Hurricane Irene - Record Flooding in Vermont

Hurricane Irene was downgraded to a Tropical Storm before it arrived in Vermont.  However, the downgrade did not prevent the storm from walloping some areas with more rain in one day than for the months of July and August combined.  The mountainous topography funneled 4-9" of precipitation directly down-slope and into small communities that couldn't have been ready for what was coming, no matter the amount of preparation.  In Vermont, four deaths are being blamed on the storm and the cost of rebuilding is estimated to be in excess of $100 million.

The Brewster River @ Edwards Rd (mid-storm), Jeffersonville, VT

In general, Southern Vermont was hit hardest.  In Northern Vermont, Waterbury experienced a flash flood on Monday morning following the storm.  I am currently employed by the State of Vermont in the Water Quality Division.  All offices were closed on Monday due to flooding.  I figured I'd head in on Tuesday to see the damage.  I was blown away by what I saw.

A state vehicle with grass on the antenna was moved 3' by the Winooski River.

Eighteen-wheeler tipped by the Winooski River.

The LaRosa Environmental Laboratory was inundated with 4' of water, just enough to cover the tops of our desks and destroy computers, microscopes and countless pages of important paper documents.

One important document Irene left behind.

The back entrance to the lab, note the high water mark on the wall by the loading dock.

Headed into the lab; lots of muck everywhere.

Water came into the building at approximately 6am.  It had receded by 7:30am.

Most (not all) of the microscopes had been above the water level.

The benches where Aaron and I do much of our work.  Everything has been coated with a fine layer of sediment.

The water moved desks, tipped refrigerators, soaked computers and created a disaster area.

There's my desk.

Once we had some time to assess the damage and document the losses; it was time for clean-up to begin.

Fortunately, some of our gear is designed for use in water, this makes cleaning it a bit easier.

Hard not to be covered in the mud that is everywhere.

The Winooski River at Salmon Hole from the bridge in Winooski on Monday.

Photograph from same location one day later.

The outpouring of support has been tremendous.  Ben & Jerry's dished out free ice cream,  Green Mountain Club workers assisted residents of Waterbury, and Green Mountain Coffee provided free coffees to keep people motivated.  Vermont will rebuild as a community and put this devastating flood in the past.

How you can help:

*Vermont Flooding 2011 on Facebook.

*VT Flood Relief Fund

*Preservation Trust of Vermont

*The Red Cross

Animals of Acadia

 When Jim first shot this photo on his way to camp, he thought he was looking into the eyes of a grey fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus).

 He watched as the small animal chewed on the grass and went about its business.

 After doing a bit of research I found out for sure that it was a red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Although the two animals are similar, the gray fox has a black stripe along the tail that ends with a black tip, while the red fox has a white-tipped tail. The gray fox also lacks the black booties seen on this red fox.

 This handsome warm-blooded mammal is a harbor seal (Phoca vitulina). A group was feeding during high tide when this photo was taken. While at Sand Beach, Jim and I talked with a park ranger who told us they get at least one report a week by park tourists of an injured seal. Sure enough when he arrives at the scene, he sees a passed out seal sunning itself luxuriously on a rock during low tide. No injury, just nap time. 

This thrush eludes me, if only I had been there to hear its song.

Pictured here is a Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) who spends its winter months in the balmy Gulf Coast. This little bird creeps up and down tree limbs searching for insects under the bark of trees.

 In the shadows of a striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) sits a tiny female Black-throated Green Warbler, a common bird of softwood forests.

One of the last animals I think I'd see at the beach is a porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum). It came wobbling up from the sandy beach shore and slowly climbed up this balsam fir. The porcupine is one of the most docile creatures I know.  

Female Common Eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) are diving ducks that feed primarily on mollusks. During breeding season the males are hard to miss with their bright black and white display.

River otters (Lutra canadensis) in the ocean? Apparently so. They can swim miles out into the ocean to fish, but head back to the main land freshwater to rinse off and have a family. What are they looking at anyway?

