Resilient Weeds and Rascally Rodents

Today was -5 and officially felt like -8, it was bitterly cold at the bus stop this morning and felt more like about -20 to me.  This is our first cold day since last Thursday, at the weekend it got up to 11 degrees and all but the hardest packed drifts of snow are now gone.  It has revealed some interesting natural phenomena.

Look at this, 3 days above freezing and weeds have started germinating in the plant pot of dead things currently gracing the front steps.  You can't fault them for trying.

These strange markings on the lawn were a bit of a mystery.

It looks like aliens visited and left us a sign but I think Jacob was probably right when he speculated that they have been made by some sort of rodent.  As soon as he said it a picture of foxes pouncing on voles or similar that live in burrows between the snow and the earth in Yellowstone flashed  into my head.  I'm fairly sure Jacob's explanation is correct but next time it snows I shall keep an eye open for either jumping foxes or spaceships just so I know for sure.