Snow falling on maples

By CONNIE MERTZ

“I went to bed and it was October; when I woke up it was December,” said a friend commenting on our late October snow. It just didn’t seem fitting to see gobs of snow clinging to leaves of orange, yellow and red. But what a beautiful contrast in the woodlands. Yesterday afternoon, the day of the October snow, my husband and I went squirrel hunting; and again that weird sensation took over. Traipsing through three inches of snow, with a foggy sky and snow again beginning to fall, I had to pinch myself to remember I was hunting graybacks, not whitetails!

The snow continued the remainder of the afternoon allowing for poor visibility. In the woodlands, the continuous crashing of snow from atop tall pines and oaks fell with a thud. Young red maples that sprang up from past lumbering were U-shaped; their tops touching the ground. Some snapped under the weight of the heavy snow. Branches were down everywhere and they continued to fall as I stood against a pine.

Then I caught movement and I glassed my visitor who was unaware of my presence. It was a downy woodpecker preening himself contently. I watched as he gave himself a thorough washing, and as I quietly left the area, he never knew he had an observer.

Another inch or two freshened the snowy scene by this morning, and it is again a winter wonderland. Today, the scene is more profound! What a difference sunshine makes. It’s like nature is spotlighting her creation. The combination of snow and sun brings out the true brilliance of the maples in our yard and in our woodlands. The sparkling scene is just magnificent and I want to capture this radiance to enjoy over and over. What a blessing to experience a rare snowstorm in October.