Perfect ~ A lesson in a spring fed creek

Andrew Wyeth says it quite beautifully, but I do have to disagree with him on one aspect. Winter doesn't give me a Dead Feeling. Winter in the woods is not dead.
Winter gives me a feeling of wonder and awe.

Nature can throw blizzards at us whipping up beautiful windswept carvings called drifts. The snow can adorn trees and they bow their branches to nature. Winter creates frost on windows in exquisite patterns that no human can replicate.

Winter can literally take your breath away when you step outside. Things freeze. Cars won't start. 

In all its brutal behavior, it also creates infinite beauty.

Under the dark looking waters, creatures still stir. Tiny pouch snails are feeding on algae. Caddisflies are in their tiny stone houses are waiting for spring. Trout are eating nymphs and aquatic sow bugs that are hidden under pebbles and mud.

Any trail left in the valley is usually not human. The trails are a mixture of  deer, coyote, and raccoon, plus the occasional bobcat. Once in a while I come across a deer carcass or another carcass. The woodpeckers, blue jays, crows, and other birds are surprising visitors. They too, assist in the clean up of the land. Mice also benefit from chewing on the bones to add calcium to their diets.

Life goes on. It just seems to be so much quieter than in the warmer months. Or perhaps it just isn't as noticeable because rarely anyone sees these things.

These streams or creeks in our valleys are spring fed which means the water coming up out of the ground is about 45 F or 7 C. The water is warmer than the air which creates a moisture that freezes on anything just above the water.

That is why all of the grasses and rocks have beautifully formed frost on them.

Below is a stick that fell from the trees above and landed across some rocks. Frost built up on the stick to decorate it. This is why I go out in the cold and explore. These things fascinate me.

How can it be -7 F and the water still runs? How come the frost decorates the rocks, sticks, and grasses?

It sure took me a long time to figure these things out.

But years of observation have helped.

Perhaps winter is boring to many. Fortunately, I have access to a unique landscape.