Quebec mid-winter
forever landsacapes
sculpted by snow and ice
//
we skate
on winter ponds
swish swish
//
hockey pucks
and frosted beards
frozen worlds beneath
//
holding pattern
we all wait
for returning signs
//
furry catkins
snowdrop, crocus
the vulture’s return
//
from thawed waters
croaking frogs
thaw and leap forth
//
peeping in chorus
May it be spring-
a window too short
In mid-winter, I often think of the incredible dichotomy between the seasons here in the north—the swings from −20 °C in February to highs of +40 °C in mid-summer. It’s a marvel to consider how plants and animals adapt to these extremes. They thrive and then dive; they bloom and then bury—moving from frenetic fury to frozen in time.
Frogs are among the most amazing of these animal adapters. Not only do they use multiple habitats during the summer months, they are also among the few animals that can (mostly) freeze in winter. Talk about extremes. When you walk – or skate – across a frozen pond, there just might be some froggy popsicles underfoot.
© Christopher M Buddle 2026
Nature's Reverie 