Happy Holidays, everyone! We got five or six inches of snow over the weekend, bringing in the winter with style. I’m hoping for a little sunshine later this week, but I couldn’t wait and decided to take an afternoon walk under overcast skies at Lincoln Creek Prairie. It was a really pleasant hour of exploration. Here are a few of my favorite photos from that walk.

I wasn’t the only one who’d been in the snow today. Apart from another human and their dog(s?), there were a lot of rabbit and bird tracks. The birds had been busily feeding on seeds of various plants, including grasses, ragweeds, and a little tall boneset. I didn’t take the time to follow the rabbit tracks to see what they’d had been up to.

I dropped down to the creek briefly and looked for interesting patterns in the ice that was partially covering the water. The mud was soft enough to make it hard to walk around easily, so I didn’t stay long. I didn’t see any activity around the beaver lodge(s) so I wondered if they’d moved on or just hadn’t been active since it snowed.

After I climbed back up the steep stream bank, I spotted a flash of orange in the snow. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a patch of red fox fur. I’d love to know what caused the small clump of fur to fall on top of the snow, but either way, it was worth stopping to photograph it.

The only other bright colors I saw were from the stems and fruits (hips) of prairie wild rose. Even those colors were muted by the overcast light, but they still stood out nicely against a bluish white background. Other than those reds, most of the color I saw was the subtle gold, gray, and brown of dried grasses and wildflowers. Fortunately, I’m a fan of subtle. I like prairies, after all.

I’d debated whether or not to venture out today. The light wasn’t ideal for photography and it was nice and cozy in our house. As I told Kim, though, I knew I’d be glad I went. After all, there’s always something interesting to find in a prairie. 

I was right. 

It’s always nice to be right.

If you’re getting some time off from work this week, enjoy it! Regardless, I hope you all enjoy the remaining days of 2023!