Holiday Walks in the Woods
with family...
The weather over the holidays was beautiful. This sunrise was a delight. A photographic shot I never get tired of is the sky contrasted with the earth
Both Asa and Johanna were home for the holidays and they joined me for a walk!
We encountered a tree down with branches across the trail, but we made quick work of clearing the branches away. I always carry a saw with me.
One day we encountered a number of interesting ice formations. I’d love to know more about what microenvironmental conditions are responsible for this formation.
Above is a close up of another formation.
And more.
One day Asa and I were joined by my brother-in-law William and sister-in-law Lisbon.
We encountered these puffball mushrooms.
And this black fungi I have never seen before.
I should have put something in for scale. The fungi on the left is close to a foot long.
It was so warm we saw several toads.
And this beautiful tiny orange mushroom.
We walked down by Cedar Creek and saw this beaver sign.
Life sprouts everywhere, even in the cold.
If you enjoy Cedar Creek Nature Notes, I encourage you to subscribe to my friend Larry Stone’s “Listening to the Land.” It’s fantastic. Larry has forgotten more than I will ever know about our outdoor world.
For another glimpse of the wonders of the Iowa outdoors, Diane Porter’s My Gaia is another Substack I enjoy. It’s full of observations on nature and is ripe with wisdom.
And don’t miss Al Batt’s Substack at Al’s Substack. Al Batt of Hartland, Minnesota is a writer, speaker, storyteller, and humorist. Al writes humor and nature columns for many newspapers and does regular radio shows about nature. He writes several popular cartoon strips that are syndicated nationally and is the author of the book, "A Life Gone to the Birds." He is a columnist for "Bird Watcher’s Digest" and “Watching Backyard Birds,” and writes for several magazines and books.
I’m a member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. Please sample the talents of my fellow collaborative members. If you can afford to be a paid subscriber, that would be great. If not, the vast majority of content is free. And here is a link to the Iowa Podcasters’ Collaborative, should you be interested. Check out my Substack Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture if you aren’t already a subscriber. My Iowa Revolution podcast with award-winning broadcaster Spencer Dirks can be found here.
This is so interesting. It's a lovely post.
And for what it's worth... I wonder if the hole with ice around the rim is where some warm-blooded creature sleeps, with its breath crystalizing around the door way.