Under the cloak of winter lies a miracle

"Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle ... a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream." - Barbara Winkler

While I am not a gardener by nature, I am a fan of nature and watching things grow. Nature has always intrigued me watching the cycle of life as I continue to grow older. This week, I revisited a nearby Reserve just to get out in the sunnier but colder days. Our February around here has been nothing but grey upon grey days and it was good to not only see the sun making efforts to break out but also to be out in it as it does. Monday was a partially sunny day, but Friday was a sparkling delight.

This shot was taken in what is normally a bright grassland prairie within the Reserve.

Winter has a way of showing nature in repose but also filled with promise. February is particularly attractive to me as it is the month of my birth. But it is also considered one of the cruelest months here in the Midwest when the snows can be the heaviest and the temperatures the coldest. Whether you abide by the theories of global warming or not, these past years in February have been abnormal. Normally there is lots of snow on the ground, but this year we have had barely any accumulation of the white stuff.

Going back to the Reserve on Friday, it was a remarkably clear but very cold day with temperatures hovering in the teens.

I love hiking on these days as the place seems to be only for the brave. The ground in early morning contained delicate ground sticks embraced by spikey frozen frost along the pathway. Many of the dormant plants were filled with bits of frozen water from past rains.






The Reserve contains some beautiful examples of nature including those developed by man. It contains several ancient giants of nature – massive Oak trees over 550 years old.

Originally one of three large Oaks in the immediate area - they were called the "Three Sisters" though years ago lightning brought down one of them. Though only two survive, the name remains.







There is also the Osage Tunnel, a human manipulated row of Osage Orange trees creating a natural tunnel as one walks through it.

Though the squirrels and other creatures take care of cleaning up, these trees produce large orange-shaped fruit which fall all around them.









Author Edwin Way Teale wrote: “Our minds, as well as our bodies, have need of the out-of-doors. Our spirits, too, need simple things, elemental things, the sun and the wind and the rain, moonlight and starlight, sunrise and mist and mossy forest trails, the perfumes of dawn and the smell of fresh-turned earth and the ancient music of wind among the trees.” This is why I find hiking in winter particularly refreshing. Ohio has much to offer to one who is willing to get out, embrace the cold, and spend time privately communing with our Mother Earth.