Nature Study - Pond - December

December has been a very busy month for us and the days just zipped on by. We almost missed our pond study. Brian and the kids had gone skiing earlier, but when they got home we decided to venture out and see what was happening at the pond.

All was frozen over with just a dusting of snow that we received in the morning. It always amazes me how quickly changes occur usually because of the weather. All the water birds are gone and we heard very few song birds. It was cold and windy. Of course all the aquatic life has either gone into hibernation or is happily living under the ice. I'm hoping to get out on the ice next month and drill a hole or two and see what we can see.

There were lots of seeds from various plants. The red sumac seed heads are so pretty this time of year.

We spotted this weaver nest...most probably around here from an Oriole.

The acorn was tucked into this rotting tree. We did not place it here. Rachel and I thought it funny.

There were some fungus plants scattered around on trees and branches. This downed-tree was covered.

Now here is some evidence of life. A beaver must be visiting this tree. There was quite a pile of wood chips at the base.

Hannah and Dan spend most of their time throwing rocks on the ice trying to break it. It was much thicker than I thought it might be. Before long we will see Ice Fishermen frequenting the lake.