of these were points of interest, but none compared to his phenology spot. After multiple slippery falls and a few tempting cliffs (to look over, not to jump) he made it to his spot. And as he expected it wasn’t very different from when he left it. This was due to the amount of evergreen there was at his spot, from the mossy base to the cedar trees and the ferns surrounding it, he didn’t expect all that much ton have changed.

However, there was one aspect that was different, the berries which used to fill the cedar trees around the area were now littered across the ground. This was interesting for him to see and an unexpected change in an otherwise unchanged area of greenery.

Perhaps this was because they need to plant in the winter to sprout in the spring, or they get carried by birds migrating south to spread their influence. Either way Zach found this to be a very interesting visit to his spot. He didn’t experience too much else while there, just sat in his wet moss of a spot and experienced how wet everything was.

Overall he found this trip to be just as wonderful as it usually was, if not cold. But he had a great time and will be happy to return the next time he goes to red rock.

Today was the last day that Zach would go back to his phenology site this semester. Though it was far and it required effort he always found himself enjoying going. But even so he thinks in the future he will try to get himself to go for other reasons, just to see what it was like again. As for now though, he decided to look back and see how his site has changed over the weeks. I noticed immediately how different it was, the tall colorful maples he experienced on his first time through were now bare and woody. While possibly not as comforting as they were previously, they still provided a sheltering feeling that he couldn’t shake.

Though he was met with mainly sticks, he found many of the parts of the park with needles still on their branches. The conifers despite the empty foliage of their fellow trees still provided a over-story filled with greenery you may not expect to see every day.

This greenery followed him all the way to his spot, where he found another interesting aspect to his location, wind. The wind when it hits a cliff such as the one at red rock billows and shoots over the edge of the cliff at such an amplifying speed, though the other days he had gone were windy, they were not like this. He particularly took intrest in one tree which seemed to show the wind very well. While at the front of the tree all the needles were being blown and tossed around, closer to the back they were barely disturbed. The interesting patters of wind and how trees deal witgh that just goes to show how marvelous of life forms these things are.

This wind, however did not stop him from enjoying his spot. He looked around and found it interesting that not much had changed. The mossy ground, ferns and cedar trees all around his spot persevered through the cold, and the only evidence of decay he found were strewn about leaves and a few ferns plagued by some type of disease.

This perseverance he perceived made him realize how special his spot was, that it wasn’t just a cool place among the many in red rock. But it’s own little cliff side sitting spot, where even the plants there could enjoy it through thick and thin. He’s found himself enjoying the rather non-changing spot he discovered, it makes him see that even in the coldest harshest times, some things won’t change. Some things he can go back to and enjoy again. He enjoys the clumsily placed cedars trying to survive among the eroded cliff face. He enjoys the soft moss overtop the under-layer of hard rock with which he finds himself sitting on. He enjoys the view of the cliff that he can go to and see the lake in all of it’s glory. And he enjoys feeling like he can be there and not have to worry about all of the obligations back at school.

But those obligations come, and he must get back to them. This has been a wonderful assignment that I took advantage of too early on, I may have been late with some postings but I did really enjoy getting to make myself at home among the foliage of red rock. I will be going back to my spot, maybe not as frequently as I would like, but frequently enough. This has been Zach’s Red Rock blog post. Thank you.

While Zach was away for thanksgiving break he was tasked with finding a location to find in his home state of Virginia. Now while the capitol city of Virginia, Richmond, might seem like a place with little green in it there is a handful of locations with greenery in them. Such as Bryan park, a recreational park which has a few trails in and about the designated woods and happens to be a short walk from Zach’s house. So he choose to find a place in this spot. Now Bryan park isn’t very natural with most of it being recreational land, this means there are big open areas and signs of people’s interventions.

This doesn’t mean that the park is void of natural locations, just that Zach is unlikely to find locations void of people’s influence. But some of the influence of Bryan park is interesting. For starters back in the 1600s this location was prime spot for watermills due to its close proximity to a creek. That led to it being a frequented area for trade and making camps. It was used this way by union troops after the fire in Richmond. These old presences are still found in debre in the park.

