Vogelmoos Nature Reserve

All through the middle of December 2023 there was color in the landscape albeit mostly brown tones, in the forests and the plants along the waterlines of the ponds. The temperatures were moderate and although the days were short, the sun was shining on many of them. With the turn of the year cold weather has been firming its grip on the outdoors. We have had much fog, low clouds and it has snowed quite a bit. Even in the lower regions of the Nature Reserve which is aproximately 2300 feet above see level, snow has been covering the meadows, the trees and the ground of the forests. It has gotten very cold in recent days, the chill factor adding to the unconfortable feeling and forbidding long stays in the outdoors to take picutres.

Winter tests the resilience of nature at large and of trees in particular. The icy cold and intermittent strong winds felled trees that were ill prepared to nature’s stresses. We haven’t had any winter storms, yet, just the usual cold and blustery weather around this time of the year. There will be more adverse events teasing the forests before the season of rebirth and growth starts again.