In addition to being the Toolik Field Station Naturalist, Seth Beaudreault has arguably the best dance moves at Toolik, and a collection of funk on his iPod that would make James Brown proud! I had a chance to go out in the field with Seth last week to do some plant phenology. Seth described phenology as "keeping track of what stages plants are at over the course of the season to compare it to other years' data."

    Seth has a keen eye for picking up on what is happening around Toolik. He pauses as we cross the bridge to look for fish. He points out vole activity along the way, and comments on the ways that the ground squirrels have been using the new boardwalks to their advantage. We arrive at the phenology plot after a few more minutes of following the boardwalk into the tundra. Seth uses a rope to lower a platform onto supports so that he can get a closer view of the plants without trampling them.

    Plot Platform
    Seth Beaaudreault lowering a platform over a plant phenology plot.

    Seth observes 15 plots in the moist acidic tundra, and 15 other plots in the dry heath twice per week. Today we were walking to an area just above the spider plots in the moist acidic tundra. He records detailed observations on 15 species of interest. 12 of those species are found in the moist acidic tundra. Each study plot is 1 meter square. Seth sits above the plot and stares down at a group of plants to look for any changes from the last time he was here.

    Seth Phenology
    Seth Beaaudreault studies the ground for signs of change.

    Seth records the date when the plots are snow free. He notes the dates of the following observations for all 15 species of plants: first leaf, first flower bud, flower opens, first petal falls off, last petal falls off, seed dispersal, and first color change. He gently flicks the Labrador tea flowers to check for the ejection of petals. He points out the immature blueberries and comments that it will take a few more weeks for them to ripen. Seth records only one new observation on his data sheet before moving on to the second plot.

    The second plot is less than 100 yards across the hill, but even within that short of a distance the cotton grass was noticeably taller. You can notice quite a bit of difference among the plots. Seth points out the recently opened cranberry flowers. One new flower stands out when we arrive at plot three. Alpine Bistort is flowering in this plot. The grass-like leaves at the base of the plant are visible in other plots, but this is the only plot where Bistort is flowering.

    Alpine Bistort
    Alpine Bistort (Polygonum viviparum) in bloom.

    We climb about 200 yards up the hill to a plot where the snow melted later. The cotton grass flowers didn't develop as well here as they did in other plots. Labrador tea was losing petals in all plots except for the last one where the snow was last to leave.

    Labrador Tea
    Labrador tea (Ledum decumbens ssp. Palustre)

    Seth also makes observations of mammals and has plans to start a vole survey to determine the population density at Toolik. He notes the arrival and departure dates for each species of bird, and performs bird counts to estimate the density of various bird populations. Most of this data can be accessed online at the Environmental Data Center's site, but my favorite way of getting an overview of the wildlife at Toolik is by reading Seth's Naturalist Journal.

    Seth stops to point out a Redpoll nest in a willow on our way back in to camp. This brown finch is easy to identify by its bright red cap. We were able to catch a glimpse of the mother bird sitting in her nest. You can check out Seth's Polar People Video in my June 30 journal.

    Birds Nest?
    Can you see the bird's nest?

    Redpoll Nest
    Redpoll (Carduelis flammea) sitting in her nest.

    Author
    Date
    Location
    Toolik Field Station, North Slope, Alaska
    Weather Summary
    Cloudy
    Temperature
    55
    Wind Speed
    6

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