Celebrating the ordinary
Winter is not my favorite season. I do not like the cold and I’m tempted to enjoy the garden by looking out the window. However, on a recent frosty morning, with camera in hand, I was reminded again of winter beauty that deserves to be seen up close.
For example, this Virginia Sweetspire leaf (Itea virginica) reminds me of a miniature work of art.
Please note I’ve changed the format of the blog emails. They now include just the introduction to each post. Click the link at the bottom of the email to see the full post.
This is a follow-up to last week’s post about these amazing ice crystals. We’ve now had six days with low temperatures below freezing, and each morning there have been more frost flowers on the two Dittany plants (Cunila origanoides).
I’ve been fascinated by frost flowers since I was a kid and have seen them in the wild in Missouri and Kentucky. On a couple of recent frosty mornings I was thrilled to find them in our backyard.test
Frost “flowers” are really ice crystals which occur only on certain plants and under special conditions when the air temperature is below freezing and the ground is not frozen.
My husband, Harry, was working in the backyard and called my attention to an interesting insect he had discovered. It was a Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus) and the unique spiky wheel-like formation on its back is the source of its common name.
I’ve been captivated recently by our Red Maple (Acer rubrum). It’s just outside our dining room window and I’ve tremendously enjoyed its brilliant leaves.
It is especially beautiful in the morning when the leaves are backlit by the morning sun, creating a stained-glass effect. Continue reading “Autumn’s last hurrah”