January 26th. Sepia experiments. Four inches of new snow yesterday; a major storm predicted for tonight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 30th. Sunday. First time at the marsh since the Wednesday-Thursday storm dumped roughly 20" more snow on us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Side by side tracks of skiers and snowshoers.

 

Everything coated in rime.

 

 

 

January 31st.  Sunny and very cold.  Snow again tomorrow.

 

 

 

Kilroy?

 

February 3rd.  Aftermath of yesterday's ice storm seen at Lyman Viaduct.  Snowshoes recommended.

 

The trees remain coated in ice.

 

We've had a lot of snow lately.  (Stating the obvious.)

 

Animals hardly affect the thick crust atop the snow.

 

February 5th. Dark clouds to the southwest portend today's predicted snow and rain.

 

Snowshoes remain the best option for the deep crusted snow.

 

February 7th.  Layers of ground fog above the marsh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Same day, around noon.  Temp roughly 40 degrees.  Winter Stoneflies (Family Nemouridae) were numerous on the surface of the snow near the Route 85 trailhead.

 

 

 

Two legs missing, this Crane Fly (Family Tipulidae) flew just fine.

 

An inchworm (Family Geometridae) about 15mm long. Bernd Heinrich in "Winter World" determined that inchworms are a primary winter food item for Golden-crowned Kinglets (Regulus satrapa).  The birds forage for them incessantly through the trees even on the coldest days.  He collected caterpillers by rapping on the trunks of small trees and sorting amid the debris that fell to the snow below.  The caterpillars, frozen solid, soon revived in his lab.

 

According to UConn's David Wagner, this is most likely Protoboarmia porcelaria, the Dash-lined Looper.

 

 

 

A Long-jawed Orb Weaver spider (Tetragnatha sp.).