March Comes In - Like a Snow Lion!

March came in today with hours of soft, soothing, brightening snow.  Our sap buckets finally had their seasonal frosting.  Winds whipped the flakes into a fog of white, pierced by synchronized waves of  blackbirds.

I had a solitary walk at Great Meadows in the late afternoon.  The silence was stirred only by occasional honks, the sound of snow against dried, flapping oak leaves, and - of course - a few low flying planes seeking a runway.  The ducks and geese were swimming, snowy backed through the shallows.  The clinging snow highlighted all the beautiful features of the marsh and forests, white against dark, contrasting every detail of the landscape.

I, for one, felt retuned by this long awaited winter's day and can now look forward to spring with a sense of seasonal completeness.

Do you see the snow lion peering into the water?

Peterson's New Moths Field Guide - April Release

Moth lovers, take note!  Seabrooke Leckie, one of the co-authors of the new "Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America" enthusiastically holds her newly published book (release date, April 17, 2012).  Check out her web-blog for an in-depth preview, http://seabrookeleckie.com/2012/02/22/the-moth-guide-has-arrived/.

Let Your Love Flow - A Valentine Offering

Heart flows on the Maine shore

Monthly Great Meadows Walk - February

Sunday, February 12, 3-5 pm

A continuing series of monthly walks exploring the landscape, plants and seasonal wonders 
of Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord

This winter has been empty of snow but full of surprises.  The open water pools and many overwintering coot have attracted a variety of rarely seen raptors.  Rails, mink, beaver, and muskrat have been active along the shorelines.  We'll take this last wintery opportunity to reset our seasonal clocks, exploring whatever appears and inspires.  Our foray will finish with a long gaze toward the setting sun.

Led by Cherrie Corey, local naturalist and photographer

No pre-registration required.  A $5/person voluntary donation will be gratefully accepted.

Co-sponsored by Musketaquid Arts and Environment Program and Friends of the Assabet River NWR

Meet at Great Meadows NWR in Concord, MA.  (Monsen Road, off Rte. 62, driveway on left where road curves right)
 
For questions, email cherrie.corey@verizon.net or call 978-760-1933

Fleeting Winter Glimpses

Crows grazing on lotus seeds

Yesterday's bright, quiet morning offered brief glimpses of wintery moments before today's deluge arrived.  Retuning my seasonal clock one moment at a time.

Ice shelf on the river

Mink scamperings

Swamp dogwood glow

Long-awaited sight of hooded merganser swimming upstream

Snowy Giant in Fairyland

Fairyland's old growth pine, mantled in white.

Towering stature

Ample trunk

And toes

Phase Change

Assabet River - flash frozen

For as long as I can remember, my inner clock has been set to rhythm of New England's seasons, in all their glory.  For these past few weeks, I've been waiting to feel my annual reset kick in.  This usually comes with the first delicate calls of returning juncos, the low hanging sun highlighting the landscape, a silent snowfall, and the interplays of ice with all of the elements.  With this year's snowless winter, my attention has been drawn to subtler manifestations of our coldest season to realize the annual phase change that sets me right for the coming year.

In yesterday's flash frozen landscape, that transformation began.  Bundled up for the 3º windchill, this is what I saw (through watery eyes).

 

No matter how much each season conforms to my expectations, in the end I'm reminded to go with the flow...