Species of Interest

During our time at Leddy Park, we observed many species of interest around the proximity of the park. Species of interest include both native and invasive species of the park. The following is a list of species we found and identified during our time at Leddy Park. While this list is an accurate representation of what can be found in at Leddy, it is by no means complete. The actual number of species that inhabit these natural areas ranges somewhere in the thousands and it would be near impossible for any one person to identify them all. If you happen to identify a species that is not found on this list during your visit at Leddy Park, please feel free to email Dan Cahill (dcahill@ci.burlington.vt.us) so that this list can be updated. Additional information about the species found will provide the community with a more accurate representation of the species of interest of Leddy Park.

Species that can be found in Leddy Park consists of:

• Red maple (Acer rubrum)
• Sugar maple (Acer saccharum)
• Striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum)
• Eastern White pine (Pinus strobus)
• Red pine (Pinus resinosa)
• Black oak (Quercus palustris)
• Nothern Red oak (Quercus rubra)
• Barberry (Berberis sp.)
• Rasberry (Rubus sp.)
• Blackberry (Rubus sp.)
• Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)
• Glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula)
• Witch-hazel (Hammelis virginiana)
• Bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis)
• Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
• Barred Owl (Strix varia)
• Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)
• Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans)
• Paper birch (Betula papyrifera)
• Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
• Sweet birch (Betula lenta)
• American beech (Fagus grandifolia)
• Grape (Vitus sp.)
• Bigtooth aspen (Populus tremuloides)
• Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)
• Loons (Gavia immer)
• Downy Woodpeckers (Picoides pubescens)

These are descriptions of the species we have identified:

Red maple

Red maples are a tree that live for about 150 years that is widespread and abundant in eastern North America. They are usually located in dry climates and do moderately well in dry soils, but do best in moderately well-drained, moist sites. Red maple can be found in dry ridges, southwest slopes, bogs, and swamps. This species is one of the first trees to flower during the spring, and start flowering and producing seeds at the age of 4. Flowering occurs in all the branches of the tree. These flowers are small with slender stalks that are mainly red, but can also be yellow. These flowers are present from March to May, but varies depending on elevation. Seeds germinate in early summer with the conditions of poor light, and little moisture.  This species is shade tolerant and grows relatively fast, but can be easily replaced by other species. Its average height is 60 to 90 feet and a diameter of 18 to 30 inches.
Source: USDA Forest Service  Photograph: http://porkyfarm.com/images/red%20maple.jpg

Sugar maple

Sugar maples are known for producing maple syrup. They are mainly found within the United States, but can also be found in parts of southern Canada. Sugar maples live in cool and moist climates and do best in well-drained loam soil, which is mainly acidic with a small amount of alkaline.The average sugar maple tree is about 50 years old and can live up for up to 200 years and stand about 55 to 65 feet tall. Sugar maples can be located at elevations of 1,600 to 2,500 feet. Sugar maples tend to start flowering at 22 years old and it is rare they begin any earlier in their life (older sugar maples flower more). The flowers appear from late March to mid May, depending on location. The flowers are one-sex, yellow, long-pedicelled, apetalous and, and are pollinated by bees. The seeds are located in the papery wings called samaras and are carried by the wind for more seed production. The average diameter at breast height for sugar maples is about 10 to 14 inches.
Source: USDA Forest Service 

Striped maple

Striped maple can be identified by their vertical white stripes on a greenish-brown bark.  This species is shade tolerant and lives in cool northern slopes with well drained sandy loam soil that is mildly acidic. It grows slow and can live to be 100 years old. It is widely distributed over the US and Canada. Striped maple can be found at similar elevations of sugar maples (1600-2500 feet). The flowers of striped maple trees can change sexes fairly easy, which is unlike most other maple species, and bloom from May to June. The seeds ripen in September and October and drop between October and November. They have samaras that hold the seed, just like every other maple.
Source: USDA Forest Service  

