The World of Ice

 By now you know that I like winter. I like ice. I like being out in all weather except HOT & Humid. Winter often looks quite dull but with my curious mind I am always looking for something interesting.

I had to go get the Trail Cam SD cards so I made a longish hike out of it.

The first shot is a cell shot of a section of our creek that is freezing on top, trickling through below the ice. The wet looking spots is where the water is seeping to the surface to freeze.

Neat things happen in the ice as it forms around branches, leaves, and rocks. It looks like wild art.

Here some water seeps up and cuts across the ice making another strange looking formation. By this Saturday it should freeze hard again. We are due to be below zero without wind chill factor. 

Other curious and strange iced formations. No explanation, just fun shapes.

Then I always go to the Ice Wall. It looks totally solid but it isn't.

This is a rock wall that has moisture dripping from it all of the time. The water rolls out onto the ice and trickles down which keeps the wall growing.

In the summer, the wall is covered with Maiden Hair Ferns.

I am so fascinated by the sculpture the ice makes.

Further down the creek the water flows a bit faster due to the tiny warm springs along the way. These little creeks are the life blood of the valley. The animals come here to get their drinks of water. In some places there are worn paths to the open water.

I can't help myself when I see the frost on the moss and rocks in the creek. I have to grab a photo of it.

The ice bubbles I found the other day are gone. That section is now frozen solid and has a skiff of snow on top of it. The ice is frozen thick enough for coyotes to walk on it.

This weekend we are going in for another Artic Blast. So yesterday I took advantage of the milder weather and went wandering in different a patch of woods and found many surprises.

Charlie and I found some astounding sights. 

I'll share that later. Today I have to get things set up for another Deep Freeze.

Passing by the pond....

I thought I'd go past the pond for a while now at least each time I went to town and back. 

How adorable is this? Mom or Dad [I can't tell which] were feeding the chick!

I was able to sit in my Subaru and watch them without disturbing them. 

I've discovered other birds that are coming to this area also. Now I wonder.

We've had a few very dry years and that caused the fast flowing stream here to slow down and sort of bog up. When that happened, the trout fisherpersons that used to visit with frequency at these spots has literally dried up.

I have not seen a fisherman in this area for over two years. I think the fisherman have gone to the spots with easier access? I don't know. 

So...

does that mean the birds are coming back? Does that mean that the birds are finding fish that they eat?

On Thursday the girls and I spotted the Great White Egret and...and... a Blue Heron.

Both birds were at the edge of the stream bank and it appeared that they were fishing. If they are finding food, that means the fish are in the stream.

If the fish are abundant in the stream, that means the stream is in good health.

Now I am not posting these shots with any indication of where they were taken on Social Media. My purpose is to enjoy viewing these birds on my trips to town --- or when I take a notion to drive to this spot.

In my mind Social Media that tags an awesome location for something like wild life or certain landscapes [that would be ruined by crowds] shouldn't be shared. 

Since most people literally fly past this spot and never slow down to look, I think the birds will be safe from harrassement.

I'd hope to see all of these birds a few more times. 

Ironwoods and trees

I don't know of many folks here in my area that love the Ironwood, in some places they are considered a pesky tree. Of course, I find it interesting in shape and form. The tree is also known as:

Hop-Hornbeam
Ostrya Virginia

This tree is not to be confused with the other Ironwood. Also called Musclewood or American Hornbeam.  Both trees live in the surrounding forests.

Here are the leaves in the winter. This is called marcescent leaves. Leaves that stay on the tree and don't fall off in the fall. Oak trees do the same things. The new buds push off the leaves in the spring. Some think that this provides better mulch for the tree. 

All I know, is that these trees are fun to look at in the winter. They are generally understory trees and are pretty abundant in forests that have been commercially logged.

The trees that are on the edge of the woods have their leaves torn off by wicked winter winds. In the winter you can see the male catkins that are produced in the summer. In the spring, the catkins spore and fertilize the female parts. 

