Nature Notes by T. Peter

We recently had the joy (maybe not for everyone) of a fresh blanket of snow on our region.  The Friends School campus was decorated with this beautiful, fresh layer of snow. The Kindergarten class and I read Snowflake Bentley (about a Vermont man who discovers that each snowflake is different) and then went outside with sheets of black paper to catch those flakes and to see the crystals ourselves. The following day upon walking from my truck to the Hanshi building to begin another school day, I noticed a set of tracks in the snow that perked my interest. Dog? Cat? Fox? Yes! While we were all away from school, a red fox took a stroll across the playground and down toward the soccer field. Later that day during our Outdoor Learning class, the fifth grade and I followed those same tracks and discovered other tracks from other creatures that danced on this layer of early December snow.  Here is a snippet from last year’s blog:

We noticed lots of animal activity due to the tracks in the snow. One of the students commented, “Wow, I never realized we had so many creatures on our campus!” There were tracks of deer, feral cat, birds, raccoon, gray squirrel, and some other mystery marks (possibly a red fox). Often we think that nature is on hold during times like these, but the blanket of snow tells a different story.  The covering of snow becomes a text filled with anecdotes and messages. As the ODL classes walked along the edges of campus, we began to identify the tracks using clues of habitat, track pattern, and any other auxiliary signs. The gray squirrel has “four-print” tracks leading to or from a tree. Some cracked nuts were also helpful as auxiliary evidence. The red fox, one of my all-time favorite creatures, leaves a doglike paw print in a straight line usually across open fields or on the edges.  Each print is rounded and may have impressions from footpads and toenails. The four-print track of a hopping cottontail looks as if it were put together backwards. The two side-by-side marks from the rabbit’s large hind feet come first, showing where the animal landed. Just behind come two smaller front footmarks, indicating where the rabbit pushed off. You can often find gnaw marks on the trunks of trees or shrubs. The white-tailed deer leaves the familiar sharp-pointed, heart-shaped track. Take a walk and discover for yourself how winter is an excellent season for reading the daily wildlife news written in tracks!

So do take a walk with your children on a cold winter afternoon and share together the signs that have been left behind by your “other” neighbors!  Enjoy!