Under mostly sunny skies, temperatures in the mid-teens and a moderate north wind, I find myself 14 miles southeast of Ithaca, hiking the White Pine trail in the Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area, 17,000 acres of hunting land spanning the southeastern section of Gratiot County and the southwestern section of Saginaw County. Proceeding south over 6 inches of snow, I watch the morning sun beam its light past leafless oaks and maples. Along the way, I notice disturbances of the leaf litter including: a scrape where deer pawed for food, a hole where a squirrel retrieved its stash and a large bedding area where a herd of deer spent the night. Moving ahead, I spot a tiny meandering stream and a classic 10-ft tall snag. Hard to believe, but trees can actually provide more habitats for wildlife dead than when they are alive. These dead and dying “snags” or “wildlife trees” are important to woodland creatures. Birds, small mammals and insects use them for nests, nurseries, storage areas, foraging, roosting, and perching. Nearby, I spot a snow tunnel of a Meadow Vole (stock photo) as well as a few of its surface tracks. In late winter, these tiny mammals venture to the surface in order for their brains to get updated information on the lengthening of daylight that in turn stimulate their appetite and increase their search for food. Coming to the edge of a small, ice-covered lake, I pause to gaze at a gibbous moon barely visible in the blue sky high above the tree line. Stepping out onto the thick ice, I make my way across the snow-covered lake where I spot tracks of deer as well as coyote. Even though dog and coyote have similar paw prints in snow, a dog’s gait pattern (stock photo) is less linear than a coyote’s. Also, my attention is drawn to how the low-angled winter sunlight casts lengthy shadows of tree trunks across the white surface. While these shadows were the longest at the last Winter Solstice (December 21, 2020), they will be the shortest at the upcoming summer solstice (June 20, 2021). Near shore, I notice dried seed heads of Buttonbush and Nut sedge. Next, I pause as a gust of frigid air blows through a stand of Phragmites. Finally, attempting to retrace my steps back to the start, I lose the trail and wander through the forest in the general direction of the car only to find it after an extra hour of trudging through this remote winter wilderness.
What lies beneath
My forest way
My trail of snow
On winter’s day
A dormant seed
A tunneling vole
A squirrel’s stash
A chipmunk’s hole
Carpet of white
O’er black and gray
O’er layer of leaves
O’er death and decay
D. DeGraaf
Great appreciation of your wanderings.
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