Early spring is not the prettiest time in Maine—we call it mud season. The ground cover looks flat and spent as if the winter has beaten it into submission. The soil, if not frozen, is waterlogged, where rain and melting snow collects into pools. But there is magic here. The freeing of the water from its winter solidity starts the return of life. The sun mixes in energy, powering a change in chemistry. Like an infinite blue sky that can suddenly become populated with clouds, this barren land will recover. Click on the image for a larger view.
Category Archives: Our Forest
Vernal Streams
Warm weather has returned to Maine. Most of the snow pack has melted since last week. Because the melt happens long before the trees regain their foliage, the water collects in vernal streams and pools. Once the foliage returns, the trees will absorb that excess water. By summer, this area of our forest will have a thick carpet of fern. Click on the image for a larger view.
Weather Report
Last week, we were forecast to get 2″ of snow. We did, plus another 4″ on top of that. We awoke to this view last Wednesday. Click on the image for a larger view.
Waiting for Spring
It has been another long winter in Maine. I know technically it is spring and we are on daylight savings, but the reality outside has not kept up with the calendar—we still have a thick snowpack and the days have been windy and cold. Hopefully, in about a month and a half, our forest will look a little more like this. Click on the image for a larger view.
Snowbound
Our forest is under a three- to four-foot snowpack. The snow has consolidated making snowshoeing over our land fairly easy. In the summer, the foliage and understory make the forest dark and confining. In the winter, the space is open and free. Click on the image for a larger view.
Dreaming of Summer, Part 2
Our forest last July in summer wind. Click on the image for a larger view.
A Year in Color Revisited
Winter gives you a long time to think about the seasons in Maine. Previously, I had posted the year in color for our forest for 2014. As an experiment, I revisited that year to try another way to visualize that change. January is the section between 12 o’clock and 1 o’clock with the following months continuing clockwise between each hour. Click on the image for a larger view.
Shadows and Snow Drifts
The blizzard left us with about 22″ or 55cm of snow. The winds create hollows and drifts that can come well below or above that. We spent several hour digging out and clearing the driveway after the storm. It appears we may get another 12″ or 30cm of snow today. Click on the image for a larger view.
Blizzard of 2015
New England was hit with a massive blizzard yesterday. This was my safe view from the window of our front door—you can see our bird feeder and the apple tree we call Midori in the foreground. Fortunately, so far, we have not lost power, unlike the ice storm we had last winter. Click on the image for a larger view.
Snags
It was a gray winter day yesterday. I came across this snag, a dead standing tree. Snags have very little use to the human residents of a forest as they are usually too rotten to have any value for lumber or even firewood, but they do have great value to the other residents and the forest itself. As you can see, the snag is a great feeding post for our woodpeckers and flickers. When the tree finally falls, it will act as water storage for the forest. Click on the image for a larger view.
