I Spy on the Trails - February 2026

February prairie

We entered the month under the full Snow Moon and clearer skies have paraded a host of planets and constellations in our night skies. February is always a transition month. Still wintry, but the tug of spring is felt everywhere. 

Imbolc humor

It's no wonder. For those in the know on Celtic celebrations, Imbolc ushers in the month. This ancient holiday celebrates the halfway point between the winter solstice and upcoming March spring equinox. It heralds a time of longer, lighter days; sometimes wildly varying temperatures and the very earliest mating and migration for many birds. 

Buds getting feisty

Early buds begin to push out and some trees are beginning to display a fuzziness in their crowns as their buds enlarge in response to longer days and more sunlight. For those who have passed red osier dogwoods, their stems are reddening and are a clear and welcome sight against the usual grays and browns of late winter bushes.

Uncertain temperatures abound. After a crisp start, a run of high 40s and 50s mid-month brought a significant thaw over a two-week period. Trails became mushy/muddy and hiking switched over to solid surface trails. The freeze/thaw time is probably hardest for those who like to hit the woods trails. But care, restraint and using alternate trails prevents erosion and degradation, keeping the trails solid once the thaw is out and trails once more are firm. 

Ice shards along the Mississippi River's edge

A late, narrow-band snowstorm at the end of our third week brought 8-10" of welcome snow, perfect for some final winter snowshoeing. And of course after a last week of 10s and 20s, 40's popped back before a final string of 20's to end the month.

On the trails, I've noticed deer, eagles, hawks, chickadees, bluebirds, woodpeckers, starlings, trumpeter swans, beaver action and v-flights of Canada geese. Friends have reported seeing robins, starlings and horned larks. The titmice and dark-eyed juncos still remain but I expect they will be migrating back to their northern nesting grounds shortly. Once ponds, rivers, creeks and other waterways open from the ice, I expect we will see waterfowl migration begin in earnest. 

Looking back over the past 3 months of winter, I enjoyed 41 hikes and snowshoe treks in the Driftless. Despite challenging temperatures and conditions, this past winter held multiple outdoor delights and a fairly consistent snowcover to keep bluffs and coulees gorgeous and white. 

Still, I look forward to March and all the spring changes we'll see as the days lengthen and temperatures climb. It promises to be an exciting month for nature lovers.

A tiny wild strawberry peeks out

     

  A Poem for Imbolc

At the halfway point

between solstice and equinox

spring latches hooks into winter

and pulls us into the light.

        --Megan Schliesman

See you on the trails!

A month of hikes
Hikes below in colored, bold type or underlined have links to previous posts OR descriptions/location 
of the trails found online.
Bluffside Park, Winona MN (3); Mathy Quarry, La Crosse WI (2); Yellow River State Forest Luster Heights Unit, Harper's Ferry IA; Pine View Campground, Sparta WI;  Reno Quarry, Reno MN; Effigy Mounds National Monument, Harper's Ferry IA; Hixon Forest, La Crosse WI (2); Reno Spillway, Reno, MN; Riverside Park, La Crosse, WI; Holland Sand Prairie, Holman, WI; Wagon Wheel Trail, La Crescent MN; Ravine Woods, La Crescent, MN; Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Visitor's Center, Brice Prairie WI

Reno Spillway

The "I Spy on the Trails" column is a phenology (the study of seasonal changes in plants and animals) journal to chronicle year-round the weather, plant life and wildlife I observe while hiking. It is very useful in helping me compare observations from year-to-year. The column is published monthly from September through April and then twice-a-month from May through August when warm weather brings the natural world back to vibrant life.

You can read my quarterly column on seasonal hiking suggestions in Inspire(d) Driftless Magazine available online or pick up a free copy at businesses and organizations around the Driftless areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.