Snow softens, silences, slows, suspends.  There is a quietness, a deliberateness as the swirling flakes pass through the world on their way to whatever is topmost in their path.

The simplest snowflake is a six-sided prism with two basal facets and six prism facets.  Depending on how this most basic snowflake develops, it can be long and narrow or short and squat.  As it grows, it can vary greatly in shape and size.  Temperature and humidity determine the type of snowflakes that develop.  The higher the humidity, the more complex the snowflakes.   The diagram shows how these variables affect the type of snowflake created. (The prism graphic and chart are from a Caltech website.)

You can get a good look at snowflakes by using some black felt or construction paper and a magnifying glass.  When it begins to snow, place the felt or paper on the ground.  As snow collects on the material or paper, study them through the magnifying glass, taking note of similarities and differences.

You can also preserve snowflakes to study them in greater detail and, if your heart desires, pull them out on the hottest days of summer!  Here’s what you need:

• a flat piece of glass or glass microscope slides
• a can of plastic spray (Krylon Spary Coating)
• ice crystal identification chart
• magnifying glass
• a box big enough to contain the glass

Here’s what you do:

1. Clean off the piece of glass.
2. Chill the spray and piece of glass in the refrigerator or in the cold outside.
3. When it snows, bring your materials outside and spray the glass lightly with the plastic spray.
4. Catch a few snowflakes on the glass, then quickly put the glass in the box to keep too many large flakes from crowding the ones you’ve already collected.
5. Go inside and let the slides or glass sit in the box for 15 minutes without touching it.

The snowflakes will melt, but their shape will remain for as long as you keep the glass.  (From a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website)

Fall and winter are battling for supremacy over the North Country. Winter slings its arrows of sleet and snow; fall retaliates with rain and sodden wind blown leaves. Forces of change are afoot. We know from years of observation and experience that winter will eventually win and reign supreme until spring rises to challenge winter’s title.

Now is a wonderful time to get outside, note, and think about the seasonal changes surrounding us; for nature’s dynamism is most evident during times and at places of great transformation. Getting outside with young people can be especially rewarding as they may notice things our older and somewhat hardened senses may overlook.

The first step is to dress appropriately. Like our fellow mammals, additional layers of insulation will protect us from the elements. Layers are preferable to a ski jacket, for example, because we can take layers off and put layers on according to our need. Hats are important; a significant percentage of our body heat escapes through our heads! Warm mittens or gloves, socks, and good boots keep our extremities from getting cold.

I’m a big fan of wool as it keeps us warm even when wet. Silk or synthetic wicking materials, worn next to our skin, promote the movement of heat-sucking moisture away from our bodies and also help keep us warm.

Once outside, wherever you are, be still for a few moments to allow your mind and thoughts to transition. Attune your senses. If you want to warm-up your senses, try one or more of the activities described in the September 7, 2011 post, Using Your Senses.

Now, begin to explore. Look, listen, smell, and feel for the changes around you.

Photo: Gerald J. Lenhard

I’ll use insects as an example. Insects are less prevalent than they were a few weeks ago. (Though, while in New Jersey over Thanksgiving, we heard crickets!) The question that pops immediately to mind is, "Where did they go?" Possible answers I come up with include: they died; they migrated; and, they are in a protective shelter. The next question I ask is, "Why are they no longer here?" My guess is either their physiological makeup prevents them from surviving the harsh realities of winter or their food is unavailable. I could take this a step further by asking what factors determine whether a species dies, migrates, or seeks shelter locally. One guess revolves around the species’ mobility because a flightless insect would have a hard time migrating far enough to escape our winter climate. Another guess considers the species’ reproductive strategies. For example, if the species has laid eggs that overwinter, surviving to spring is less important. In my mind, this then leads to the question, "How does this change enable insects to persist?" Well, if certain insects did not migrate or seek shelter locally, the species would no longer be found in this area.

Frankly, I don’t know the correct answer(s) to several of these questions. It matters more that you question and reason than be right.

To encourage variety, challenge yourselves to note at least one change that pertains to each of the following: sight, sound, smell, touch, plant, and animal. 

I’d love to read of the changes you’ve identified!

