sand dunes in white

Friday's storm left snow covering the sand dunes on Plum Island.

ice on the beach

I walked the northern tip of Plum Island this afternoon about an hour before low tide.

Remnants of ice decorated the beach along the Merrimack River as the tide flowed out. Some ice was in piles of flat pieces, some appeared in larger chunks.

snow

Yesterday's snow left white behind, covering the ground and sitting on trees.

warmth

What a crazy weather week! Today the temperature was in the mid-60s; tomorrow it is predicted to be 30 degrees colder.

It felt wonderful to be walking outside in light clothing. Today's destination was the rail trail in Newburyport by the Merrimack River. There were lots of people out, even some who shared their dogs with us.

Warmth today is predicted to give way to snow on Friday.

trees on a hill

Knowing I might find muddy trails I still headed to Maudslay State Park this afternoon. A combination of mud and ice confirmed my thought that it might be too early to walk there; I chose to walk down the road instead of dodging the mud.

My eyes were pulled to a stand of trees at the top of a hill.

pink

I've felt a need for color lately.

Luckily there were flowers in bloom when I visited the butterfly conservatory just over a week ago.

flowing water

Pooled water from high on the beach flows back to the ocean as the tide moves out.

smooth sand

I took the spring-like temperature this afternoon as a sign that I should head to the beach. A walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge satisfied my need to listen to the ocean waves, to enjoy the changing scenery.

The tide was heading out leaving smooth (and packed) sand for walking.

painted

The wings of this Cairns birdwing butterfly are painted in bright colors.

windy

It felt like a good afternoon for a walk at Crane Beach, but oh! it was chilly and windy.

The wind kicked up as we were walking. Once it was strong enough to feel that it was pushing us forward it was time to turn around. It was a challenge to walk back leaning into the wind.

perched

This beautiful butterfly perched on a leaf long enough to pose for a photo.

I enjoy standing, watching, absorbing the beauty of butterflies. Visiting Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory was a good activity for a winter day.

rusty-tipped page butterfly

More photos can be seen in the gallery flitter, flutter, butterfly! 2022

in the snow

Sidewalks were snow covered as I walked this morning. It felt safer to be on the side of the road on a wet but not slippery surface.

return to winter

Winter has returned with cold temperatures and a bit of snow. While the forecast shows a return to spring temperatures later in the week, today is a day for a walk in the snow.

I leave you with a touch of color captured at the butterfly conservatory last week, a bright orange flower.

on the beach

The temperature edged into the 50s this afternoon. It felt like a good day for a walk on the beach so I headed to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

It was a bit before low tide. That allowed me to walk close to the ocean without worrying about wet feet.

visiting butterflies

Today felt like a good day to visit the butterflies at Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory.

While snow remains on the ground the 2-hour drive was reasonable. It was dry except for a bit of rain as we headed home.

Spending several hours with the butterflies was wonderful!

before the snow

The snow is melting as we enjoy a few days of well above freezing temperatures.

Ice remains in many of the places where I would like to walk. This afternoon's target of a walk along the road in Harold Parker State Forest was canceled when I realized that the parking lot was a sheet of ice.

My mistake was trying to walk in a location close to home; next time I will head to the coast where the ocean scours the beach of ice.

Here's a photo from a beach walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge before last week's snow.

one tree

A single tree stands watch over the winter landscape on Plum Island.

ice

Today's weather has created a good day to stay inside. Rain changed to freezing rain smf then to sleet, leaving slippery surfaces behind.

Angled surfaces on trees highlight small structures of ice.

buried

Yesterday's walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge included a stretch of beach that I accessed from parking lot 1. Of the three boardwalks leading to the beach from the paved section of road, this was the shortest. Given the amount of snow on the ground I figured that meant it would have the most reasonable footing.

While there was a bit of snow covering the beginning of the boardwalk, most of it was clear of snow until the end. The steps down to the beach were almost entirely covered by a snow drift. I was lucky that some people walking before me had accessed the beach by tramping down the northern edge of the steps. I held onto the railing and followed in their footsteps.

snow on dunes

Last weekend's storm left snow covering the dunes at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.