I'm don't totally understand the whole process as this is all fairly new to me. 

If you are interested in seeing the photos and explanation, this is a good site to read:
Hop Hornbeam-Outdoor Learning.

It has taken me a few years and a new neighbor whose job is helping people with managing their forests in our county. He is a wealth of knowledge.

This spring I'll try and catch the catkins from the slippery elms, the boxelders, maples, oaks, birch, and the hop hornbeam. I'm pretty curious about how these trees 'do their' thing.

I've been working on this sort of ID project since 2010 with so many starts and stops and distractions along the way.

I can at least identify a few more trees now than in 2010.

This curlicue below is from a wild grape vine. This is part of the same vine that I made almost two whole batches of grape jelly. The second batch had to be mixed with wild apple juice I picked from the meadow trees.

I'm going to be sidetracked yet again by some nice weather. That means I'll go looking at KVR I hope to see if I can find some migrating birds in the ponds or perhaps some pussywillows.

Meanwhile, there is a NEW tougher Duckie in town!

 

Trail Camera Fun

It is so boring staying stuck inside for the deer gun season. Hubby doesn't like me going out in the woods at all for anything. However, I decided to take a short walk yesterday and refresh the camera SD cards in the woods.

Charlie and I both needed some outdoor air and some woods time. He needed more practice with his blaze orange vest. He did fine unless he was jumping logs and rocks. Sigh. So, on good trails, it is fine.

Still the colors keep him very visible. We were both in High Vis vests.

Anyway we found some amusing photos when we got back home.

Apparently some deer like 'Selfies'? 
Deer are supposed to be spooked by cameras. I have two in the woods and they stay in the same spot all of the time year 'round.

These two knuckle heads moved the camera on the tree. I have blurred shots of their noses I think, the camera moves and we see this:

The buck in this next picture actually has some nice antlers, when he walked away, we had a blurred view of some high and wide horns.

Then this guy came through....Wow!

I put one camera at a place I figured was a deer crossing from the neighbor's meadow into our summer pasture. There is a lot of traffic by deer back and forth through this spot.

And...something surprising!

Bobcat visit in the middle of the day!

And a 10 minutes later? Do we have a second bobcat or did the original one circle around?

My neighbor commented that these bobcats were pretty big and I guess they do look large, and certainly much larger than Charlie.

However they have been around since 2017 and haven't bothered any large livestock in the area. Their main meals are squirrels, rabbits, chickens, and small mammals. Apparently they will eat woodchucks and that is fine by me!

It is unusual to catch one on camera during the daytime though.

I've seen Bobcat tracks a lot last winter in this very same spot so I am guessing that they are just using the 'game' trail.

This trail is well used by deer, squirrels, raccoon, 'possum, and once in a while by turkeys so it makes sense to see the Bobcat hunting!

It is rather fun to see what goes on in our forest.

We aren't doing anything special for Thanksgiving. Hubby asked for BLT's as a special supper. Wow, that is great! Easy and delicious! I saved a pumpkin pie from the Mennonite bakery so I have to thaw that and we can have that as desert.

One little clump of Fungi

 

This little pretty clump grew on the log next to where I have one of my trail cameras. It was really small maybe an 1.5 inches across the top. I just grabbed a quick shot for a possible ID later. 
One of the books says it was a grey oyster mushroom. Though seriously? I'm not picking and eating things I don't know enough about.

I can forage quite a few wild plants, but the fungi/mushroom world is still a work in progress for me.

Day two...They are starting to look ragged and breaking down. Tiny insects were all over them. Small enough to be 'flea' sized!

The didn't smell bad but a flurry of tiny bugs flew up when I poked the fungi.

Day three, a bit more ragged! But very beautiful in the heat and oppressive humidity.

Okay....

Well, it may be a type of oyster fungi. And I DID get back there while checking fences and it just looked like a mess of slimly blob stuff.

