As I write this, in the waning days of February, many of the wildlife that grace Iowa’s cities and farms during the spring and summer, are far away. Some are gone in a physical sense, like the wood duck who in October was still toiling on Iowa wetlands but today is gorging itself on Mississippi or Louisiana acorns. Others are gone in a psychological sense, like the hibernating little brown bat, retreated deep in a cave or abandoned mine somewhere in a southern Iowa hillside. Although I fancy myself a lover of winter, I must say that I reflect on the status of these species with some envy, as I wrap up what seems like the 100th pass over my side walk with shovel in hand this winter and brace myself for icy bouts across campus.......
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