Eastern white pine

Eastern white pine is located within Southern Canada and Northeastern America. They live in a cool and humid climate with well drained sandy soils that are of lower quality. Within these soils are things such as sandstones, limestone, and slates. Eastern white pines are monoecious, meaning that they have one type of sex on the tree. Male components of the tree are present on the lower part while female components are on the upper part of the tree. These trees tend to bear flowers when they are 5 to 10 years old and once they grow to be 20 feet tall, they reach 200 to 300 flowers. The seeds are within the cones and only produce seed year every 3 to 5 years. The cones are green when immature and become a light brown when ripen. They live to be about 200 years old and grow to be 150 feet tall, with a diameter at breast height of about 20ft. Source: USDA Forest Service
Photograph: http://www.oplin.org/tree/fact%20pages/pine_white/pine_white.html

Red pine

Red pine is the most planted natural growing pines within the United States and Canada. The diameter at breast height of red pines is about 38 inches and they can grow to be about 140 feet tall. Red pines are confined in Northern Forests and southern fringe of Boreal Forests. This species is mainly found in areas with cool to warm summers, cold winters, and not much precipitation. They are located in areas with sandy dry soils and organic debris. Like other pines, red pine are monoecious and tend to have different growth rates. Seed fall begins when the cones ripen at the age of 12 and release more during cool or wet weather. When the cones are ripened, they have purple scales with reddish brown tips. The cones can last in a tree for 2 to 3 years on average. Source: USDA Forest Service 

Black oak

Black oak is located within the eastern and midwestern United States. It grows best in moist, rich, well drained soils, but can be found in poor dry sandy soils due to competition. It can live longer than 200 years, live best in temperate climates, and is commonly used for furniture. Black oak is monecious (only have one sex on a tree) and depend on wind and animals to pollinate other trees. The flowers emerge at the same time every year, normally in April or May. Black oak acorns can be found in a cluster of 2 to 5 and tend to mature in 2 years. The seed germinate once they hit the ground. Source: USDA Forest Service

Northern red oak

Northern red oak is a species found throughout the United States and Canada. They are fast growing trees that are good for lumber,  have dense foliage, and are found in cool moist soils. The soils contain glacial material, sandstones, and limestone.Red oak originated in Nova Scotia, but it has made its way around North America.Northern red oak is monoecious and has catkins upon the twigs. They flower in April or May and have a cluster of acorns from 2 to 5, that mature in 2 years time and ripen from August to late October. The average diameter at breast height is about 38 inches and red oak grow to be about 158 feet tall. Source: USDA Forest Service  Photo credit: http://www.borealforest.org/world/trees/northern_red_oak.htm

Barberry

The barberry bush (Berberis species) is not commonly liked due to the barbs that cover the entire bush. The mast is often a colorful, winter-persistent berry. Most barberry species are Asian in origin. The common barberry is naturalized in the United States and is often cultivated for hedges.

Source: Encyclopedia: Columbia University Press

Raspberry

American red raspberry is a native shrub that grows up to 1.5 meters high. The leaves are pinnately compound, with three to five leaflets. The flowers are white to greenish white, drooping, single or in small grapelike clusters. The fruit is a red raspberry, rounded, two centimeters long and broad, maturing between July through September. American red raspberry is a native North American species that grows across northern Europe to northwestern Asia. Can be easily mistaken for blackberry; 2 ways too distinguish between the two species is by the coloration of the stems and the size of the thorns. Usually raspberry has a purplish shade along the stem and smaller thorns when compared to blackberry. Source: Fun Plant Facts

Blackberry

The common blackberry, Rubus fruticosus, grows on upright canes that are covered with thorny stickers and is a part of the rose family (Roseaceae). It has a small leaf, approximately 1 inch in length, which is spear-shaped. On the underside of the leaf are small, hooked barbs. Blackberries bloom in late spring or early summer. They have a white blossom with a yellow center, not unlike that of a wild rose or a multiflora rose. Source: ehow.com: Wild Blackberry Identification

Common Buckthorn
Common buckthorn is native to Eurasia and was introduced to North America in the 1880s as an ornamental plant. Birds disperse its abundant fruit, which spreads rapidly, replacing native vegetation and lowering species diversity. Common buckthorn is a deciduous woody shrub or small tree that ranges from 3 to 7.5 m (10-25 ft) in height. It has simple, dark green leaves, with toothed margins and 3 to 5 pairs of prominent leaf veins, which curve as they approach the leaf tip. Common buckthorn has abundant small, round fruits that ripen from green to purplish black. Source: Michigan Department of natural Resources Photo: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Invasives/fact/CommonBuckthorn.html

