Yes, there probably will be much more snow and cold weather coming, but by the end of February we notice circles of bare ground around tree trunks. This sure sign of the changing of the seasons is very welcome. In a little more than a month, we might find some green grass or other growing plants in these spots.
The increased amount of daylight makes for lighter days. Sunlight is mostly reflected off snow but not off dark tree bark, which absorbs heat from the lengthening light and slowly radiates it back to the surrounding snow. The melted snow might extend out form trees several inches to a foot or so. Because evergreens with branches way down near ground level have shaded trunks, snow melt around them is not likely, but in the maple-basswood forest or around other deciduous trees, the snow melt tells us that winter is losing its grip.
JIM GILBERT
