Celebrating the ordinary
On frosty mornings I’ve continued to enjoy frost flowers on our dittany (Cunila origanoides) and I recently saw them for the first time on white crownbeard (Verbesina virginica), also known as frostweed. I planted it last spring because it’s another host for frost flowers. Even so, I was taken by surprise at its first display of ice crystals.
I was delighted to discover my first frost flowers of the season on dittany plants (Cunila origanoides) on November 13, 14, and 15. Our nighttime temperatures were in the mid 20s and were the lowest we’ve had this fall. I was thrilled to find these ice sculptures in our backyard for the first time last year (Frost flowers and Frost flowers #2). Seeing them again this year suggests that their occurrence is somewhat predictable.
We woke yesterday morning to find four inches of snow and a beautiful winter wonderland. This was the view from our dining room window.
The cedar tree is this year’s annual Christmas tree for the birds. I’ve recently discovered a new way of using it as a bird feeder.
It’s easy for me to be wishing for spring about now. However, when I go out and look around, I’m often reminded that I don’t have to wait to make new discoveries in the backyard. Last week all I had to do was look up and enjoy the low-lying clouds.
It’s been cold this last week – daytime highs below freezing, nighttime lows in the teens, and we’ve had a little snow. However, a few of the backyard plants seem to take the cold in stride. This Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is still quite green.
This Leather Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis) also seems to be doing fine. Continue reading “Three Tough Plants”
