Monday, February 20, 2017

Creeks are Opening Up

When we get warm weather at this time of year all the streams start opening up.  What was an expanse of white becomes broken with the dark channels of streams draining all that meltwater.  It's barely started, but it's rapidly becoming obvious in this early spring week!

The springs that feed Wodehouse Creek are just at the back of this picture, between us and that barn.

It flows under the road and east into a large marsh.  The enormous flow of spring water helps keep the stream open almost year round.

At the end of the marsh, it flows through a large beaver pond that I've described before.  The pond is still frozen (in the background), but the stream below is now partly open.

I've taken pictures of this view over many seasons, and I'll be back to show you how the water rises over the next few weeks.

The creek flows through a long forested section that's a difficult walk to get into, through the former mill pond and Wodehouse, and out here into a pasture.  In a few weeks the water level here will be considerably higher.


The views I check most, to see if the water level is rising, are these two.  And because I photographed them only 4 days ago, I've got comparison pictures.

This was a snowy day 4 days ago, before our current warm spell.

And across the road is where the ephemeral spring lake forms when the water level gets really high and can't all drain down the sinkholes of the karst.  More than once we've put canoes in here and paddled the flooded lake that results.

Good comparison, don't you think?  Lucked out on lining those two pairs of shots up almost identically.  And I'll be getting more shots here as the water rises.  Because the snow will stay a long time yet, and the leaves won't be out until mid-May, the opening of streams like this is one of the main visible features of spring taking over the landscape in the valley.

 Time to get back to a few of those memes I favour too.
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19 comments:

  1. Lovely photos . It has been wonderfully warm down here with lots of sunshine a teaser of spring me thinks lol ! Thanks for sharing , Have a good day !

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  2. The colour of the water in the first shots is beautiful! It mirrors the sky!

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  3. Hope it continues to warm without further Snowfall to hamper the start of Spring.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  4. a great comparison!! you have some beautiful soft colors in these images...looks like it will be more like "mud" season there!!

    really pretty images!!!

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  5. Great comparisons indeed. You need to stand in the same spots again.

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  6. It is amazing what a few days of mild weather can do. Bring it on.

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  7. Down here, I am judging the approach of Autumn with the leaves on a tall tree across from us. It has already started to turn a golden yellow at the very top. And for spring, I guess as bulbs start to shoot out from the cold winter soil. But your comparison several days apart is stunning. And the photos taken at the same place, gives us a great way of seeing how snow changes the ground so completely, and suddenly those water channels show up again.

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  8. Nice comparison FG. With the expected temperatures over the coming week we can expect to see significantly more melt and quite possible a complete absence of snow in some areas ... not exactly the winter that was forecast back last year.

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  9. Leaves don't come out until mid-May? By that time our tulips are all done and it almost seems like summer. Great comparison shots. :-)

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  10. Your photos brought back pleasant memories for me of cross country skiing in early Spring like conditions. Nice to see and hear the sounds of melting snow and running water. And grass finally beginning to appear through the snow is also a welcome 'feeling good' boost.

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  11. Spring is in the air though probably a little early. Great photos.

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  12. What a difference just a few days can make!

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  13. Nice comparison shots. Our snow is almost gone now, with just the stuff hiding in the shady spots. For such a big storm it sure did melt away quickly! Our highs have been around 13C over the long weekend ... even had the windows open a bit when the sun was shining ;)

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  14. Let the spring melt begin! Love the blue water against the snow.

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  15. I think the snow enhances the already lovely scenery.

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  16. More beautiful photos. I love them all.

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  17. HI Furry...
    Beautiful!
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  18. I love those comparison shots. I would love being out in that area.

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  19. Good comparison shots of the progression of spring:)

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