23 February

Winter seems to be on its way out in the Forest and Wetlands.   The weather is warming up, snow has been replaced by rain.  Ephemeral ponds begin to abound.  We will hope that they will nurture a collection of amphibians.   In the forest, tree frogs vocalise.

The Forest's mosses seem even more luxuriant than in past weeks.

The progress of the huckleberry seedlings on the nurse stump that we've been tracking for months looks as though it may have been halted by collision with an alder.

The leaves on one of the little seedlings have turned brown--perhaps there will be a regeneration.  There is an additional tinier seedling to the right of the apparently damaged plant that looks quite lush. 

The old "woodpecker stump" that finally collapsed after gradual reduction by pecking is definitely breaking down into nutrient debris.  

Not all things change quickly in the Forest, but this is what that decomposed stump looked like in May of 2023.   A pileated woodpecker did his work.

Moss looks to be a nursery for incubating egg sacs.

A strange (to us) organism has appeared on a dead branch, possibly a slime mold, another development to trace.

The Marsh is still relatively quiet.  A small flock of buffleheads swam about at its southeast end, too distant for clear photography.

In the fringe vegetation at the entrance of the dock, two song sparrows hopped about.  One studied us briefly.