March Woods Warm to Rain to Snow

Woods have had quite a change. After a mild cool week of spring like weather, Friday was the warmest day of the year, 72F. Light rain, a few hundredths of an inch, swept through at 5 PM, a harbinger of an arriving winter storm. I walked in from the entrance by Rudy's at 6 and was delighted by the fresh smell of a warm spring garden freshly wet by rain. First time to encounter that this year. The honeysuckle leaves have really popped out and everywhere the Woods was a fresh spring yellow green. Birds had largely finished feeding for the day and were quiet.. only a male cardinal and one or two others. Three adult white-tailed deer ran from the Big Trees off to the north.

The ground was soft and moist with microbial fertility. The trail we had walked all winter had blended in with the surrounding duff of the forest floor. Now it stood out boldly a narrow, well-defined ribbon of soil winding through a bright new carpet of green.. a subtle change that had happened mostly on that day. We'll see how long it remains open and clear of new brambles and spring regrowth.

By the beaver dam a few inches of water stood in the channel but there was no flow. The lower 200 feet of the drainage, close to the service road, had suddenly gone dry two days previously.. seemingly overnight.

Overhead in the branches of the taller elms, the wind had shifted to the north and was bringing in the oncoming storm with rapidly cooling air as I left.

Overnight more rain and then snow in the early morning with wind gusts to 40-45 mph. By midday there was a hiatus. With little snow evident on the roads I returned for another walk in the Woods.

I was surprised to see the Woods a good bit snowier than the surrounding grassy areas; but the well established trail was mostly clear of snow.. now a distinct trail of brown soil through a white surround. The Woods were lovely with green leaves of honeysuckle and juniper all peaking out from under their fresh new white snowy coverings. The NNW face of the tree trunks were lightly filagreed with snow revealing the prevailing direction of the storm winds. On top of logs crossing the trail, tracks of squirrel and bird were fresh in the fluffy snow.

Two white-tailed adult deer ran away from me as I walked north to the northeast corner of the Northern Loop. The regular trails of the deer were clearly visible up and across the escarpment and crossing the Woods.

With over half an inch of precipitation, water was flowing again through the Beaver Dam. I should set a flow and depth gauge there. By the Elm Bridge water had submerged the lower logs. A solitary dark bird like a phoebe flycatcher flitted from one low perch to another near the stream. Up in the sky a flock of a dozen Canada geese flew over.

The snow began to pick up again by 5 and I left the Woods for the evening.