Winter sun draws shadows on snow and ice

Mike Bailey, who took all photos, walked along the shoreline at a good distance from the shore.

On a sunny day last week Mike Bailey ventured into the Preserve and explored the shoreline from Frautschi Point toward Picnic Point. He was intrigued by the brilliant white of the snow and the dark shadows cast on it by branches and trees—another kind of winter art and beauty displayed in nature. we only have to notice and enjoy. 
Mike Bailey wrote: "It's fun to walk through the snow fifty or a hundred yards out from the shoreline for an entirely different perspective and feel, too. Since it was a perfectly clear, blue sky at first, when a few clouds started appearing, I felt compelled to include them."  All photos by Mike Bailey.

The tree trunk is collapsing like a knife blade, which is reflected and magnified in the stark shadow on the snow. Notice how the lacy red dogwood thicket in the background provides a delicate background.

A playful, puffy little cloud above forms Frautschi Point Woods, viewed across a snow-covered Biocore Prairie. The grasses and spent flower stems shimmer golden and cast delicate, filigree shadows on the snow.