Photos: Midwinter Grove
Jan. 8th, 2025 11:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmith posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
common_natureThe sun came out, so now the snow sparkles and much wildlife sign is visible. This set of pictures shows the north end of the house yard, driveway, and Midwinter Grove. Cottontail rabbits like this area, as shown by their tracks. (See also House Yard, Savanna, and Back Toward the House.)
Looking northeast over the house yard, snow clings to the yew bushes, creating a shelter underneath them.
The swoops and scallops of snow over the goddess garden are now much more visible.
A line of rabbit tracks crosses the snow.
Rabbit tracks leave a distinctive triangular pattern in their footprints because when they bound, their back feet reach ahead of their front feet. The sharp end of the arrow points back the way the rabbit came, and the wider end points where it is going: in this case, from the sheltered area under the mulberry tree and log pile toward the house.
The edges of the tracks are not crisp, and some snow has fallen in, so they are not fresh; but they are not blurred and partially filled, so they were made after the snow stopped. Also I didn't see them yesterday, so these were likely made last night or early this morning.
A tiny brown leaf curls in the sparkly snow. I love looking for little details like this.
Looking down the driveway, the Midwinter Grove wears a cloak of snow.
Another line of rabbit tracks follows the edge of the Midwinter Grove, showing that wildlife indeed likes to shelter there. Rabbits like to travel where they can see around, but close to cover if they need to hide. This rabbit was traveling from the Midwinter Grove, along its edge, then across the driveway to the forest yard.
The softened edges indicate that these tracks are older than the ones in the house yard, likely made while the snow was still blowing around, as they are partially but not wholly filled in. Whenever it snows, I like to observe the tracks made by wildlife to learn what is moving around here and when. By observing the same or similar tracks over time and under different conditions, it becomes easier not only to identify the animal's species but also how fast it was traveling, how old the tracks are, and other interesting information.
The bright red holly berries stand out against the green leaves and white snow.
Looking northeast over the house yard, snow clings to the yew bushes, creating a shelter underneath them.
The swoops and scallops of snow over the goddess garden are now much more visible.
A line of rabbit tracks crosses the snow.
Rabbit tracks leave a distinctive triangular pattern in their footprints because when they bound, their back feet reach ahead of their front feet. The sharp end of the arrow points back the way the rabbit came, and the wider end points where it is going: in this case, from the sheltered area under the mulberry tree and log pile toward the house.
The edges of the tracks are not crisp, and some snow has fallen in, so they are not fresh; but they are not blurred and partially filled, so they were made after the snow stopped. Also I didn't see them yesterday, so these were likely made last night or early this morning.
A tiny brown leaf curls in the sparkly snow. I love looking for little details like this.
Looking down the driveway, the Midwinter Grove wears a cloak of snow.
Another line of rabbit tracks follows the edge of the Midwinter Grove, showing that wildlife indeed likes to shelter there. Rabbits like to travel where they can see around, but close to cover if they need to hide. This rabbit was traveling from the Midwinter Grove, along its edge, then across the driveway to the forest yard.
The softened edges indicate that these tracks are older than the ones in the house yard, likely made while the snow was still blowing around, as they are partially but not wholly filled in. Whenever it snows, I like to observe the tracks made by wildlife to learn what is moving around here and when. By observing the same or similar tracks over time and under different conditions, it becomes easier not only to identify the animal's species but also how fast it was traveling, how old the tracks are, and other interesting information.
The bright red holly berries stand out against the green leaves and white snow.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-09 07:42 am (UTC)The holly bush really looks at home now!
P.
Thank you!
Date: 2025-01-09 08:15 am (UTC)I'm so glad that the sun came out before the snow all melted away.
>> The holly bush really looks at home now! <<
It's certainly a great little feature. I hope they do okay in the summer.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2025-01-09 10:23 am (UTC)Re: Thank you!
Date: 2025-01-09 10:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-09 09:01 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2025-01-09 09:20 am (UTC)I love watching tracks. Sometimes, a rider goes past on a horse and leaves hoofprints at the end of the driveway, where I can watch them age. Hoofprints are good and deep; in summer they can last for weeks. Other times I find deer tracks. Possum and raccoon are common; they like the puddles at the end of the driveway.
It's so interesting to see the different shapes in snow, in mud, in sand -- to watch how they change with time, slowly slumping into themselves and leveling out. All these little messages in the ground. It's like the world is writing itself in a book that you can learn to read if you only pay attention long enough.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-09 11:18 am (UTC)I love finding rabbit tracks in my small yard after a snow. It's rare to spot the actual rabbits, so it's fun to know that they're bounding through.
Thank you!
Date: 2025-01-09 08:11 pm (UTC)One useful thing about tracks is that they show you where critters have gone -- often going from one resource to another. You can thus learn where they are likely to be in the future, and look for them there.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2025-01-09 10:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-09 06:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-09 11:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-10 02:08 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2025-01-10 04:48 am (UTC)