Our landscape that was brown and cold last week has been transformed into winter. Daytime temperatures in the single digits, subzero temps at night, and snow have brought the look and feel of winter. Ponds and lakes that were previously frozen with clear ice are now covered with snow, and are once again being populated with fish houses. The ducks and geese have all headed south in search of open water. And we are learning again how to drive in ice and snow. How quickly this seasonal change has taken place!
winter
Early winter dawn along the Mississippi River
The cold of winter has swept south from the Canadian prairie into Minnesota. The lakes are icing over, but the rivers take a bit longer because of the current. We were north of the Twin Cities along the banks of the Mississippi River yesterday. The early morning light cast a beautiful glow on the barren trees along the banks, and the water was flowing but it contained numerous chunks of ice headed southward. Eventually the river will freeze in some sections, but the sections that remain open will attract birds and wildlife, and will teem with activity throughout the cold winter months.
Frost and ice in the morning
Our temperatures have been dropping at night causing the sloughs and lakes to begin their ice-over. It isn’t thick by any means, but it is the start of our shift from fall to winter. I’ve always enjoyed the reflections of trees and horizons in water, and the change over to ice gives these same reflections a much different look. The lines are softer and more muted, and until our lakes are snow-covered the reflections can sometimes be almost mirror-like. On this morning two days ago, the sun was burning through the cold temperatures and the heavy frost causing the landscape to glow in the early light.
Spring’s welcome
I awoke on the first day of spring, stepped outside, and inhaled. Brrrrrrr; the temperature was 4 degrees and all the hairs on the inside of my nose froze. As I looked around, the landscape was knee-deep in snow. There was nary a blade of grass to be seen or a flower shoot to encourage to grow, but there was a blue sky above and a bright sun shining. Spring (as commonly defined with blooming trees, flowers, and green grass) has not physically arrived in Minnesota yet…we remain hopeful. Rather than post another photo of snow, I went searching for evidence that we were at least starting the transition from winter to spring. I headed to the Mississippi River in downtown Saint Paul where I joyfully found it is not frozen solid, but the water is actually flowing in this area. There were chunks of ice drifting by on their journey southward from our cold northern climes. As I stopped and listened I could hear geese calling and I saw ducks flying into the open water. And there was also a hint of warmth in the bright sunshine. Soon our snow will be gone and we will see green grass and green leaves and know that spring truly has arrived.
Winter sun and shadow play
We headed out before dawn to Willow River State Park, located just outside of Hudson, Wisconsin. The temperature was a cold 9 degrees, but the eastern horizon was beginning to glow so we knew we’d have a bit of sunshine to warm us up. At one time the Willow River was used to operate mills for grinding grain, and later logs were driven down the river to Lake St. Croix. Today, in the cold of a winter’s morning, the area was quiet. We arrived early enough to observe whitetail deer that were starting to rise after being bedded down for the night. We saw an eagle soar overhead. And the snow all around was animated by the sun. Any small hills were accentuated and visible by their shadows, and where these small flower stems were standing tall through the snow they shed their shadows too across the white landscape. The sun caused the ice in the snow to sparkle as if it was filled with a thousand diamonds. It was a wonderful time to explore a new area and see all that offered up to us.
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