I don't usually post photos that are not current but sometimes "capturing a moment" deserves a reprieve. So for a little Holiday Spirit take a walk in the winter woods and have another look at the ephemeral beauty of snow and ice. No snow in this photo but perhaps my favorite winter photo so far.
I took a walk in the forest today with my new camera but there was no snow. I'll take you back to another day that is more fitting for the season, actually it is a snowstorm day.
Since I took these Winter Wonderland photos the snow has melted into the Van Cortlandt Lake and surrounding streams. Another seasonal cycle has passed from the greening of spring the the deep green of summer, then the red and gold of autumn and back to the winter sleep. These geese on the pond in last February's late afternoon sun will never look the same as in this photo.
Here the permanence of an abandoned railroad and an oak tree that likes to keep a few leaves each winter offers a picture that often comes to mind when I walk under the railroad bridge to take pictures in the marsh beyond.
The young oak tress that brown the woods are always warming in winter and of course a young oak can be very large.
When I was younger winter walks were the hardest to appreciate. The contrast between the wildflowers on the forest floor in spring, the lush greens of summer and the vivid color of autumn leaves, the winter forest once seemed like a harsh cold black and white world to me.
Now that I am a little older and a bit more educated about the northeastern forest my winter walks are just as interesting as any other season. So my happy story tonight is also a guide for the novice and a reminder to the expert naturalist that the beauty of nature is a year round event.
After many years of four season walking I have learned that between the Thanksgiving joy of kicking through the fresh fallen leaves and the wet feet of hunting down Easter wildflowers our natural surroundings still offer a fascinating world of nature.
Since there are fewer plants to identify and a less diverse bird population, winter is the prefect season for the beginning naturalist.
Winter is also the quietest of seasons and without the leaves there seems to be a different acoustic. Outside of the early morning when the wintering birds greet each other to see that everyone made it through the night, the only thing you hear is the amplified sound of your own feet crushing the snow or dead leaves. For the walker it is the most calm and serene season.
In the late afternoon you can once again hear the call of the birds and see the mammals moving from from wherever they seek slim winter pickings to the place they will spend their nights. You may even receive a Christmas greeting, especially if you are nice to birds.
I think winter in the forest is more colorful than most people notice. The sighting of a really secretive bird like an owl might not be as colorful but winter is their season too. You are unlikely to run into one with the cover of leaves in the trees hoping that some hard to see swollen branch moves but without the cover you can look up and find a real owl. Some seem to blend in but for striking color the stark contrast of a red cardinal in the snowy tree, wow!
The contrast of a bright and shining birch tree is an uplifting sight in any season that seem to blend in better in winter.
The catkins of the grey birch also shed some very fertile winter fur throughout the season and evidence of this can be found when the trees hang over snow or a frozen lake.
Without the broad leaves of the dominant hickory, ash and maples of the hardwood forest the blue winter sky penetrates and the dried flowers and weeds that are shrouded in darkness during the other three seasons get their moment in the sun.
Winter is also the season of the fungi. Forest mushrooms can be found all year long but the colors stand out more in the winter landscape.
More than 100 mushrooms and fungi can be found and studied in the forest or city parks. Have you ever seen a Turkey tail fungus?
Some of the most striking winter weeds are the rich red brown docks and sorrels that look like Chinese lanterns in winter.
Follow a sparrow to the jewel like flowers of the Spiraea that should not be missed. For a dash of red, another favorite of winter birds, the Partridge Berry comes out of hiding because of rare natural evergreen leaves. Most winter berries are a welcome sight but look for the less welcomed invasive winter fruit Asiatic bittersweet that has become all to common. This unwelcomed Asian immigrant still offers a pretty picture.
Competing with the brown vines and dark gray rootlets of the most common native woody vine poison ivy alongside that dreaded Asiatic bittersweet the evergreens Japanese honeysuckle and English ivy can found climbing in the forest. Another invasive that does make a pretty picture and looks good against a snow backdrop is the very common hairy red branches of wineberry.
Dead of winter is such a misleading term. While there is far less activity to be witnessed there is much that points to the new season approaching. To enjoy a winter walk look for the many swollen buds that more closely associate with birth. The winter forest is filled with swellings.
The cattail lives on the balance between woodlands and wetlands. Each year that the cattails live at water’s edge their root system captures sediment and creates a rich soil. The species is then uncomfortable in the environment it created so the plants move further out into the water. In its foot prints a meadow is created. Then one of the ephemeral fast growing trees like a white birch take hold and chase away the sun loving meadow plants that are replaced by shade tolerant forest plants. Some of those plants will be the more permanent trees that also enjoy having wet feet. Trees like the red oak and willow will spread more roots and create more solid land. Still others will be the patient saplings of the mighty hardwoods like oak that will accelerate growth a century later when the dying white birch that was once at the edge of the forest leaves a hole in the forest canopy.
Are you aware that the cattail is a member of the forest forward infantry? The northeastern forest like any other ecosystem fights a never ending battle to gain new ground. Evidence of this can be seen on our city streets as we see the dried peppergrass growing up through the cracks in our sidewalks. That area where land meets water, be it field and stream or willow and swail are the most dynamic and richest in temperate climates. Those ecotones holds the widest variety of flora and feed the widest variety of fauna. The lowly cattail plays an important role in the dynamic leading to a mature forest. Here is a place in winter where forest meets lake that may have been a few cattails encroaching on standing water a hundred years ago.
At the forest ecotone you can find the cigar like cattails of a forest maker. Many of these have already exploded and cast their seeds across the water. Dogbane is another swollen member that can be found exploding at the forest edge. The milkweed famous for both the springtime balls of fluff and an amazing relationship with the monarch butterfly also displays a beautiful swollen ball of seeds in winter. While the milkweed occasionally cast its famous fluff prematurely for a spring preview the cattail makes a very warm and welcoming winter sight.
Ah but this is a snow day diary, photos from February 11th when I took a bright walk by the Van Cortlandt Lake and enjoyed the forest. Here is my favorite photo of that day, a Bronx Christmas Card.
Lake photo compositions are like cheating for photo buffs. There are so many good frames.
As cold as lonely as these photos it was a pretty nice day. This photo grabs a little warmth.
And the pond to the side offer a little relief for the geese.
Lakes make easy compositions but forest are a little more difficult. It is sort of messy in there and someone really should get in there with a trimmer or something.
The north end of the lake is not frozen. I don't think it ever is.
Because of the snow covering the ground the geese that usually spend their days on the golf course have gathered on the water.
Across the old abandoned Putnam Railroad bridge from the north side of the lake is the southern end of a wetland that goes on for miles.
A walk along the old railroad path to one of my favorite places in the park.
There are so many geese there in winter that sometimes the swans seem to be hiding out.
One swan knew exactly where to be at feeding time and not the least bit shy about it but these are Bronx birds and they get special treatment.
Not a single golfer came out that day. I found a hole in the fence and took a nice walk but I was in way too deep.
That snow day ended for me ended with an attempt to dramatize a dead tree in the swamp.
There is always a little color in winter, Christmas colors.
Have a Merry Christmas.