On February 12, that Saturday’s balmy weather demanded a trip down the trails to see what was up. Here, a month before their prime last year, the snowdrop bed on the Railroad Trail, 50 yards up from the bridge is just emerging (left) . The characteristic notched blossom (right) can just be seen behind a diaphanous veil in the topmost bud.
At this point I had the good fortune to encounter Len Cebula who told me to look for beaver-downed trees by the river at the beginning of the Stepping Stone trail off Y10.
There they are the stump of one tree in the foreground and one in progress (left)! Equally impressive, they’re 30 feet or so from the river (right).
This tree is as thick as my arm! How astonishing, the size of the individual wood-chips!
An explanation of this feat of forestry starts of course with the beaver’s dentition. The massive incisors, top and bottom, are well forward of succeeding teeth.
Text and photos: Fred Kahan