A Snowy, Marshy Mess

Jacob Korte - UNT History Major

It had snowed for several hours early this morning, and even though the sun is out and the weather has been pretty warm, somewhere around 50⁰F or so, the remnants of the few inches of snow we got can still be seen clinging to the last few patches of shade. In these locations the snow refuses to melt, slowly giving way to the rise in temperature and in one area I stuck my pen through the snow and noticed that it was just under two inches in that location.

Considering how cold it has been since Sunday and how much snow, ice and freezing rain we have received these last few days very little has changed in my Mandala since last week. None of the budding flowers have died and none of the Mexican Plum or Spanish Daggers look any worse than they had in previous weeks, which surprised me; I wouldn’t have thought Texas and southern plants would be able to hold up against the frost so well. Not only that, but it looks like there is more mistletoe pushing out of the cottonwood.

The warming of the weather and melting snow have brought out an influx of bugs, including a good number of mosquitos flying around in a pitted area that has become a marshy mess due to stagnant water caused by the melting snow. I am also noticing an increase in surface bug activity, ants and small beetle looking bugs are crawling around over the mulch and woodchips looking for food, these bugs drift in and out of view. Some of the snow appears to have shrunk in more open locations by this point, but the snow continues to fight on clinging to the last, never completely giving out to the sun.