Snow

Not long ago I shared my love of snow and how much we needed it to provide much needed spring moisture.  Well, I got my wish - a snow storm like I haven't seen since I was a kid.  Nearly 24 hours of snow and wind left drifts nearly waist high in my yard and even deeper in some places.  That hasn't slowed the deer; their deep tracks in the snow around the feeders show that they have been active.  The snow against the windows at work show clearly the layers built up through the storm as the snow texture changed and then drifted in.  Even in an all white material the layers are obvious.  I read recently about red squirrels burrowing through the snow, something I first heard of years ago and have long hoped to see.  Apparently in really deep snow they will virtually swim through the snow, porpoising out occasionally to get their bearings.  I've found evidence of voles beneath the snow, their little tunnels left in the melting snow come spring.  This is an excellent example of the insulating power of snow.  Even with temps below zero, the snow provides enough insulation that at ground level the temps remain just below freezing, several degrees warmer than the air.  The birds were very active throughout the storm, coming and going between the various feeders outside my office window.