Submitted by Fiona Gorman on the 2024 Winter ENGL program in the Netherlands …
Winter Landscapes
January in the Netherlands is cold and wet and probably not when most would think to schedule a national park visit. Having now explored three snow, sleet, and ice-covered parks, I’d like to challenge that. The dense forests and flowering heathlands that cover Dutch national parks, though beautiful, hide so much of the ecosystem. Without brush and groundcover, the national parks’ hidden aspects were highlighted. We felt the moisture of the peatland as we shuffled along the park’s now frozen grass path. We discovered fresh snow is the perfect surface for identifying animal prints and that following wolf tracks is a great way to distract yourself from cold feet. In sunny areas where the snow melted and the soil was exposed, we were taught about the muddy craters that surrounded us. A poor boar with heartburn went scavenging for some stomach-soothing bugs. A natural process we hardly would’ve noticed had the landscape not been bare. The dormant winter landscape showcases the movement of life and nature in a way the bloom season never could. So the next time you’re planning a trip to a national park, consider booking in the off-season and you might notice something cool. (Submitted on January 24, 2024)