A day before the ground became covered with snow again, I visited the Redstone Quarry to see what changes had been made since the previous month.
The major change was that the water had frozen over, not enough to walk on by any means, but enough to show that Winter is here. The reeds that previously were tall and healthy were now dehydrated and frozen in the water. The green algae in the water was also frozen in place.
The forest area of the Quarry felt much more open with the leaves of the deciduous trees now mostly fallen. Knowing that the frogs/toads that inhabit this area may be hibernating beneath the leaf litter was something I thought about while walking through the quarry. I recently learned that when trees lose their leaves, a corky abscission layer forms where the leaf stem was attached to prevent transpiration from the tree and help it conserve water through the Winter. This is just one of the amazing adaptations that the natural world has to survive the seasons.
I saw and heard the chickadees and sparrows again, who do not migrate south but stay active through the Winter here. I will say they looked a bit fluffier than before. I did not see the rabbit that I had last time, and if there was snow on the ground I would have loved to search for its tracks. I did see some dog scat and prints in the mud, which is not surprising since it is often used by locals to walk their dogs. The Redstone Quarry has continued to prove itself as a successful socioecological site.