Spring is trying its damnedest to sprung.
These days, the daytime highs are mostly above freezing and we are even getting a few nights with temperatures just above freezing… other nights the low temperatures are in the teens. This means that the sap is running and there are signs of activity around the local sugar shacks.
There is still much snow on the ground. However, it is rapidly receding, especially on the south facing surfaces. The lakes and ponds are still well iced over but puddles of water (or hard, clear ice depending on the temperature) have appeared on top of the old crusty snow.
Along the roads, there are also (literally) signs of spring.
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Do like “Eva’s Marsh” – I think the B&W captured the essence of the image with black v\blacks and white whites! And, a great sky for a bonus!
So exactly what does frost heave???
Lots of bare ground exposed in southern New England!
Comment by Just Joe — 27 March 2015 @ 4:31 PM
Thanks for the comment!
Regarding frost heaves… the alternating thawing and freezing in the spring causes the pavement on the secondary roads (which are basically the old dirt roads with a layer of asphalt on top… i.e. no fancy road bed engineering) to buckle as the water in the ground expands and contracts. They make for “interesting” driving at times.
However, some folks do not subscribe to the above explanation. Rather, they suspect that frost heaves are actually the larval form of black flies. In the late spring the frost heaves disappear just as the hordes of black flies make their annual appearance!
Lastly, there is one more alternative explanation for all of those signs that appear along the road sides… see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMbqBONMDZg
Comment by Frank — 28 March 2015 @ 11:28 AM