Winter nature
The Hidden World Beneath the Snow: Who Lives Under a Winter Trail?
A smooth white forest floor can conceal tunnels, stored food and animals getting on with winter beneath your feet.
3 min readThe places behind the trail
Stories from Prince George and northern BC
Forest science, mountain landscapes and local history. Find another reason to get outside.
1 to 5 of 5 stories in Winter nature
Snow around trees and low plants at Moore’s Meadow, 28 December 2010. The space beneath a snow cover is hidden from this surface view.Andrew Kurjata · CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 · Noncommercial use only. Adaptations retain the image licence. Preserve photographer attribution and licence. Winter forest on the Cranbrook Hill Greenway, 22 December 2012.Andrew Kurjata · CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 · Noncommercial only Winter nature
Why the Forest Goes Quiet After Snowfall
Fresh snow changes the way a forest carries sound. The hush has as much to do with the spaces between crystals as with the winter landscape.
4 min readA close view of frost crystals at Haldi Lake, 10 November 2012.Andrew Kurjata · CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 · Noncommercial use only. Adaptations retain the image licence. Preserve photographer attribution and licence. Winter nature
When the Trees Grow Crystals: Hoarfrost on a Prince George Winter Morning
On the right morning, bare twigs acquire a delicate new outline. The crystals growing on them tell a story about invisible water and a cooling night.
4 min readWinter nature
Who Was Here Before You? Reading Animal Tracks in the Snow
A few prints across a snowy path can turn an ordinary walk into a story about movement, food and the neighbours you rarely see.
4 min readMountain caribou beside a snowy highway in the Kootenays, 20 March 2013. This British Columbia example illustrates the animals and winter habitat discussed; it is not a Prince George sighting.B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit · CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 · Noncommercial use only. No derivatives. Display the complete unaltered image. Preserve photographer attribution and licence. Winter nature
Why Deep Snow Matters to Mountain Caribou
For deep-snow mountain caribou, winter can lift the forest floor towards food hanging in the trees. Snow, lichens and old forest have to work together.
4 min read
