February 16

Saturday would have been a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi. However, I decided to travel to Riverdale and hike part of the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail instead. This trail is a converted railroad bed stretching 41 miles between Alma and Greenville. The early morning weather was mostly cloudy with a temperature of 18 degrees and no wind. We headed east on a snow-covered path where I noticed patches of dark green, segmented stems of horsetail or equisetum. Crossing a bridge, I gazed down at the Pine River flowing north to south. Continuing east, I spotted some White Cedar trees next to the trail and a few Chickadees fluttering among leafless branches. Looking up, I noticed a single, tall White Pine. Further along, I saw lots of Wild Turkey tracks crossing the trail. In winter, turkeys eat primarily mosses, buds, fern spores, seeds, and leftover corn found on farms. Turkeys eat nuts during fall to build up fat, which helps keep them alive when food is buried under the snow. Turkeys will sometimes eat the buds off twigs and stems. Hard-crusted snow makes it easier for turkeys to move and find food, while deep powdery snow hinders their movement. Also, I noticed tracks where several deer crossed over. Glancing ahead, I could see a large oak tree still had some leaves on it. Under the tree, clumps of dead, brown ferns could be seen sticking through the snow cover. Fresh Cottontail rabbit scat and tracks indicated this area was prime habitat for these mammals. Next, I came to a clearing and looked north at a snow-covered field where crops grew last summer. After hiking about a half mile, we turned around and retraced our steps heading west where I was surprised to see a White Oak leaf imbedded about and inch in the snow. So this is what happened. Earlier in the week, the leaf landed on the snow followed by sunshine. The leaf and the snow around it got the same amount of sunlight, but the white snow reflected more than the darker leaf did. Since the leaf absorbed or kept more of the light, it got warmer than the snow around it. That is why the snow around the leaf melted faster than snow further away from the leaf. As the snow under the leaf melted, gravity pulled the leaf down to form a depression. Continuing west, I spotted a few samaras of Box Elder that had recently fallen. Along the bank, I noticed a patch of leafless Prickly Ash trees. Looking up, I spotted a bird nest and thought about how exposed and vulnerable it was nestled in tree branches without the protection of leaves. Crossing the bridge again, I gazed at the open water of the Pine River. Finally, we made it back to the car for our trip home.

When winter's breeze goes dashing

It does some magical things

It gives the shadows dancing shoes

It lends the glistening snow wings

When winter's breeze goes dashing. 


It curls the hearths tail of smoke

And shares a small whispered joke.
With pines delighting in prattle

Lifting their cones to a rattle

When winters breeze goes dashing.

Valannia Incendarious