The frosty morning softened as the sun made its way around each corner of tree branch and tree trunk. Soaking up this new warmth from the entrance of a wood duck nest box was a squirrel who peeked its head out.
Clumps of crescent-shaped seed pods embellished a dried plant that stood a few feet tall. The plant lined an open trail and called for a closer examination.
The ice over the pond was thinning, betraying the dark water beneath its increasingly transparent surface. A trio of beavers was there.
