A Foggy and Cloudy Winter Morning
Foggy mornings are common in the fall and winter, especially here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Fog is made up of tiny water droplets or ice crystals. When the air close to the ground is cooled to the same temperature as the dew point, the water vapor condenses into tiny droplets suspended in the atmosphere. Yesterday was quite foggy to start, and then very cloudy and gray the rest of the day.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- The day was very gray. The skies were cloudy and the morning atmosphere was thick with fog. This is a photo of my American beech tree grove. Up close, these trees are clear, but little can be seen in the distance.
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- Here is a view across the orchard planted with a variety of apple trees, plum trees, cherry trees, peach, apricot, pear, and quince trees.
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- These tall eastern white pines can be seen from nearly every vantage point on this side of the farm – still a bold and majestic sight through the fog. Fog can form in two ways: either by cooling the air to its dew point or by evaporation and mixing – this happens often when the earth radiates heat at night or in the early morning.
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- This is the foot of the carriage road leading to the woodlands. The neat and tidy piles of wood are a clear indication that lots of cleaning is going on in the woods. All this wood will be chipped and used as top dressing for the growing trees.
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- The edge of the lower hayfield looks eerie under cloudy skies and fog.
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- And in the back hayfield, visibility is even lower. On the left is the mighty sycamore – the symbol of my farm. Fog reduces visibility below one-kilometer, or six-tenths of a mile, making it very difficult for driving or even walking. Some describe fog to be “as thick as pea soup”. This was originally used to describe the dingy yellow smog from burning soft coal common in Europe. Such fogs occurred in London until the Clean Air Act of 1956.
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- Here is a closer look at the same sycamore tree – more visible here. I wonder if any screech owls have taken residence in the attached house. This tree is so beautiful and so large.
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- On this side of the back hayfield, more fog blocks a clear view of the trees. The thicker the fog, the longer it takes to dissipate.
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- The deciduous trees are bare now, but come spring, all these trees will be filled with foliage, giving the farm a completely different look.
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- The Metasequoia, or dawn redwood, is a genus of fast-growing deciduous trees, one of three species of conifers known as redwoods. The bark of the dawn redwood becomes deeply fissured as the tree matures. Just behind the dawn redwoods, is my chicken yard.
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- Here is a view from the other side of the white pines not far from my stable garage. It’s very hard to see around them, but on a clear day, the view across the paddocks is gorgeous.
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- Look at the fog beyond the donkey run-in – so dense. Dense fog is when visibility is at least one-quarter mile or lower. And, when fog mixes with air pollution, it’s called smog.
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- These wild geese can often be seen resting in large numbers in my paddocks. All the activity of my working farm doesn’t bother them one bit.
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- But they did not stay long. After a few minutes, the flock quickly took off and headed north.
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- Here are the last of them. In flight, each bird flies slightly above the bird in front, reducing wind resistance. The birds take turns being in the front, falling back when they get tired. In this way, the geese can fly for a long time before they must stop for another break.
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- Here is a view of the stable from the long Boxwood Allee now covered in burlap for the winter. Looking above, the sky is completely covered in clouds.
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- Closer to my home, trees look more clear – the fog is beginning to lift. The beautiful but bare bald cypress trees on the right surround my little Basket House.
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- Here’s a view from the donkey paddock looking toward the long Boxwood Allee in the distance.
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- The three amigos – Billie, Clive, and Rufus are not bothered by the foggy, gray weather. These three love to romp and roll in their enclosure all day.
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- And here are Jude “JJ” Junior and Truman “TJ” Junior. These two are very bonded and are never far apart. I am glad all five get along so well together.
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- Looking closely, one can see the old corn crib just behind the leafless lindens. It is original to the farm. A corn crib is a type of granary used to dry and store corn. We have stored everything from broom corn to garlic to dahlia tubers in this structure.
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- And here are the ancient apple trees surrounded by antique fencing within the paddock – visible, but the landscape behind it is not – still blocked by fog. Today is expected to be rainy but mild for this time of year with temperatures in the 40s.
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