“How many flutterings before they rest quietly in their graves! They that soared so loftily, how contentedly they return to dust again, and are laid low, resigned to lie and decay at the foot of the tree, and afford nourishment to new generations of their kind, as well as to flutter on high! They teach us how to die. One wonders if the time will ever come when men, with their boasted faith in immortality, will lie down as gracefully and as ripe.”
– Henry David Thoreau
To me late fall and winter are the seasons of browns and grays. The fall colors are gone, the leaves having fallen gracefully to the ground to return to the soil. The winter solstice is just around the corner and with it will come the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. So do we now resign ourselves to that long slog to spring?
Perhaps we tend to spend more of our days indoors now, eagerly awaiting that first spring flower. Our trips outside now might be a quick walk from our car to the store, home or office. For me though, it is a great time to be outdoors and discover the sights and sounds of this new season. So just as much of nature has fallen asleep, so much more comes alive during the winter months.
On an early morning hike in Brown County State Park, I experienced the sights and sounds of the winter landscape. I heard the rattle of the dry leaves of the pin oaks and beech trees in the early morning wind. The pine trees hummed their beautiful melody as the wind passed through their branches. I saw the greens of the cedar trees against the brown landscape. I discovered a turkey feather, its dark brown and white hash marks contrasted against a soft bed of pine needles. I heard the sound of sleet striking the dried leaves on the woodland floor. The traces of the animals that call the woods home were exposed on the ground; the chipmunk’s excavations, a ground hog’s burrow, a snake skin, and the nest of a field mouse. The skeletons of the goldenrod, winter sentinels, stood guard in a woodland meadow.
The leaves that once hid the intricate patterns of the tree branches were gone, exposing the unique shape of each tree. The bird and squirrel nests that were built to nurture last season’s young were now easily seen among the branches. The clouds hurtled through the sky and leaves tumbled along the ground, pushed by a brisk fall wind. Picking up a sugar maple leaf, I was reminded of more than just the winter months that lie ahead. I felt the spring sun, the nurturing rain, and saw the bright colors that will come once again and paint the land. There will certainly be dark, cold, snowy days ahead, but before spring awakens let’s brave the elements and take the time to explore our wonderful winter world. There is so much waiting to be discovered.
“When the leaves fall, the whole earth is a cemetery pleasant to walk in. I love to wander and muse over them in their graves. Here are no lying or vain epitaphs.”
– Henry David Thoreau
