Have you seen the black plumes of smoke wafting across the Horicon Marsh?  Controlled burning is taking place before nesting season.  Prescribed burning removes the dead cattails so birds migrating through the marsh in the spring have more opportunities for feeding and nesting.  Muskrats also enjoy more room to roam.

The plumes of smoke produced an interesting phenomenon.  The higher the warm air from the fire rose, the more it cooled until it reached a point where it condensed and formed a cloud at the top of the smoke plume.  The small size of the droplets in the cloud caused it to be brightest at the top.

Clouds on Smoke

The Horicon Marsh is getting ready for spring!