Mud!
Last week’s snowstorm dropped 36” on us here in Bailey. The past 10 days has been clearing heavy, wet snow and much melting as temperatures rose. Much of that snow is still with us as another storm is now beginning to dump. 8-20” expected this time. The cycle will repeat next weekend. Working our way through the muddy driveway and roads reminded me of this post from last March. Its truths still holds as we move into ‘Mud Season’. Enjoy. - Karen
When my kids were small enough to find a book and climb onto our laps for a story, 20-plus years ago, a book that was frequently brought to us was, In the Rain with Baby Duck by Amy Hest. Struggling with accepting the messy life of a duck, Baby Duck learns, with the help of a wise grandfather, that the right equipment—a pair of rain boots and an umbrella—in the right situation, a rainy spring day, can solve some problems. A ducky take on the ‘there’s no bad weather, just bad clothing’. (Yes, we are ignoring the anatomical issues of ducks in boots holding umbrellas!) We would ham it up when reading, and Baby Duck had quite an exaggerated pouty voice. “Mud! Mud, mud, mud!” That line comes to mind a good deal this time of year.
The wild swings of late Winter/early Spring weather are the subject of small talk, memes, complaining, and major news events. Teasing days of warmth snap back to bitterly cold winds, heavy snows, dreary, leaden clouds, and then back to a promise of Spring, for a moment. Monotone shades of brown dull our senses, and we long for some color. We often treat this season like we do mosquitos, ugly, annoying, and, ugh, what good is it?
Ah, what good is it?
Shall we call this the ‘more than meets the eye’ season instead? The Autumn leaves, once so spectacular, lay brown, crumpled, and sodden across the forest floor like the remnants of a great party. Intermixed are pine needles, dry grasses, pine cones, flower petals, critter scat, bark bits, and twigs, along with the dormant ground cover consisting of dozens of species of plants, laying underneath. One of the most notable components of the litter floor are seeds. We’ll get to that. The color of decomposition is happening in shades of brown. Unlike the mess of a party, the forest litter is returning to nourish the next generation. Trillions of bacteria, lichen, and most prominently, fungi, along with worms, beetles, snails, centipedes, and other crawlies are going about their assigned tasks of breaking down organic material. Feeding them, providing life for them.
Studies are ongoing finding the importance of the return of a tree’s own leaf litter to be decomposed and sent back down its own root system. This creates what is called the HFA, or home field advantage (really!) of the nutrient cycling, not unlike a ‘mother’s milk’ being provided to the seedlings, the baby trees, and other plants to get their best start in life. It has been found that this cycle process happens faster beneath the trees it fell from. The decay rate does affect all the plant life around the tree too.
This decomposition plays a critical role in the global carbon cycle as well, in the
“breakdown of simple carbon compounds into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O), and releases inorganic ions (like nitrogen and phosphorus) into the soil where the surrounding plants can then reabsorb the nutrients that were shed as litterfall.”[1]
Those who study the cycles, the Phenologists, get to play in the mud for a living. It’s amazing how much we don’t know yet about simple mud! What they are finding out is how intricate the systems are and how irreparably damaged they become when removed.
The melting snow, thawing frost layer in the ground, new snows, and rain all contribute to the ‘soup’ of nutrients seeping into the earth. Often, the top inches of ground thaw, but with frost still holding a couple more inches down, it has nowhere to go but to become puddles and soggy spots of mud. Human and animal footprints, tire tracks, sliding hillsides, and falling rocks from cliffs are all signs of the season. Soon to follow are raging creeks carrying the melt run-off and often flooding areas. Freeze-thaw cycles widen cracks in rock and wood, causing separation, crumbling, and erosion.
The saturated ground opens space for roots to begin in dark places. Your favorite wildflowers are beginning to stretch and create their foundations on which to bloom. One of our first Foothills flowers to appear will be the Pasqueflower which we will start to see in April.
Insect eggs waken with warmth and longer hours of light. The rebirth of Spring happens where no one is looking at first. They get signals from the decay rates, daylight amount, temperatures, moisture, and nutrients available. The Phenologists are watching for changes in historical data and the factors that may affect these cycles.
So, I’ll flip Baby Duck’s complaint on its head as I encounter the next mud puddle.
Life! Life, life, life!
A side note - you might have seen various headlines and social media posts regarding how to manage the muddy hiking trails this time of year. To add to that, I highly recommend an article written by a long-time coworker and mentor of mine regarding braided trails. Article in the Vail Daily.
Here’s CPW’s post on Facebook.
Thank you for stopping by. While my normal life is full with my paying job, other volunteer work, and family time, I write these posts out of my own naturalist curiosity, and love of writing and photography. Many times, this blog has to take a back seat to my other obligations, but I always have the next post on my mind. My subject matter is limitless! If you have enjoyed these posts, I would, shyly, ask for your support of my work here. Please consider subscribing or upgrading to a paid subscription, and do share what you have enjoyed. I am looking at some benies for paid subscribers of artwork from Itsthemoonart©️, who’s artwork has appeared in other posts and my logo (my naturalist-artist daughter and content advisor) and other ideas. I am very thankful for all my subscribers and supporters! Oh! And please let me know if you have ideas you’d like to see a post about!
Sources:
- [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_litter
- https://www.google.com/books/edition/In_the_Rain_with_Baby_Duck/9EoE82knU9gC?hl=en&gbpv=0
- https://inalldirections.blog/2016/08/20/the-mud-puddle-ecosystem/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud_season#
- https://www.vaildaily.com/opinion/editorial/vail-daily-column-tread-lightly-on-our-local-trails/
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-leaf-litter-biodiversity/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_litter
📷 All photos are credit: The Abert Essays unless otherwise noted.
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