Bruce Henry, forester with the Upper Mississippi River National

Wildlife and Fish Refuge in La Crosse, has a message for those who think winter’s snow, ice and wind are stay indoors signals.

Maybe so, but after things calm, “Get out and learn something new,” he suggests.

Even those who suspect it is too treacherous, and maybe it is at this moment, some of what Henry discussed on a winter walk could be done beside a window with binoculars and a computer. Call a friend for help if necessary.

Or pick a lane or rural town road and stop for a moment beside a tree and examine the bark, twigs and twig patterns.

“This is about using wintertime tree characteristics to identify trees, shrubs and even a few herbaceous plants at a time when leaves are not in the way,” Henry said.

It’s easier to concentrate on bark color, texture, pattern and shapes when the ground is bare. Don’t think of winter as a handicap but a time to zero in on the other characters that are always there but may be in the way during spring and summer.

Henry took his group to a lowland near the Mississippi River. Other forests, woods, roadsides, fence rows and savannas have a variety of trees, too. This is not a time to walk away dismayed but take the clues that tell the species in spite of flowers and leaves missing. Sometimes fruits are still hanging.

Henry preaches of cadaver botany, too, when the dead leaves, stems, fruit heads and fallen twigs can reveal whose body these parts were once pieces of.

Bark on shagbark hickory, river birch, bur oak and northern catalpa have some obvious characters. Even tree buds, now clear of leaves, have telltale features.

It’s not a case of not seeing the forest for trees, but seeing the forest because of the trees’ leaf scars, twig colors, smelling scents, and sometimes (but be careful) chewing, but know what you put in your mouth.

Remember poison ivy stems are alive and waiting to transfer some oils from any remaining part during the coldest of days.

A few great murder cases have been solved and perpetrators convicted, using dead parts of trees.

Dried plants are there for picking and make good in-house displays. Frost, ice and snow help turn dead plants into living corpses.

A single state wildlife area had a few hikers doing some cadaver botany, while others sought rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, deer, or turkeys. Anyone could have, but most didn’t, stop to identify that this animal may have been eating hawthorn fruits or sampling the lichen growth on aspen tree bark.

With ice formation just getting started, trout fishing opened (January 6), turkeys are making tracks in the snow, and white-tailed deer are beginning to drop antlers. Winter continues to be a plethora of adventures.

Even though Christmas past provided almost no chance for snowy photographs and hand-made cards, images taken now with digital cameras will last until needed a year from now.

Check out being an angler education instructor by sharing your passion for fishing. See the DNR web page to learn more about becoming an instructor.

Spring turkeys permit cards have been mailed and authorizations can be validated when licenses are renewed. Forgot to apply? Mark March for counter sales of leftover permits, or double up and purchase more than the one drawn.

A 2024 Public Access Lands Atlas is now available. Learn more by visiting the DNR’s Public Access Lands webpage.

When birding and wildlife watching from a window or vehicle, consider wearing a face mask; no not the ones some are now wearing to avoid COVID-19, RSV, or the flu, but a flimsy cloth masks turkey and deer hunters wear. Our bare faces seem to be scary to wildlife, even those we view through a window. Mask up.

If you didn’t receive or buy yourself a backpack to carry morels home, a camera into the field, or necessary items to deal with insects and poison ivy, consider purchasing one. College book stores are excellent starting shopping locations.

Winter goes faster when you spend time outside.

— Jerry Davis is an Argyle native and a freelance writer who lives in Barneveld. He can be reached at sivadjam@mhtc.net or at 608-924-1112.