Slip sliding n freezing

 Freezing temperatures do not deter certain insects.     And the fine Colchicum petals stand strong in the frost.  What metabolic adaptations have they developed? 

In the morning, I let the chickens out around 9: before that is too early in the dark cold. They trip over each other as they rush for grain, egg shells, light, anything.  I then walk up towards the Dry Lake, where thin snow has dusted dry leaves and stalks, skeletons of last years growth. 

In these cold months, how many unseen forces are at play... Bulbs growing under the surface, dried stalks weakening cell by cell until they snap. Even larger branches can reach breaking point, so blocking the passage of the Canyon. 

 After the snow has melted why do the larger stones drop between the finer particles? 

A little north of our fence, for the first time I notice faces among the rocks  like the Easter Island figures.