We live on four and a half acres of woodland in Maine. Part of our land does not drain very well. Because of this, our woods have a beautiful understory of fern. Click on the image for a larger view.
Category Archives: Our Forest
Winter Woods
We had two storms in succession, on Thursday and Saturday, with another predicted for next week. Our woods are very peaceful this time of year. The drifting snow makes walking tricky as it is hard to predict whether the snow pack is a few inches deep or a few feet deep. A few of the animals that live here leave the occasion tracks, but many travel under the snow in a network of tunnels.
January Thaw
While historically January brings the coldest temperatures to Maine, we do sometimes get a warm front. Last week, the thermometer went over freezing and hit 50F/10C. A fog is produced when the warm air passes over snow. Our forest seems smaller and the world further away.
Winter in Moonlight, Part 3
Stepping out of the forest into a snow-covered field, space expands. The wind on your face creates the illusion of motion. Neither the sky nor horizon advances with your pace.
Click on the image for a larger view.
Winter in Moonlight, Part 2
Traveling through the forest on a moonlit night, trees and shadows melt together. Perception of form becomes dreamlike, dissolving the boundary of real and imagined.
Click on the image for a larger view.
Winter in Moonlight, Part 1
The full moon makes the winter night magical.
Click on the image for a larger view.
Ice Storm, Part 5
The ice reaches deep into the forest, bending the trees and limbs into new structures. In the ice, the buds for next year’s flowers are visible. Click on the image for a larger view.
Ice Storm, Part 4
The goldenrod and blackberry canes in our field. Very different from the greens and golds of summer or the warmth of fall. Click on the image for a larger view.
Ice Storm, Part 3
The beauty of an ice storm is the ability to turn the forest to crystal. Click on the image for a larger view.
Ice Storm, Part 2
The ice storm last weekend knocked out power to over one hundred thousand people in Maine. We lost power from December 23rd until now. The trees that were gracefully arching over in our first post, were bent to the ground by the second day—the saplings in this photograph are the same trees, but I am unable to stand in the same place to photograph them. Click on the image to see a larger view.
