Because so much insulating snow came down early in November and piled up repeatedly throughout winter . . . soil frost depth is minimal at this time. With all the moisture in the ground, it should be a good year for wildflowers!
4/02/2023
blizzard and frost depth
2/09/2023
tracks surrounding
Last winter, the critters chewed on the tree bark. A little wire fence protected the Tamarack tree this season.
I see proof of success by the tracks surrounding the fence!
Sorry for so many photos of WHITE . . . we have gotten a lot of snow!
2/02/2023
log in deep snow
The pond is covered by more snow than we have seen at one time in the last decade. This area has an average of about 50 inches of snow each winter season. By the end of January, we had more than that. The log and the big rock are barely visible, but we can see many tracks of the critters who walk about.
1/30/2023
tree sparrow
American Tree Sparrows come to the feeders often in winter. Spizelloides arborea Tree Sparrows often fluff out their feathers. A rusty cap makes them look like chipping sparrows, who migrate south of Minnesota for winter. These little birds come 'south' to the northern US for winter. In spring, they breed in the far north tundra in Canada (near the tree line) building nests on the ground, often in a tussock of grass. They sport a rusty eyeline, a brown back, and dark smudge in the center of the smooth breast.
1/16/2023
heavy snow
We use a metal toy 'slinky' to keep squirrels away from the bird feeders. The feeder was blown off the metal pole that held it. But the slinky held on and gathered a coating of the wet heavy snow.
Slinkys have been discouraging squirrels for many years in my experience as a bird watcher. They try to get to the feeders again and again. But they are startled by the movement under their claws, or their feet get tangled up in the flat wire coil.
12/30/2022
12/23/2022
sparrow
12/20/2022
logs in snow
11/25/2022
11/14/2022
ice stars
'Ice stars' or 'Lake stars' develop under very specific early winter conditions.
First, a cold snap that freezes the pond ice an inch or two thick, followed by warmer days that bump the ice temperature above 32F. Pores form in the ice sheet where there are any imperfections in the water surface (plant matter, logs). Then, some snow falls with a cold front blowing in. Warm water wells up from beneath the thin layer of ice, covered with a coating of snow and slush. Temperature and precipitation have to be perfect for this to happen.
10/12/2022
first snow 2022
Snow overnight. The log is totally exposed, because we are down more than 8 inches of precipitation.
2/26/2022
hare
The pond has been
under a comforter of white snow. The snow layer insulates and protects the
critters tucked in among the rocks, mud, and dormant plants below water and
ice.
On a sunny day, we saw a large rabbit sitting in the snow near the pond. It created a depression in the snow among reeds and wildflower stems, and snuggled down there all day. At dusk, it was gone from that spot. The next day the sunshine was bright on the white snow. The rabbit was in the same spot again, and napped all day. I suspect it was a White-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus townsendii, actually a hare. Jackrabbits are nocturnal hunters and are known to take daylight naps in a shallow hole.
1/30/2022
eagle nest, January
The eagle nest near the pond is again claimed as home for a pair of Bald Eagles Haliaeetus leucocephalus. One was in the nest for a while before this, probably rearranging sticks to her liking in preparation to lay eggs.
1/06/2022
new year 2022 Juncos
Dark-eyed Juncos made their sudden winter appearance several weeks ago. In Springtime, they find mates and nest "up north" in Canada. In Autumn they migrate to places across the US where they spend the colder months. Junco hyemalis are flashy little sparrows. I think they look as if they're wearing tuxedoes, with crisp markings -- a white chest and belly, dark gray or black back, and pink bill. They have bright white tail feathers which they reveal as they flit around on the ground searching for seeds. Juncos flock together in winter, sometimes with others species. When they find a stash of seeds (like this dish on the deck overlooking the pond) they grudgingly takes turns at it.
12/26/2021
stars on ice
Another interesting feature of winter on the pond is the 'ice star' or 'lake star'. In my search for information about these patterns, I found many theories -- all related to the physics of temperature, moisture, pressure, and ice formation. One of these theories is that patterns are formed in early winter when a hole allows water to swell up from beneath and spread over the surface, leaving dark fingers of melted ice radiating from the hole.
12/23/2021
ice holes on pond
Cold, grey, blustery weather on the pond.
The water is covered by a thick layer of ice and snow drifts. Where the ice is visible between the drifts, a few holes break the smooth solid sheet. These seem to form where plant matter floating close to the surface or a submerged rock interrupted the process of liquid freezing to solid.
12/12/2021
2/05/2021
winter gardening
Read more about the process at https://northerngardener.org/winter-sowing-perennials-works/