The choral work "The Snow" (this is hard to believe) was composed by the legendary British composer of pomp-filled orchestral works, Sir Edward Elgar. But his wife Alice Elgar was a published poet, and he used her poem about gently falling snow as lyrics for an ethereal piece of music.
I have to wonder, if Alice Elgar knew how accurately she described nature.
"O snow, which sinks so light, Brown earth is hid from sight,
"O snow, which falls so slow, Dear earth quite warm below."
Snowflakes usually have pointed edges so when they fall gently to the ground, if they land on any of their six points, a significant volume of air is trapped between individual flakes.
So what is a significant volume? Fresh, fluffy snow can be 90-95% trapped air. Consequently, it is warmer under snow. Wild birds are well aware of the blanket effect. Often birds will dive into drifts to escape bitter winds or predators.
Also, usually after several snowfalls, a subnivean zone develops. This is a small gap between the ground and the bottom of the snowpack. And in this small void, it is always slightly above 32 degrees, no matter the temperature above the snow.
Small mammals such as mice and voles spend the whole winter under the snow, creating elaborate tunnels and taking advantage of the space in which heat from the ground melts the bottom layers of snow.
Subnivean creatures are safe and hidden from sight, until their cover is blown because, as Alice Elgar wrote... "the snow must melt."