Photo by: MPF

Birdwatching is one of the most inclusive activities I can think of.  You can travel the world looking for species to add to your life list; or, you can sit at your kitchen table and watch your outdoor feeders and/or plant life for avian visitors.  You can be an expert who identifies birds by sight and sound; or, you can simply look and listen to the variety of shapes, colors, sizes, songs, and calls.  You can be equipped with binoculars or spotting scopes and the latest and best field guides; or you can use only your eyes and/or ears.  You can do it alone; or, you can share the activity with family or friends.  You can be on this earth for twenty-five years, ninety-five years, or five years. 

As the weather gets cold, and it will, believe me … gathering around the kitchen table and making simple birdfeeders to hang on nearby plants will bring you enjoyment and the birds much-needed energy to survive what winter throws at them.

Making pine cone feeders is an easy activity that takes about one hour and is appropriate for ages 3 and older.  An adult is needed for some steps and overall supervision.

Materials needed include:

Pitch pine (l) and white pine (r) cones

• Pine cones.  Where I live, white pine and pitch pine cones that have opened, having spaces to hold the feed, are available.  Any opened pine cone will work.  Approximately 4 white pine cones or 8 pitch pine cones are needed.  
• Wax paper.
• Heavy string.
• Sauce pan.
• Wooden spoon.
• Cheese cloth.
• 2 bowls.
• 1 cup suet.  This can be found in the meat section of your local grocery store.
• 1 cup peanut butter.
• 1 cup corn meal.
• 1 cup rolled oats.
• 1 cup wild birdseed.

Directions: 

1. Spread one placemat sized piece of wax paper for each person participating on a table.
2. Tie some heavy string around one end of each pine cone.  You will hang the feeder with this string when finished.
3. Place a pinecone and some birdseed onto each piece of wax paper.
4. Cut the suet into small pieces and place in sauce pan.  Melt over low heat, stirring occasionally. 
5. While suet is melting, mix together peanut butter, corn meal, and oats in a clean bowl.
6. Strain the melted suet through cheesecloth into a clean bowl.  Cool slightly.
7. Pour melted and slightly cooled suet into mixed ingredients and blend thoroughly.
8. Making sure the mixture is warm or cool to the touch, press the mixture into the pine cones.
9. Roll pine cone in the bird seed.
10. Hang outside.

I suggest hanging the feeders in or close to protective cover such as shrubs or trees.  If you intend to watch the feeders from indoors, be sure you can see them from the viewing window.

For some more easy-to-make birdfeeders, the Audubon Society website has some great suggestions.

Have fun!

It’s so easy getting caught up in each day’s To Do List.  We power through the hours only to fall into bed and sleep, or toss ‘n turn, whatever our habit.  Eyes turn inward.  Mentally, we walk up and down the aisles, pulling tomorrow’s To Do List items off the shelves, shelves stocked with things we do every day, things we’d like to do but continually pass on, and things we haven’t even noticed because we’re so busy maneuvering the cart.

For me, fall’s foliage is akin to crashing the cart into a display.  I can’t help but stop, refocus, and stare.  It’s big; it’s bold; it’s beautiful.  It’s not to be ignored.  It’s one of the year’s biggest specials and it has an expiration date. 

Enjoy it!  Take some time with family and friends.  Go for a walk or spread a blanket and yourselves.  Look up and down.

There are several Native American stories about how/why the leaves change color.  The one I read most often tells the story of sky-bound hunters who kill a great bear (The Big Dipper).  The bear’s blood, as it falls from the sky, turns some leaves red.  As the hunters cook the bear meat in a big kettle, bear fat splatters and falls to earth, turning other leaves yellow and orange.

It’s fun to share this story with family and friends while admiring fall’s colors.  It’s also fun to create your own stories explaining the season’s palette.  Develop your stories individually or collectively.  Encourage the younger participants to write up the stories and accompany them with drawings.  Dramatizing the stories is another possibility. 

These stories can become part of your family’s or group’s lore and shared every year.  Share them with us if you’d like!

Tonight, while constructing tomorrow’s To Do List, be sure to put Leaf Peeping at the top.  Looking inward is important.  Looking outward is, too.