On the Trails of IES

Trail Report for February 16, 2005

45°F, cloudy, and breezy at 12:30 PM.
A great variety of footing conditions will be encountered; ice patches hide well on pine needles.
The dead tree across the path through the Norway Spruce Glade has been cleared.

Snows on the Old Hayfields continue their decline from last week.
And so, a woodchuck hole emerged on the Sedge Meadow Trail.
Curiously, many rodent tracks eminated from said hole.
The fungus on the Old Oak continued its decline.
Skunk cabbage was raising its hooded flower in the Sedge Meadow proper and Mosses were greening.
The old pasture was host to countless springtails this day.
Even in decay, ice along the Wappingers Creek presented interesting sights.
My guess is that there must be a great root beneath this structure.
The foot bridge at the "Appendix" is accessable and still in its upland posture.
On the Cary Pines Trail I came upon what looked like an owl pellet, the orally expelled undigestable remains of an owl's meal.
Closer inspection verified my suspicions.
The dead tree across the path through the Norway Spruce Glade has been cleared.
More rodent tracks under the snow were emerging on the way to the Fern Glen.
They were quite a network among distinct hubs.
As last week, the Creek could be heard from a good distance.
The bottom of the Old Gravel Pit was an expanse of solid ice.
Back at the Carriage house was a definate sign of Spring: maple sugaring!