February 28, 1985 - Thawing: A Sign of SpringSecond Section/ The Suffolk Times Page February 28, , 1985 1985
Thawing: A Sign of Spring
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
Snowdrops are out on our front lawn,
skunk cabbages are blossoming in the
freshwater marshes and my father -in-
law reported red - winged blackbirds the
other day. Put this all together with the
mild weather we've just experienced
and you'll have to admit it makes you
think of spring.
Another bit of encouragement are the
longer days we're getting. Years ago
when I worked until 5, I can remember
how dreadful it was coming home in
mid - winter. It seemed you went to work
in the dark and came home in the dark.
How wonderful it was finally to be able
to get home when it was still light out.
Then, of course, as the sun lingered
longer and longer, there was time to get
outside and work around the place.
This lengthening of the daylight is
really what starts everything going. It
in turn warms up things so that those
who slept all winter are now
reawakened.
Of course we're not to it yet, but
winter's had its back snapped and
spring and summer plans are on
everyone's mind. All you have to do is
go into a large department store and
see summer furniture being displayed
and, of course, a whole new line of sum -
merwear.
There's still some ice on the ponds
and lakes but hardly any on the bay.
This is usually brought about by a
change of wind and mild weather. The
results of the breakup are quite spec-
tacular, and often there are huge
pileups along our shores. Particularly
Focus on
Nature
good places to see is where there are
long sand spits sticking out into the bay;
Paradise Point, Jessups Neck, the end
of Nassau Point and the North Race off
Robins Island are where these pileups
usually occur.
Sometimes they tower above you, as
one layer of ice is pushed up on another.
I've often walked out to see these
pileups and thought for all the world I
was in the Antarctic. The greens and
pinks they radiate are truly spectacu-
lar, and depending on the time of day,
they change their hue.
More than Meets the Eye
I'm afraid we think of ice only when
we see it on ponds, lakes and the bay.
But in all reality, this ice extends from
the bay right to the land. As any
plumber who puts underground water
pipes in knows, the safe distance to bury
a water main is at least four feet deep.
Some years it will only freeze a foot or
so, but this can vary depending on the
cover. Bare ground freezes the deepest
while the protected forest floor, with its
leaves and decayed mulch, is probably
the best insulated. Other protective
layers, could be your lawn, the farmer's
cover crop or even a blanket of snow.
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ICE FLOES - -A good wind and mild temperature pile the bay ice on
the shallow points along our. shores. Here the remains of what once
was a six -foot pileup are melting away under the balmy 50- and 60 -de-
gree temperatures of this past week.
My wife found out about this frost in
the ground when she wanted to plant
some tulip bulbs during the recent
thaw. Everything was soft and wet on
top but when she dug down two or three
inches there was that solid barrier of
frozen ground.
With the variation in water tempera-
tures, some areas will freeze thicker
than others. I know of a pond in
Riverhead that freezes over every year
except for in one corner where the warm
ground water flows up and keeps it
open. This also is true of our creeks,
where there are many places that the
thickness varies because of under-
ground springs. The head of the creek
is usually kept open because of this
warm groundwater, and it is here you
find the occasional great blue heron,
clapper rail or kingfisher hanging out.
In the warmer water killies move about
and supply their vital food through the
frozen winter.
We're not out of winter's grip yet, for
I'm sure March still has a few of her
winter tricks to play. But we can rest
assured that it's all downhill from now
on and spring looks and feels a lot closer
than it did a month ago.
-v
Br
eak fast
Cat the
d
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