In Nature, Everything is a Compass!
Nothing in nature is symmetrical. When we stop to ask ourselves what causes the asymmetries we find outdoors, suddenly everything we see becomes a compass.…
Tag: snow
How Do Trees Know When It’s Spring
How Do Trees Know When It’s Spring? Broadleaf trees have to work out the best time to come into leaf each year, they need to…
Big Snowflakes Mean Mild Air
Really large snowflakes can only form when the edges of smaller snowflakes are still sticky and liquid. This happens when snowflakes pass through air that…
Natural Navigation using Snow on Trees
In winter there are lots of new clues formed by the snow, including the strips of snow we find on the windward side of trees.…
The Temperature Rises Before Snow Arrives
The temperature often rises just before it snows, but why? When it is very cold in winter, we instinctively feel that snow is likely. It…
Ice Wall in Finland
I’ve just received another fascinating email from ‘Chris in Finland’: I took this photo a few days ago on Lake Näsijärvi, Tampere, Pirkanmaa, Finland. This…
Snow Signs in Finland
My thanks to Chris, who writes with some very interesting observations from the Kangasala region of Finland: “In the first picture (above), if you look…
The Case of the Lost Flamingo
Have a good study of the picture above. Something looks out of place, but what is it? It is tempting to think that this snowy…
Snow that Survives
There is plenty of snow on this tree stump, but very little nearby, why? The stump means that the tree that was once there has…