Glossy Buckthorn

Glossy buckthorn occurs from Nova Scotia to Manitoba, south to Minnesota, Illinois, New Jersey and Tennessee.  It was probably introduced to North America before 1800, but did not become widespread and naturalized until the early 1900’s. Glossy buckthorn is a shrub or small tree growing to seven meters. The leaves are 1-3 inches long, shiny on the upper surface, oval in shape and slightly wavy.  Flowers are greenish-white and have 5 petals.  Fruits undergo a color transition from green to red to black in later summer, maturing in September. Source: Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Witch Hazel

The witch hazel tree is any of numerous small trees or shrubs of the genus hamamelis. They grow naturally in the eastern United States and Canada, and can be added to yards and gardens as ornamentals. Witch hazel trees have bright green leaves that turn yellow and yellow-orange in fall. The flowers have four yellow ribbon-like petals. They have a unique flowering pattern that produces a bloom in late fall and continues to bloom into winter, unlike other flowering plants. Source: livestrong.com

Bitternut Hickory

Bitternut hickory is most commonly found from southern New England west to Iowa and from southern Michigan south to Kentucky. It’s leaflets are lance shaped, its mast has four-winged husks and are thin-shelled, its bark is sinewy when young and matures to have criss-crossing ridges, its small winter buds are yellow and pubescent, and its twigs are slender and rapidly growing. Bitternut Hickory grows to 60 feet tall by 25 feet wide when found in the open, with a crown of ascending branches and a lower canopy of pendulous branches. Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Pileated Woodpecker

The pileated woodpecker is a species native to North America found in portions of states on the east coast from Maine to Florida, the west part of Texas, and, as well as several states on the west coast. It can be spotted by its solid black back and red crest that extends from its forehead to its nape. Males are larger than females and have a red forehead, red crest, and scarlet mustache. Females have the red crest but a black forehead and black mustache. The woodpecker makes an oblong-shaped hole for feeding and a round hole for nesting.

This bird is known to be a loud and vocal species. The pileated woodpecker has a strong relationship with mixed conifer forest communities and likes live trees with large diameters and standing dead and down logs in multi-storied stands. These birds can be commonly found in ponderosa pine and Douglas fir and mixed pine and fir stands. The eat carpenter ants, beetles and other insects, acorns, beechnuts, nuts, and fruits. On the right is an original photo of a pileated woodpecker that was taken at Leddy Park on our first visit.

Source: State of Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (Photograph by Ryan Cross)

Barred Owl

The barred owl is the most common owl found in Vermont, but can only be found by those who seek it out. It prefers mature deciduous forests, such as river bottomlands, northern hardwoods, oak-hickory forests, mixed conifer deciduous forests, and occasionally in some spruce-fir forests of Vermont. It is a monogamous bird that uses the same nesting site year after year- usually in the hollow of an old tree. The owl is nocturnal but will feed during the day if necessary and hunts for prey while sitting on a perch. Its diet can vary but mostly includes small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates; the barred owl is an opportunistic feeder, eating whatever it can find. 

This owl is a large bird (20 inches from beak to tail) and is gray-brown with black and white lateral stripes on its neck, wings and back, and brown and white vertical streaks on its stomach. The barred owl can be spotted from its hooked beak and strong feet with sharp claws used to catch and kill prey. It is the only dark-eyed owl that can be found in Vermont. This owl species is extremely loud and is known to call during the day. Its call is very distinctive, and sounds very much like “who cooks for you”, in addition to squeaks and grunts.
Source: Vermont Fish and Wildlife
Photograph:http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/id

Red Squirrel

The red squirrel can be found throughout the northern United States and parts of Canada, south into the Appalachian Mountains and in some parts of the Rocky Mountains. They prefer a mixed hardwood-conifer forest type. Evergreen trees such as spruce, hemlock, pine, or fir are always present within their home range. They eat a variety of nuts, fruits, and seeds but strongly prefer the green seeds of cone-bearing trees. They are also known to tap sugar maple trees to harvest the sugar in the sap in the trunk and branches of the tree.