Now as for Zach, he walked around for a while going on trails trying to find something that would work well enough when he spotted an interesting clearing surrounded by tall grass, and in the middle of this tall grass was a path. This intrigued him and he decided that no matter what he ended up finding he would talk about.

He walked down this path and came across a small campsite area with multiple fallen trees around it. He decided this would be his spot.

Though it wasn’t as purely natural as he had hoped, it was still interesting to say the least. The trees all having fallen into a big pile together and what seemed to be a new break told a story. Furthermore the location featured a small camp with a small rock bench and a fire-pit. It seemed like a nice spot and conveyed the history of the location in an interesting way. Ecology wise it wasn’t to uncommon to other places in Virginia, it contained some common ivy and honeysuckle.

Zach decided to leave a maple leaf he had actually taken from Vermont in this spot for his honorable harvest gift, then he forgot to take a picture. But if you were to go there today, he would ensure it’s probably there somewhere.

Zach has finally returned to his Phenology site after a brief absence and much has changed. The maple trees previously colorful with autumn leaves are now bare. The dense leafy forest now just a tangled web of branches and bristles. But even with this pre-winter display Zach still aimed to make it to his spot. And that’s exactly what he did, trudging through that mess of twigs to arrive at his secluded spot at the cliff.

Though Red Rock as a whole had changed, his spot had not as much. This is by far due to the generally coniferous makeup of his location. So he quickly was able to recognize his mossy clearing and enjoy what it had to offer. As he sat there he noticed many things, from the blue jays calling to the wind present coming over the cliff. He quite enjoyed his stay in one location and was able to pinpoint an outline of his location.

However, Zach does not just sit idly in one spot for very long. After 15 minutes he got up and got to work. He recalled something about a bird’s eye view and stayed true to that by climbing up a tree, so perhaps more of a squirrel eye view. He made sure to be cautious and careful while in the tree and not to hurt either himself or it. But once he made it up there he got a nice look down at his spot and a fairly nice view of the lake as well.

Afterwards he got down and looked at the species he previously looked at. He was now able to identify that the ferns which grew throughout his site were deer ferns, and saw that that the eastern red cedar now had flowering blue cedar seeds which were sprawled all on the cedar trees.

Eastern Red Cedar

Deer Fern

Yet to be discerned

Overall his trip back to his site was interesting, but not much different than before. Perhaps in the colder times to come they will change even more. But as for when he last life his site, it’s still just as gorgeous as his first time there.

Hello, and welcome to Zach’s Red Rock blog. Here he will talk about his experience over the coming months at his phenology spot in Red Rock Park.

Now you might ask, “Why did he pick Red Rock park?”. Well Zach first heard about Red Rock from his Trek group leader when asking about cool locations around Burlington. He heard of the tall cliffs, the nice lake overlooks and the significant rocks that were in the area and he was intrigued. Furthermore as an avid rock climber he was interested in its topology and geology. So he decided to choose it as his Phenology site.

The trip to get there was long. He took a total of 2 busses and walked for 40 minutes just to get there. While most the trip to Red Rock Park was mainly urban South Burlington other portions were very beautiful fall settings which were pleasant to walk through. It goes to show that even before getting to your location you will have an experience.

Once he got to Red Rock he had to find a location, and while many were appealing he wanted something a bit more off the beaten path.

So that’s exactly what he did, he went and ran through the woods of red rock until he came to a beautiful ledge overlooking the water. It was a wonderful spot, but fairly lacking in foliage, he had to find something a bit more alive.

And all he had to do was turn around and right behind him was a gorgeous little moss field outcropping on a small little stage. Not only was this perfect for his grass allergy but it was also a very calming location with no one around. There were many interesting patches of greens to explore and different species around.

Eastern Red Cedar

Yet to be discerned

Yet to be discerned

All of these combined made for a magnificent Phenology spot and a very nice place to return to over these next few months. Zach is very excited to return and see what changes may have arisen.