Category: winter
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When Trees Become Dead Wood
In many nature blogs, and travel vlogs the beauty of healthy majestic trees is rendered in photographs. Yes, that is what makes our heart beat accelerate. It speaks to a sense of beauty and aestetics. It calls up memories that strengthen our sense of perfection, tenderness and charm. However, trees die as we do, and…
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Do Trees have Personality?
Looking at photos of trees that I made recently I whispered to myself: such diverse personalities displayed here. Thinking about that expression I reminded myself that personality is a feature of humans, maybe of some animals. The critical organ that conveys personality is the brain. Trees do not have a brain in the usual parlance.…
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Tender Signs of Spring
Aren’t we waiting for decisive signs of spring? This longing stems from the inumerable disruptions of winter by burst of blue skies and warm temperatures that suddenly retrace to the cold of winter with low lying clouds and intermittent snow. On one of the recent days pointing to the warmer season to come, I shot…
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The End of Tree Life
The disappearance of the leaves on the trees and the retraction of greens on the ground in late fall free the view on trees. It is easy to distinguish healthy trees from sicklish or dying and dead ones. I am not always sure what I see. Is it the display of a late life cycle…
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Where is it?
The weather is still oscillating between winter and early spring. Albeit in mid-February, we are a long time before snow has disappeared for good. On some days the mountains are white like in deep winter and just a week later the snowmay only cap the summits. Perhaps some readers passing by my blog might ask:…
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Temperature Stress
The year started with moderate temperatures. Nature seemed to awaken from hibernation. But in mid-January icy temperatures and snow arrived in the Alps much to the enjoyment of skiers. The forests were hit with freezing temperatures challenging their resilience. Nature uses brief periods of temperature moderation to return to life and the next challenge that…
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Nature at Rest
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…
Vogelmoos Nature Reserve 