A Walk in Winter Woods

In winter the bones of trees are visible like skeletons. It is a good time to walk through the woods. The sun slants through the bare branches unlike summer when it filters down through a canopy of leaves. In winter the bark, knots, twists and vines stand out in relief. You can see what the the forest is made of. Delicate giants as subtle and carved as driftwood.

By mid-February the sap is rising. There is a silent hum of new life.

Roots deep in the earth are pulling up the water that soaked through a carpet of leaves, leaves that have become soft and pliable. My footfalls are almost silent now. My dog runs ahead to see what is around the corner and now runs back to see why I am tarrying.


This magic season is really no longer winter but an in between time when Spring waits in the wings to make her entrance. Nature is still asleep but stirring, and there is a bright light coming through the window, and days like this she yawns.

I walk on ahead and the small stands of spruce and cedars that have not lost their plumage wave. I look up and am greeted by clouds moving quickly across the sky. Their are birds. Cardinals, hawks, wrens, turkey buzzards, an occasional robin. They too like I are on the lookout for spring.

Off in a nearby field there is a flock of wild turkeys.

There is another reason to enjoy a winter walk. There are  no mosquitoes, gnats, stinging flies, few nettles and little underbrush. The path is easy, open and clear.

Wee get to a meadow where the trees give way to field. Wildflowers are in bloom. And here there are signs of insect life.

See the bee?

Look again.

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And for those who haven't seen it check out MSNBC's Gallery of Beloved RVs for some sweet Rvs and their owners

JNR