Enjoying it while it last...

Winter fields in Mid-Michigan

Winter is my favorite season, but there are days that make me want to reconsider.

Mt. Pleasant's noontime temperature today measured at 6 degrees Fahrenheit, with windchill at -8 degrees.  Colder temperatures are forecast for the weekend.  Countdown to Spring: 36 days...

In Silhouette

Yesterday morning the temperature was hovering just above zero degrees Fahrenheit.  Many of the trees and other plants were covered with a coating of frost.  I took several photos in the field behind the office.  This one of a dried Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota) flowerhead silhouetted against pastel colors of the morning sky was my favorite of the bunch.

Birds, "Buteo"ful Birds

Birds of prey are a common sight in Mid-Michigan throughout the year, but during winter they seem especially abundant.  Lately I have been especially seeing lots of Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) , such as this one near the Saginaw Chippewa Academy.

For more information on the Red-Tailed Hawk, visit this species profile from February 2013.

Isabella Conservation District Spring Newsletter

I already included our Spring Tree Order in an earlier post, but here is the full newsletter. 

"Bark"ing Up the Wrong Tree...

Sometime I try to search out brand new subjects to photograph, but often I find myself going back to familiar places and familiar themes.  One of the subjects that I photograph again and again is tree bark.  Why?  The variety of colors and textures.  Here are a few examples.

Marmota monax predicts...

You want me to do what?  In FEBRUARY?  You do realize that I hibernate in February...

Monday (02 February) was Groundhog Day.  On Groundhog Day, communities across North America drag a sleepy Groundhog (Marmota monax) out of hibernation to see if it casts a shadow.  If the groundhog sees its shadow, this means that six more weeks of winter will follow; if it does not see its shadow, spring will supposedly come early.

So what did our local groundhogs predict?

Nothing.  They were busy hibernating in burrows deep below ground, as groundhogs should be.

Ice, Snow, Running Water

Last Friday (30 JAN 2015), I was able to take a few minutes between classroom presentations to photograph ice along the Chippewa River in Mill Pond Park.

The river is partially frozen over.  The only open water is in areas with a strong current. 

Along the edges of the current, the ice has developed some interesting formations.

 

I took these photos with a telephoto lens on my camera.  I was able to approach close to the edge of the ice by walking on rocks.  I did see some footprints where people had walked across some of the ice. 

It is never safe to walk on ice that formed over running water!  There is no way to tell how thick the ice may be.  EXTREME caution should always be taken when crossing ice that may potentially be thin.  It should only be crossed in an emergency if there are no other options (and there are always other options).  I have personally broken through ice and landed in water up to my armpits - it is NOT FUN.