 I don't think the otters have much to worry about, the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) usually feeds on carrion, crippled waterfowl, and primarily fish. Although they will drown the occasional duck for dinner.

Visions of Acadia

Acadia National Park makes photography easy, everywhere you look there is an opportunity to capture something different. The coastal culture plays a part in the beauty of the landscape filled with fishing ports, lighthouses, and lobster boats. Take the time to relax and view these photos, breathe deep, visualize the ocean waves being pulled by the tides, smell the salt on the air, and hear the shore birds sharp calls.

Coming up.......Animals of Acadia.

Vermont Life Magazine

Deshler Photography was published in the summer issue of Vermont Life.  They printed the picture below, taken in Jeffersonville, of a Black-eyed Susan and the surrounding grasses.

For this image I wanted to show the fields and flowers of summer from an unusual angle.  To capture this photo I had to lay on the ground and shoot upwards toward the sky.  A  photo of a flower can become quite unique when taken from a bugs perspective.

 

Vermont Peanut Butter Company

I was asked by some friends at Simple Nation, a web design company, to shoot product images for a new site they were creating.  I didn't have much experience in this field, but knew it would be a great learning opportunity.  After experimenting with indoor and outdoor lighting, perfecting focus and depth of field, and over consumption of tasty peanut butter, I sent off the photos for use on the new website.  The site went live recently and looks great.  Check out my photos, Simple Nations' beautiful web work, and great VT Peanut Butter at:
 

Vermont Peanut Butter Company  

Finding Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

We found this yawning garter snake staring at a second snake leaning against a log at Niquette Bay State Park.

Yesterday I spent most of the day driving south on Route 7 to Massachusetts. The rain didn't let up during the four hours I was on the road and continued on into the night. On days like these I make sure to find my way outside to explore. I pull on my rain pants and rain jacket, aim my feet at my bog boots and top it off with my baseball hat. Whether rain or shine the natural world is full of activity, especially in early spring. We'd like to share our discoveries with you. Enjoy the photographs below and be sure to get out and appreciate your area's own natural treasures.

Photo Locations: Niquette Bay State Park, Colchester, VT and Raven Ridge Natural Area, North Ferrisburgh, VT (the ridge is off limits and signed in the early spring for nesting ravens and bobcats, but the rest of the area is open to curious explorers).

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) possesses a root that exudes bright red sap resembling blood. Please don't pick. These spring ephemerals (short lived plants) inhabit mesic woodlands with rich soils. Native Americans called it "Puccoon" and used is as red dye.

Sharp-lobed hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba) is tolerant of poor (acidic) and rich (alkaline) soils. According to the "Doctrine of Signatures" it was used for liver ailments and over 400,000 pounds of the herb was used in 1883. The Doctrine of Signatures held that plants resembling body parts could cure ailments associated with those organs.

Trout lily (Erythronium americanum) has green mottled leaves that are one of the first to pop up from underneath the duff layer in the early spring. This red and black beetle may be a pollinator for the plant (we are working on the beetle ID) that produces its nectar at the base of its yellow tepals.

We came upon these two wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) mating uphill from a large linear vernal pool blending in well with the organic matter bordering the walking path. Jim marked them with a few sticks to keep them safe from unsuspecting hikers.

This is the early first stage of the cedar-apple rust fungus. The fungus is found on eastern red cedar trees and during early spring after a rain, gelatinous fingers sprout out from the holes like tentacles. They release spores which can travel up to six miles and land on shrubs or trees in the Rosaceae family such as apples, hawthorne, and serviceberry (see photo below). The fungus then starts the second half of its life cycle which appears as colorful dots on the leaves of the host.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), or shadbush is one of the first flowering native shrubs of the spring season. You'll notice them flowering on the wooded borders of the highway if they haven't been out-competed by honeysuckles. Their dark blue berries are edible.

My favorite part about rainy days is the increased chance of seeing traveling amphibians. This tiny red eft is traveling through the moist woodland probably to find food and a new water source.

Here are the unfurling fronds of the evergreen Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides). They are found in moist woodland habitats in the eastern United States.

Thanks for following us on our adventure!