Cold New Year's Day

Out to see the Woods  on this cold cold New Year's Day. At 11 am I started from the NW entry. Gray skies and 29F with 5 mph N wind. The forest soil and leaf litter were wet with the melting snow of the past week. Colors of leaves on the forest floor were rich and vivid.

What is alive and green.. and how does it live through the winter?
The invasives: Ligustrum privet, Lonicera honeysuckle, Liriope monkeygrass, Eleagnus Russian olive, Euonymus burning-bush, Hedera English ivy
Some natives: Cyperus hystericina sedge, Juniperus juniper, Smilax (some), Phoradendron mistletoe
and some herbaceous: Galium bedstraw, Stellaria chickweed, Cardamine mustard, Glechoma hederacea  gill-over-the-ground, Allium spring onions, Geum avens (not much), Viola violets
Plus the stems of deciduous Acer negundo boxelder, Smilax catbriar and greenbrier.

What food is available? Ligustrum privet black berries, Lonicera honeysuckle black berries, Rosa multiflora hips, Symphoricarpos coralberry, Celtis hackberries, Juniperus berries, bur oak acorns, pecans, Maclura osage oranges. Someone took two osage oranges up on to a down tree to eat.

The NW pond @ 0.40 feet,  60% surface covered, 10% ice covered.  The East Pond 0.32 depth, 70% ice cover. Western wash 22.5 inches on post.. flowing past Elm Bridge.

Pileated woodpecker in trees E. of E. Pond. Scores of robins dipping drinks from E. Pond. How do they live through winter? Chickadee. Cardinal, Red-shouldered hawk.

Large active burrows.. by the NW entrance 5-10 m upslope from fallen saw cut pecan;   by cottonwood #164 beneath fallen coffee tree.

Three clusters of Ligustrum privet with leaves turning yellow by camera tree. Stems with low old wounds/ scars from feeding of deer?

Heard dog bark by dead deer on W. Dune Trail. Dog had dragged carcass 30 feet north and eaten out back half, legs, abdomen, leaving exposed bloody ribcage neck and head.

Amazed at Vespula yellowjacket nest. Found 9-10 wasps outside entrance curled up on dead leaves. I picked up three and was astonished to see them begin to move.. after our week of snow and cold.

In zone of fallen pecans from ice storm winter 2000-2001,  rodent poop and honey colored Armillaria? group in cavity in big pecan trunk. Also lots of Auricularia Jew's ear or jelly ear.

One tree full of cool stem burls W of ivy trees.

Green mosses growing on down rotting cedar.. but not on down pecan log next to it.

After two hours, fingers chilled, headed out, headed home. Great  day, great way to begin the year.