Typically, red squirrels weight about 7 ounces and are 11-14 inches long. They are a rather small size for a tree squirrel and are extremely noisy (their nickname is “chatter box”). They have a slender, bushy tail that is almost as long as the length of its head and body combined. They have a rusty reddish-brown coat with a black stripe on its side in the summer and a grayish-white coat in the winter. Red squirrels nest in ground burrows, tree cavities, and leaf nests during the late winter and spring. They are agile climbers and jumpers with a keen sense of sight, smell, and hearing. They are active year-round but take shelter during the winter months. In the fall, the squirrels store their food in underground caches.

Source: State of Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Poison Ivy

Eastern poison ivy is a perennial shrub that can be found throughout the eastern and central parts of United States and Canada. Eastern poison ivy can grow as a self-supporting woody shrub, as a thin vine along the ground, or as a vine that grows on shrubs, trees, power poles, and fences. It is commonly found growing along roadside thickets, stone walls, fences, railroads, clear-cuts, and orchards, and thrives in both rural and urban areas throughout the Eastern United States. It is poisonous at all times of the year and during all stages of growth. All parts of the plant, except the pollen, contain urushiol, a toxin that causes irritation and blistering of the skin. It often grows on a vine and the leaves are arranged in groups of three leaflets and arranged alternately on the stem that are lobed, smooth, or toothed, with an smooth upper side that is either dull or glossy green in color. The lower surface is light green and slightly hairy. In the spring poison ivy leaflets are shiny and reddish-green in color and turn various shades of red, orange, yellow and brown during the fall. Its flowers are small and yellowish and the small, round fruit ranges form yellowish-green to whiteish-gray in color.

Source: US Army Public Health Command
Photograph: www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/toxra.htm

Paper birch

Paper birch is native to North American and can be found throughout the northern continental United States and the entire country of Canada. It is part of the birch family and is a deciduous tree that is small to medium-sized. It is used in forested riparian buffers to help reduce stream bank erosion, protect aquatic environments, enhance wildlife, and increase biodiversity. The leaves are alternate, ovate or triangular, five to ten centimeters long. Paper birch bark is thin, smooth, dark red to almost black on young stems, and matures to a reddish-brown and finally a bright creamy white.

This species of birch is a perennial tree that is actively grown during the spring and summer months, and blooms during mid-spring. White birch is adapted to a variety of soils but grows best in well-drained acid, sandy or silty loam, in cold soil temperatures with good moisture.  It is not tolerant of drought, harsh conditions, compacted soils, or areas with high air temperatures.  This species grows best in full sunlight and is not tolerant of shade or pollution. Birch wood from paper birch trees is used commercially for pulpwood, plywood, veneer, and turnery. Moose, snowshoe hare, and white-tailed deer browse paper birch and many birds and small mammals eat the buds, catkins, and seeds.

Source: United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service

Yellow birch

Yellow birch is found in the northeastern United States and Canada. The birch in more southern areas grows at higher elevations and appears more sporadically than the yellow birch that is found in northern parts of North America. It grows mainly in cool areas with lots of precipitation and has an average growing season of 120 days. In the Green Mountains of Vermont, yellow birch grows on unstratified glacial till up to 2,600 ft. Yellow birch is a major component of three forest cover types: Hemlock-Yellow Birch, Sugar Maple-Beech-Yellow Birch, and Red Spruce-Yellow Birch.

Yellow birch can be easily recognized by its yellowish-bronze bark for which it is named after and the inner barks smells of wintergreen. It is a slow-growing long-lived tree that can be found with other hardwoods and conifers on moist well-drained soils of the uplands and mountain ravines. It is an important source of hardwood lumber and a good browse plant for deer and moose, while other wildlife feed on the buds and seeds. Yellow birch lumber and veneer are used in making furniture, paneling, plywood, cabinets, boxes, woodenware, handles, and interior doors. It is one of the principal hardwoods used in the distillation of wood alcohol, acetate of lime, charcoal, tar, and oils.

