Stripped trunk, Hoover Nature Trail, IA

 Tree totally peeled of bark against a stark blue sky.

Deeply colored rings, Hoover Nature Trail, IA

 

Big, deeply colored rings on this fast growing tree - it's no wonder they needed to cut them back.

Planar pruning, Hoover Nature Trail, IA

Along one of my favorite walking trails, the maintainers pruned back harshly in a near-perfect flat plane, simply truncating every limb within a certain distance of the trail.

Swamp-side path, Iowa City

 Path through swampland on the South side of Iowa City.

A cold blue lake, Iowa City

 A shallow swampy lake during winter, when the geese have all departed.

Cold winter nest, Iowa City

 Another exposed cold winter nest.

Cold winter nest, Iowa City

An abandoned nest exposed to sight on bare branches in the cold of winter time.