When you live in Florida it is easy to be complacent with the sub-tropical climate. I lived most of my life up north on Long Island where there are four entirely different seasons, each with their own beauty, each with their own challenges for organisms that survive there. On a walk through the Maryland woods, I observed the survival of nature on this winter’s day.

Deciduous trees and shrubs shed leaves and shut down for the winter, the elements of life stored in cambium and roots for re-growth in the spring. Fish lay dormant and frogs hibernate beneath the ice on the frozen pond.  Buffleheads, canvassbacks and ring-necked ducks, migrants from northern U.S. and Canada find watery openings in the pond to eat plants, fish and other organisms. It truly s amazing how life prevails despite adversity of the winter climate.