December, the Doorway to Winter: Snowflakes and Shapes

Exploring the outdoors during the winter months often provides unpretentious yet spectacular views of our natural world.  The winter months reveal nature’s basic structures as we marvel at the complexities that exist within.

“When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” 

Aldo Leopold

Aldo Leopold, captured in black and white on a frozen Wisconsin waterway, exemplifies this reality, as do his words in from A Sand County Almanac which remind us of the imperative ecological work that lies ahead. Aldo Leopold is considered by many to have been the greatest influential conservation thinker of the 20^th Century. Learn more about the Aldo Leopold Archives at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Have you ever held a snowflake in your hands? Next time it snows, put on some layers and gloves and head outside to investigate! Hold out your hands and look closely at the snowflakes you catch. What are the differences and similarities of the flakes? You might've heard the saying "no two snowflakes are alike". This is true, but despite the assorted shapes and sizes, all snowflakes share general characteristics - for example, they are all symmetrical and hexagonal. What does that mean and how does that affect what snowflakes look like?

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This resource was created by Abigail Schmid and Kate Reilly.