And then...

it was gone as if it never was.

And this it is with fungi. It is there and then gone. 

I find it so incredibly fascinating.

Fungi, lichen, moss, all those little things in the woods that keep things interesting.

KVR Wintergreen Trail

It was so refreshing to get off the farm and do something fun after weeks of being stuck at home because of cold wicked weather. Bill and I headed out to the Wintergreen trail. Named for the pines that line the last portion of the trail on the bluff that was to be part of the Kickapoo Dam. It smells wonderfully fresh!

Charlie joined us and was our Scout. He seems to know he should follow the trail and to not get too far ahead of us. I'm guessing that all of my work and 'training' has paid off. [I use training loosely. I think Charlie has trained me.]

And yes he wears his beeper/vibrate collar on these hikes. When he piled out of the 'Ru he literally squealed and wiggled while he ran up to Bill. Bill patted him a bit and then it was all business.

I took my newly converted Oly camera which is set up for all light spectrums. The conversion is called Full Spectrum, which allows me to add a filter for normal light and then different IR spectrums. I only brought the 665nm filter and the 25mm lens.
On a 3/4 camera that is the same as a 50mm prime. I like to challenge myself sometimes with limiting how I can shoot. This can make my more creative or be a huge exercise in frustration.

I'm so lucky to have a good pal hiker that puts up with me. 

Shadows through a pine on the overlook bluff. Below is the river which was frozen over but melting. The ice was pitted, something we used to call Rotten Ice.

It is never a good idea to try and walk on river ice.

Bill, waiting patiently while I look around at the bluff.

Bill wanted to see the Ice Falls and we headed there. I should have had my YakTraks with but I'd forgotten them.

Never the less, I slipped, slid, and made my way down the old equine trail to the bottom of the dry run. 

This area never disappoints. I try to get there at least a few times during the winter to see where the water drips and freezes making the most beautiful Ice Falls I've ever seen.

2018

this was the end of March

Charlie was 8 weeks old and was

being held by friend of mine from Kenosha

February 2019

the ice falls being explored by my neighbor's son and dog

January 2019 

and then this year....

seen in Infrared 665nm spectrum 

and without the 665nm filter

With the internal filter removed, the colors are a bit different. AND the exposure is a LOT different. Apparently more light can get to the sensor which would make this difference. This is what makes this modification better for some astrophotography...I think. 

Near the end of the trail...

I never can get over the beauty of this section.

It generally leaves me breathless. When I come here alone, I generally spend quite a while on a log that acts as a perfect bench.

I can breath and just be silent if I wish to. 

We made out way back to the buildings and walked down to the bench where we could just sit and look down on the river.

Mother Nature is a marvel. 

In all things of nature...

The Mystical world of Infrared. 

Sometimes I take hikes and meander about on the least popular trails on KVR. 

These trails are unappreciated and often missed because they don't offer ice caves and magnificent wonders of the world.

One can imagine Tree Ents moving about on the bluffs with their gnarly twisted roots that seem to be able to hang on rocks with no effort.

Yet they can resist flash floods and high winds....

to teeter above...

ever watchful from the bluffs...

...

and guide you along a wonderous world of 

something else...

These are places that stop you in your tracks and humble you deep inside. If it doesn't, then you are not a living cognizant creature.

I took Bill along this trail.

I cannot tell you the joy I took in showing him this world of pines/bluffs/trails and snow.
He kept stopping in his tracks and saying:

"Oh wow. Oh Wow!"

Over and over again. 

He mourned over the fact that he'd lived in our area for nearly 26 years and had never explored this region.

Yes, his job, his family and bringing up children had been his priority. And now...

I could show him the magical landscape around him. 

As we parted ways at our vehicles, he asked me this.

"How did I not know about this before?"

My answer was fairly simple. I replied, "You didn't have time for it before."

In all things of nature

There is something of the marvelous.

~~ Aristotle