Last September, I optimistically began this “Take a Look” Monday blog stand to “encourage us all to look more closely at the world around us.” I was hoping that it would force me to explore the winter world of New England more than ever before.

Well, that didn’t happen. Through the cold winter months, I strayed from my intention by blogging about things that were, indeed, worth looking at and considering, but they didn’t get me out of the house into the natural world. Hmmph!

But now spring seems to be just around the corner, so I’m going to try to get back on track. And I can’t think of a better way to do that than to take a look at my beloved maple tree.

There’s still plenty of snow on the ground, but look at how all the snow has melted out from around the base of the tree. For an even better view of how this works, take a look at the linden tree in my side yard.

Why does this happen? It’s not because the tree gives off heat. It’s because the dark bark reflects the sun’s heat and light and that melts the snow in a ring around the tree.