week 1: 22 December - the sun rises on a new year.
2: vole tracks are found when the snow is too shallow for tunnels. Small rodents are almost non-existent on the meadow - these were the only tracks I found the whole winter.
3: hidden life in the meadow - pupae and larva in a goldenrod gall, and the wasp that hatched indoors a month later.
4: snow falling.
5: squirrel tracks in fresh snow.
6: the lack of snow this year doesn't stop determined skiers.
7: 20 below is a safe time to investigate wasp nests.
8: at last the snow is deep enough for snowshoes to be useful.
9: bird nests have top hats of snow.
10: snow dunes form in windy areas.
11: the NCC ban on motorised vehicles doesn't stop snowmobiles from private entrances.
12: an early warm spell produces moisture-compacted snow and wet spots in depressions.
13: ground fog results when warm air meets cold earth where wind has blown away insulating snow.
14: snow collects on mullein stalks on the east side, our prevailing wind direction during snow storms.
15: spring thaw resumes.
16: the snow is almost gone from sunny areas, but -6C nights ensure that only lichen and mosses can use the sun.
17: an Isabella caterpillar is looking for a place to pupate
18: smooth brome is the first grass to start growth.
19: the first flowers of spring: Tussilago forfora near a stream attract early pollen lovers.
20: wild strawberries are in bloom.
21: blooming shrubs abound with the promise of fall fruit - these are wild apples.
22: nannyberry provides delicious late summer berries.
23: silvery cinqfoil brightens paths in dry sunny areas.
24: wild madder turns many areas gleaming white, wild caraway others.
25: the spectacular seed heads of goatsbeard rise above speckles of blue vetch; the foreground is bladder campion, our longest-blooming meadow flower.
26: waving fields of smooth brome flowers appear. Brome and timothy were grown over much of the area when it was farmed.
27: monarch butterflies replace their lookalike viceroy once milkweed begins to bloom.
28: raspberry season begins.
29: viper's bugloss, Queen Anne's lace and red sumac in a dry area.
30: honeysuckle berries are eaten by birds such as cedar waxwing, who spread the seeds effectively; most are toxic to mammals like us that don't.
31: a song sparrow uses a mullein stalk still standing from last year as a territorial watch point.
32: Queen Anne's lace lines the southern path.
33: a magnificent bull thistle will provide seed for small finches even through the deepest snow.
34: milkweed has gone to seed.
35: goldenrod and loosestrife begin to bloom.
36: wild cucumber along the south path.
37: the promise of crabapple jelly.
38: smooth brome puts on its fall colour.
39: a solitary Japanese barberry flaunts its scarlet fruit.
40: normally nocturnal, red-bellied snakes can be found sunning themselves on cool autumn days.
41: October brings fields of New England asters.
42: wild grapes are ready for harvest.
43: the surrounding trees are changing colour.
44: milkweed fluff briefly covers the meadow.
45: a clump of asparagus keeps its colour late.
46: a grey fall day.
47: rain drops add sparkle to leafless twigs and berries.
48: bird nests, so carefully hidden during nesting season, are easy to find now.
49: the meadow is covered with the soft brown seed heads of asters, which normally disperse here over snow but this year will land directly on damp earth.
50: the first snowfall glitters in the sun.
51: the freeze-thaw cycles of early winter make the paths treacherous, but lesser-walked areas are firm.
52: even noon shadows are long on the shortest day of the year.