Last ice, Erisman

The thaw is on, and everything frozen is melting rapidly. But in the more shadowy hollows—er, to use my favorite bluegrass Southernism, hollers—of the deeper forest, it's still winter. This is certainly the case in a small vernal pool just off trailside in one of my go-to spots, the Erisman Woodlands, where the cold still reigns in a faux-spring-resistant microclimate. This once and future frog nursery knows a thing or two about deception, and the vernal is just not buying the weather. Well, not entirely. While the edges remained encased in ice, there's a growing puddle of meltwater in the center. There didn't, however, appear to be any lifeforms out for a swim on this almost-50s afternoon. Regardless of what the temperature has to say, the aquatic invertebrates and amphibians that will populate this pool in another month or two remain in winter-sleep. They're not dumb. Evolution has seen to that.