Shelburne Pond

Shelburne Pond

Our trip to Shelburne Pond took place in the first week of February on a sunny yet cold and windy day.  The large pond was frozen solid in most places although a recent bout of warm weather has left some ice thin. One of the first things encountered was a white pine that was ripped from its roots on the shore of the pond. It had taken another tree with it and had a few trees around it that had fallen in the same manner. The reasoning for the trees to have fallen like that was linked to super storm Sandy which brought high winds to the area in the fall of 2012. 

Following the discovery of the tree, we examined the ice which had shifted due to the winds and fluctuations in temperature. The ice had separated and come back together with such force that it replicated the formation of mountains due to tectonic plates. As we moved north along the western side of the lake we encountered a hemlock grove that dominated the area and was found to be a great habitat for porcupines.

Beyond the hemlock grove was the marsh area of the pond which was quite a large area of the western portion of the pond. Although the marsh was frozen there were many cattails and grasses in the area. There were tufts of grass and shrubbery that poked up from the ice along with many dead trees. The area was a perfect habitat for water fowl as well as frogs, peepers and turtles when the spring arrived. While the ice still covered the pond many smaller animals could scurry across it and use the tall grass as cover from predators.