March 9

The early afternoon skies are mostly cloudy with temperatures in the low 40’s as I find myself in Alma’s Conservation Park beginning my hike on a re-designed “Trail of Trees”. Instead of the trailhead being north of the restroom building, the new trailhead starts and ends at the Eyer Learning Circle. Turning right, I follow a meandering earthen trail northward past trunks of Wild Cherry, White Cedar and Muscle-wood trees. Continuing north, I spot the ice-covered Pine River Mill Pond through the leafless understory. Curving left, I converge with an asphalt trail and head west where decaying leaves of Red Oak, Sugar Maple and Big-tooth Aspen are seen as well as a female cone of White Pine. Up ahead, as the sun appears, long shadows from tree trunks cut across the path. Continuing west, I pause near the base of a Bur Oak tree, where I’m not surprised to see a few “bur-like” acorn caps which gives the tree its name. Turning south along the edge of a dirt road, I look up to notice dried up seed pods of a Black Locust tree still hanging to branches and a Fox Squirrel perched on a horizontal branch. Nearby, I come upon another Fox Squirrel feeding on a walnut before scampering away. This time of year, squirrels are eating food from buried food caches they stored in the fall. Their memory helps them recover many caches, but they also rely heavily on their sense of smell. Turning onto a paved road, my ears perk up to caws of crows before pausing to spot two, well-camouflaged Whitetail deer staring at me through the dense underbrush. Right now, these deer are likely at their lowest body weight of the year. Since winter food was limited, they will spend a lot of time browsing heavily on twigs and bugs, eating remaining acorns buried in the leaf litter and foraging for early green plants emerging where snow has melted. Turning east, on the paved road, I spot a Pine tree trunk with neatly placed holes made by a Pileated Woodpecker. While most of the leafless canopy remains wide open, evergreen needles of White Pine and Norway Spruce provide some shade. After passing the Eyer Bird Hut, I turn left and follow a mulch-covered path north to my final stop which is the Eyer Learning Circle. After, looking at the kiosk displays, I sit on one of the benches facing east where I notice a variety of tree trunks. Then, I move around and sit on a bench facing west where I notice more tree trunks. Before leaving, I relax and reflect on signs of the waning winter and the waiting spring season ahead.

March is ready

Curtain opens wide

Green begins to show

Snow begins to hide

Props are in place

Stage is clear

Room for Redwings

Room for deer

Geese arrive

Right on cue

Robins appear

If only a few

 

D. DeGraaf