February 3

Wednesday, Remi and I returned to Forest Hill Nature Area. The mid-day weather was partly sunny with a temperature of 34 degrees and a blustery southwest wind. Leaving the car, I headed west and paused at the crest of Energy Hill to scan the landscape where much of the snow cover had melted from heavy overnight rain. Descending the hill, I passed Mallard Marsh and walked through Bobolink Meadow where deer and pheasant tracts were easily seen on the trail. At the entrance to North Woods, I spotted some colorful British Soldier lichens on a stump. Following the trail through the woods, I noticed a half dozen deer running ahead before I paused near the exit where the forest floor was littered with an unusually large number of downed trees, large and small. Next, I looped west around Succession Field through Birch Row and hiked into South Woods where I paused to take in a favorite winter scene from remote Swanson Swamp. Leaving the woods, I proceeded to Artist Overlook to check out Sora Swale before following the south trail where a hole in the snow cover revealed greening of ground vegetation, a subtle sign of the season to come. At Frog Fen, I turned north and climbed to the top of Reflection Hill where I gazed down at the flooded ice on Grebe Pond. Descending the hill to the north, I spotted a Red-tailed hawk soaring high above the pond. Arriving at the classroom building, I noticed a few Mourning Doves flying away from the bird feeders. Finally, we returned to the car for our journey home.

No gathering geese

Or mallards in flight

No croaking frogs

To welcome night

Nestled in mud

Turtles aren’t seen

Beige and broken

Cattails aren’t green

Winter wetlands

Covered and sealed

Front of February

Nature revealed

D. DeGraaf