Birch Bark in the Snowy Woods

The gentle snow caught on the curls

of the birch bark,

 and the woods were still.

 

First Snow

We had the first snow of the winter,

 and it settled quietly on all the plants.

 

Birch Bark

I love the way birch bark curls on the tree,

 and the leaves behind the trunk.

 For these last two shots, I had my wrist supported by the trunk, looking straight up.

 

Birchbark

I love the way birchbark

 peels off the trees.

 People pull the bits off, where they can reach,

 so I have to shoot up into the trees.

 

Birchbark

This slab of birchbark was hanging off the tree, and I loved the way the light was coming through the holes in it.

I think I like the last shot the best, with the trees lit by the sun, and the bark by the flash.

Birchbark

This bit of birchbark had been shredded from the tree.

I love the way it catches the light in different angles.

A Walk in the Dog Park

The sun was lighting up the clouds as we were getting ready to go to the dog park.

There is still a lot of ice in the woods. This is a half inch of water on top of ice. Just enough to reflect the sky and the trees, and splash. The next photo os a footprint with ice inside it.

Jake said the traction was fine for running, most places.

The sumacs are looking rather ragged after the winter.

Sometimes, a young tree will start growing either in or on top of an old stump. The stump dissolves, and the tree is left, slightly above ground level.

The birch trees often grow in clusters. They don't usually all die off at the same time, though.

The sky was lovely and blue when we were headed for home, and breakfast.

Walk in the Dog Park

Annie is showing what the surface was like. Not too bad, if you walk slowly, when you only have two legs. I saw a man with two ski poles, and all I could think was "I want one!!"

The angle of the sun was making some beautiful shadows!

A tree fell during the winter, and the fungus is no longer parallel to the ground.

Jake, after his first burst of energy had worn off.

Another tree that fell, but this one was over a path, so they have used a chainsaw to cut it into more manageable sections. I like the way you can see the way the sap only travels in the outer rings of the tree. Before freezing in the cold weather.

Birch catkins.