PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Winter in British Columbia

Half way through another semester of college in Florida, I can't help but become a little home sick. All around me is sunshine, white sand, and humidity. However, earlier this month the temperature dropped and I was almost compelled to put on a sweater. The crisp air made me think of home. And, with that, this post will feature a picture of Cedar Lake, one of my favourite tromping places back home. I took the photo January 17 of this year (2013) over Christmas break on Vancouver Island near the city of Campbell River. It was one of those spur-of-the moment sort of things where I turn to Dad and say, "Do you want to go somewhere and do something?" We made the right choice, because snow is rare near the coast where I live and it was fascinating to find tracks of deer, elk, and cougars in the snow and look out across the frozen lake as mist rose up between the evergreens. Yes, evergreens. Oh, how I miss the Douglas-fir!

Snow in a Rainforest?

I know it looks more like the boreal forests of Russia but this is a rain forest. Situated a little higher in elevation and farther north than the deciduous-based forests of southern Vancouver Island, at least some snows fall here each winter. The surface in the foreground will become the lapping water of Cedar Lake come the spring. This was taken in early January.

This stand of red alder looked
unusual with all the snow. Dancing
and darting through the snags were
a number of winter wrens.

As is evidenced by my other posts on this site (of a paleontological content, primarily) I have not been actively involved in the outdoors this winter. I did make a few short trips, however, and I think it is enough to make a post out of it. My artistic side came out in many of these winter photos. The first set is from Sorries Beach area, just south of Campbell River on Vancouver Island.

This looks warm, but check out the snow in the bottom left.
There is a lot of greenery in a temperate rainforest,
even in winter, because of the evergreen trees, ferns,
and mosses.

The temperate rainforest takes on a tranquil, quiet feel in winter when the snow falls. What was once clothed in the rich greens of spring, treefrogs singing, warblers and flycatchers darting through the leaves, suddenly falls silent. Only the winter wrens remain, flitting softly through the snags and piping away angrily when there meagre foraging is interrupted. Snow doesn't fall often in these temperate rainforests, but when it does, it flattens the evergreen ferns and one almost forgets they are there.
Besides hardy little birds, the big game moves into the low land forests from the harsher alpine. Rather, the dear step lightly and the bears plod on through the undergrowth, shaking the snow off the ferns as they spring up gasping in their wake.

This Douglas-fir branch looks cold and icy. The frost can be seen coating the leaves. However, check out the photograph bellow.

In this photo of the same limb, it looks warm and fresh, like a spring morning. Why the sudden change? It's all about what you want to see.

A cougar track seen near Farewell
Lake.

Away from the coasts of the island, the snow is deeper and the air cooler. Even the lakes, if the sea denies them a thawing wind from the south, will freeze over. My dad and I where able to make a trip up to some of these lakes this winter and have a look around. Many elk tracks were seen and, surprisingly, I few deer. Usually deer don't dwell so near to elk, which can carry diseases that the dear aren't resistant to. More interesting however was a cougar track way. It is probably the same cougar that I usually see signs of in that area during camping trips on the lake. Thanks to a couple turkey vultures, I was able to find an old, buried kill.

Most of the lakes north-island look more like this one (Farewell Lake), maintaining open water except near the shore.