During hunting season, we head over to the Smithfield Plantation reserve about two miles down our road.

November is when the vernal pools fill up (see image 2). The reserve has a number of them (indeed, one of the trails is named the “Vernal Pool trail”). These cyclical bodies of water are essential catalysts for innumerable forest creatures.

While most tree falls are natural, if a big tree falls across a trail, trimming is needed (see image 3).