January 2

Friday, while Remi stayed home with an injured leg, I welcomed the new year with a hike at Forest Hill Nature Area. The mid-day weather was mostly sunny with a temperature of 27 degrees and a freshening breeze that shifted from north to south. Standing at the crest of the hill, I gazed west at a nearly snowless landscape and thought about the harsh winter weather at this time last year when a foot of snow was already on the ground. Without Remi stopping frequently to smell and mark, I moved rapidly past Mallard Marsh, through Bobolink Meadow and paused in the middle of North Woods, where I spotted Raccoon tracks on the snow-covered ice of the large vernal pond. Continuing west through the silent woods, I noticed moss growing at the base of many trees and was reminded of the misconception that it only grows on the north side. It is true that moss grows best in cool, damp, shady places and not very well in direct sunlight. It is also true that in the northern hemisphere, the sun travels in an arc across the sky that is slightly south of overheard. From these facts came the notion that the north side of a tree is more shady and moist than the south side and therefore, moss would only grow there. However, this is only true sometimes as there are other factors that create shade such as proximate trees, rock formations and mounds of earth. So especially in a wooded area like this, I was not surprised to see moss growing on all sides of trees. Exiting the woods, I turned west circling Succession Field that included walking through Birch Row before entering South Woods. After pausing at ice-covered Swanson Swamp where I spotted tracks of a Red Squirrel, I continued on the trail gazing upward through a leafless canopy at a clear blue sky. Exiting the woods, I came to Artist Overlook where I looked far to the east to see the top of Raske Barn sticking up over Reflection Hill. I followed the south trail all the way to Brady Cemetery where the ground below the tall White Pine trees was heavily littered with needles and cones. Heading north past Grebe Pond, I stopped to examine the fresh carcass of a Meadow Vole before proceeding around to where the dock used to be to observe some rabbit tracks on a patch of snow. Finally, I returned to the car and headed home.

Sounds of nature gone

Pond fast asleep

Ice seals the surface

No Spring Peepers peep

No Bull Frogs croak

Or Green Herons shriek

No Mallards quack

Or Wood Ducks squeak

Redwings have left

Tree Swallows too

Winter’s hush

Right on cue

D. DeGraaf