Source: United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service

Sweet Birch

Sweet birch is found in the northeastern US and Canada.  It prefers moderate precipitation (45 in/year) and temperatures that average 7 degrees Celsius.  Sweet Birch does best on moist, well drained soils and has been known to colonize rocky soils where they may help to protect against soil erosion.  It is often found in Gray Birch-Red Maple and Black Cherry-Maple forest cover types. Very small seeds fall in mid-September to December and do not germinate until the spring. As an early successional tree, birches grow very rapidly and are shade intolerant. Sweet birch wood is similar to yellow birch and is often used for furniture and interior finish work. When alive ,crushed  sweet birch  buds and twigs smell like wintergreen.Source: United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service

Photo: http://siera104.com/images/planttax/ID/group2/sweetbirch.jpg

American Beech

American Beech is found across the US and Canada east of the Mississippi river and north of Florida. As a mesophytic tree, it prefers moderate precipitation and temperatures that average 4 to 21 degrees Celsius. Beech are most often found in Red Spruce-Sugar Maple-Beech and Beech-Sugar Maple forest cover types. Beech are very tolerant of shade and will often dominate the understory where many other species cannot. Large beech nuts are very popular with bears, squirrels and deer that devour them during September and November.  Beech wood is often used for flooring and making charcoal. Source: United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service  Photo: http://greatermichigantimbermanagement.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/beechnutFagusgrand1907.9583218_large.jpg

Wild Grape

Wild grape is a vine that grows across the country in moist areas with little shade. It can be often found on the edges of fields near a water source and climbs trees and fences for structure. The berries appear in September-October are consumed by hundreds of species of birds, and mammals including squirrels, deer, bear, and crows. Vines have shreddy bark near its base and warty tendrils. 

Source: United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service
Photo: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/images/photos/weeds/medium/wildgrape-300.jpg

Bigtooth Aspen

Bigtooth aspen are found in northeast US and Canada north of Virginia and east of North Dakota. They are easily identified by their leaves which have very large, rounded serrations.  Aspen thrive with moderate precipitation and can tolerate a very wide range of temperatures. Soil conditions that allow aspen growth are most often characterized by sandy loam with significant aeration.  Bigtooth Aspen are most often found in Eastern White Pine and Gray Birch-Red Maple forest cover types. Seeds are dispersed in the late fall-winter and germinate in the spring.  Saplings are fast growing as an early successional tree. Aspen buds and flowers are favored by wildlife such as deer and ruffed grouse while its bark is often made into pellets and sold as fuel.

Source: United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service

Photo: http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/Plants/Bigtooth%20Aspen/0008293.jpg

 Mallard Ducks

Mallard ducks are one of the most common ducks in Vermont as well as across the country. They are puddle ducks, meaning that they do not dive into the water to get their food, but rather stay afloat. Their range covers the entire United States and concentrate near specific flyways across the country. Mallards prefer open areas with plenty of vegetation and water. In the Midwest, they are often found in flooded grain fields, however typical mallard habitat is a wetland. As an omnivore, it will consume vegetation as well as invertebrates and worms.  Mallards breed in pairs from October to November during which the males are seen with green head plumage while the females look the same. Hunting for mallard ducks is very popular in Vermont and revenue produced by ducks stamps purchased by hunters go towards enhancing their habitat. Source: State of Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

 Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Department 

Great Northern Loon

Great Northern Loons are diving ducks that are common to northern US and Canada in addition to Greenland and Iceland. Habitat mostly includes large water bodies including the Atlantic coast and large lakes. Breeding grounds characterized by hollowed out vegetation and dirt are necessary for loons to lay their 1-3 eggs. Loons consume entirely a fish diet such as herring, alewives, perch, and trout which requires them to dive as deep as 200 feet. Loons are common to Lake Champlain  and are one of the main reasons why the VT Fish and Game Department banned the use of all small lead sinkers. Source: US Fish and Wildlife Department

Photo:  US Fish and Wildlife Department

Downey Woodpecker

The Downey Woodpecker is found across the US and Canada from coast to coast and from Florida to southern Alaska. The spring and summer they occupy the northern half of North America and proceed to migrate to the southern half of the US from mid-fall to winter. A Downey woodpecker is a very small bird (5.5-7.1 inches in length) and has very similar coloration to other woodpeckers such as white speckled black back, white breast, and red plumage on the head. Woodpeckers nest in tree cavities and require forest cover types that support a moderate density of snags.  Forage includes insects, seeds and berries while often seeking out suet birdfeeders. Source: State of Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection 

Photo: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQwdfDi19piJiNiX3fBOVXmov9m-x3oMX3Y5mrYDt9Zsad08eX7HgXJZvOotw