Winter Weather ???

Winter is officially here, but you wouldn't know it from the current weather. Temperatures have been in the 40's and 50's for the past couple of days and the ice and snow of a couple of weeks ago is gone.

Red Squirrel

On a recent walk through our woods after the latest snow storm I found this red squirrel surveying his neighborhood.This little guy seemed to be stunned and confused by the snow, and not the typical hyperactive squirrel.

Searching for Food

The recent storm has left the ground covered with snow and the neighborhood wildlife has to spend more time and effort searching for food. Deer have to dig through the snow cover to reach the tasty grass.



This pair of deer are sniffing out their next meal.

Raccoon Visit

I thought a very large grey cat was on our front porch, but I soon realized it was a raccoon.



As I watched, the raccoon crawled onto the support under the bench and started to take a nap. Upon closer investigation the raccoon was looking for a place to sleep off a bad encounter it had with a porcupine.

Bittersweet

The bright outdoor colors of Spring and Summer have faded into dull greys and browns, but the bittersweet vine stands out like a hunter's blaze orange vest.



While the bright orange fruit of this vine may add color to a drab environment, it comes with some undesirable side effects. The oriental bittersweet vine (Celastrus orbiculatus) is an invasive, non-native plant which is crowding out the native American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens). Once established, the oriental bittersweet vine engulfs other vegetation, slowly killing it. Oriental bittersweet vines wrap so tightly around their victims that the trees are strangled and the vines grow so dense as to block sunlight from other plants.

Bobcat

It's the first week of the PA deer season. I haven't bagged my deer yet, but I was able to get a couple of quick photos of a bobcat.



Not sure what the bobcat has in it's mouth.