I’m figuring out how to systematically inform subscribers of new blog posts. This will help you all to see us better. This is my first “automated” message, so it might not go flawlessly. There seem to be a lot of steep learning curves in developing a new business and website! I am continuing to try to write a short post about every two weeks, as my main method of communicating “what’s new in Iowisota”. To get notices of my posts, fill out the “join our mailing list” form that you will find in the footer of the webpages.
Meanwhile, this post is about what is being seen (or not seen) in nature right now. Spring is still here, but we have received much-needed precipitation in the form of snow the past few days, so some of the evidence is hiding! In my last blog post (It’s Time!), there was a picture of blooming spring beauty and foliage of appendaged waterleaf. I went back to where they were and found… snow! When I brushed away the snow, they were still happily hiding in the shelter of the log. Even the bright orange cinnabar polypore that I’ve been admiring along the trail all winter long was hiding beneath a cloak of snow. When this latest snow/sleet/rain finishes and we see the sun again, Spring will be back!
While I was out wandering the winter wonderland, I had to take a picture of a tree. I took several, but I’m only sharing one. I love to see the bare outline trees in winter, and soon they will clothe themselves with leaves. This is a young sugar maple, with snow accenting the branches to highlight its rounded canopy shape. Way up in the canopy, the opposite placement of the twigs gives another clue that it is maple. You can also tell it is a maple because if you look closely, you can see a white sap-collecting bucket hiding in the snow at the base of the tree! This is one of the last trees I tapped this season, and I haven’t pulled the tap on this one yet. I’m done making syrup for the season, but I have a hard time letting go, and I might just want one last cup of tea made with maple sap.
In addition to enjoying the change of seasons, we’ve been planning additional activities/events at Iowisota. There is still room in the Early Spring Wildflowers and Foraging with Chelsea Ewen Rowcliffe on April 27th and the Late Summer Foraging with Sam Thayer on August 10th. We’re about to post another event: Nature Photography with Gordon Dietzman on May 18th. We hope to see you here at Iowisota for one of our events!
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