Me — always a positive outlook. But I’m wondering about this winter. It is not living up to my expectations. Are we going to end up with the warmest January on record? Is climate change doing its thing? There are rumors from the weather people of snow next week. Be still my heart! Just now, a gift to me. A gift from my gardens. Here to bring cheer, flowers of comfort. Flowers of cheer. Flowers of winter.
Hellebores (Helleborus) native to Europe and Asia.
Yesterday afternoon it snowed. To my eyes, backed with my wild imagination, it looked like we were having a blizzard. After all was said and done the snowfall measured a whopping 1/2 inch. So much better than nothing. The kid in me, delighted. January 16, 2021.
Magic. A long abandoned silky spider web. A burst of inches of snow. Decorations for a wonderful winter. Today’s lunch was accompanied with snow showers. Not enough to provide trimmings but enough to fill my heart with joy.
And now, this afternoon, a tiny rush of snow looking like a miniature blizzard to someone with a wild imagination. Leaving a dusting.
Image Dec 2017.
What a relief to get back to Tendrils and sharing my photographs with you. Much like many see winter a burdensome season, I felt isolated while this blog was on the fritz. Actually that is not how I see winter though. To me winter is a time of recalling childhood, sledding, snow-angels, snow days off from school, mugs of hot chocolate, a time of pure joy.
We are now in our last couple weeks of winter, so bear with me, if you will, as I delight in sharing with you a snow that fell in my woods just yesterday. A wimpy snow. A snow that was totally gone in less than eight hours. But a snow that brought with it, great beauty and magic.
The snow that fell overnight, fell in perfect temperatures. Temperatures that allowed the flakes to stick to everything. Everything that is, except the lane, leading out to the dirt road up the mountain that also was not covered with snow. Here you see snowflakes perched atop a rose hip, its crystalline structure still intact.
The snow and its sleight of hand created a Fairyland that is only seen in winter. A Fairyland where the forest is given a new color. White. A color of joy, along with sparkly jewels. Jewels that drape atop branches that might otherwise be bare. Spider webs become necklaces, strung with diamonds, diamonds made of snowflakes.
The snow laughs at the tractor, meant to be a spell to keep the frozen jewels away. Buries it in magnificent fluff.
But winter can only stay around for so long and must give way to spring. Give way to flowers and warmth. Give way to joy in new beginnings. Spring is making its way in my woods. Soon the black and white landscape will be green again.
This morning I was greeted by a tiny bit less than an inch of snow here on the mountain. I skipped yoga (!!) and spent the morning walking and enjoying the sounds of snow. Okay, mainly the sounds of birds enjoying the new, white blanket. Many were robins, and cedar waxwings gathering in the tree tops, exchanging stories of how this winter has been mighty wimpy so far. They agreed with me. The winter is still young. There is still hope.
This first picture, above, is of greenbrier. There’s loads of it up here. It is a native, and though many people don’t like it, it has numerous benefits. Greenbrier provides good cover for small animals, and some animals eat the leaves and stems. Deer, beaver, and rabbits are three of the animals. That they eat this plant, impresses me. Those stems, complete with thorns, must be mighty tough. There is an impressive number of birds that enjoy the berries during the winter, along with squirrel, raccoon and possum.
These red fruits, are rose hips, from a plant that I really wish would just go away. It is a non-native, invasive. Rosa multiflora produces white flowers with yellow centers during its short blooming period. It forms an impenetrable mass, spreads rapidly and has very unfriendly thorns that are hooked backward, making being snagged an unpleasant experience. I’m waiting and hoping. There is a virus that is attacking these walls of thorns, slowly decreasing its population here in the Blue Ridge. I’m sorry that the same virus may be putting your garden rose bushes in jeopardy, but I am cheering it on, in the case of rosa multiflora.
Another plant that I captured in pixels on my walk this morning, smooth sumac. Among the plants that grow up here, I have many favorites. This is one. My favorite time for this sumac is winter, when birds enjoy its brilliant red berries. Cardinals, and many types of woodpeckers are among the visitors to the small trees.
Snow still covers my dirt, twisty turny, steep mountain road, but tomorrow morning I’ll be heading down to go back to yoga class. My “snow day” was a total pleasure. Yoga will be tomorrow’s total pleasure!
I am in my element now. It is winter. I like to say, whatever season is happening at the moment – it is my favorite, but truth be told, winter is really my favorite. At least for the next few months! I love the stark landscape, very little color (with the exception of black, gray, white, and browns), skeletons of trees. I get to see the unveiled character of trees. Their personality is exposed. They talk to me. But along with that starkness, it is nice to see a rare sprinkling of brilliant color. Much like a black and white quilt. Add just a few crimson patches to all those blacks and whites, and you have a quilt that sings.
A bush that accomplishes that splash of color in my “garden” is winterberry, Ilex verticillata.
I must explain why I have put quotation marks around, “garden.” I live in the mountains, in the middle of the woods. I don’t really have gardens. Things just grow, with very little guidance from me. On occasion I will plant something, or trim something, but I love natives, things that already grow in my woods.
Winterberry fits the bill. A native to eastern North America. Winterberry perhaps, would rather live in a wetland habitat, but after several years at my cabin, it is doing well for me. And doing well for the birds that enjoy its berries, and its shelter, and for insects that benefit from its nectar.
Winterberry is in the holly family. You will see in the picture below, it does not have sharp points on its leaves, but it does lose those leaves during the winter. The winterberry bush is dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers are found on separate bushes, and you must be sure you have at least one male bush. for pollination, to get these beautiful berries.
Winterberry, is perfect for this season. Perfect for brightening up a gorgeous, bleak landscape. And yes, bleak is good!
Happy winter to you and yours!
A pioneer tree or bush, depending on your thoughts, and its growing conditions, Eastern Red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana, is often one of the first to move into a field that has been cleared.
Eastern Red Cedars are actually Junipers. They play an important role in the lives of a long list of insects, birds and mammals. From the Juniper Hairstreak, to the Northern Bobwhite, to the White-tailed Deer, these trees provide both food and shelter.
The most obvious benefit I see on my hikes, is the berry, or the seed cone, of the Eastern Red Cedar. A berry the color of a blueberry, with a similar white bloom, it is a favorite in my bird world. Some of these pictures were taken right after a snow storm in January. The Cedar trees were alive with birds looking for dinner.
The berries bring a plethora of birds to the Cedar trees here on the mountain, including the Robin. Thought by many to be a sign of spring, the Robin is often here during the winter, checking out what berries are still around. They move in response to food supply and I guess my mountain usually has a good provision for them.
Not only do animals in the wild use the Juniper Berry, but the berry is also used by humans, for culinary purposes and to flavor gin and beer. I think I’ll leave the berries that I see for the birds!
Wednesday night, into Thursday morning, the weather forecast was for some rain, and maybe in the mountains a little snow. Hooray for elevation! It was beginning to stick when I hit the sack and Thursday morning I was greeted with an inch of snow on the grass. Given all the talk of the rain/snow line and where I am located, I am happy to settle for an inch of snow.
This patch of snow (above), shows off my Aster seed heads. The Asters are a favorite spot for Buckeye Butterflies, Junonia coenia, when they choose to be in the area, in the fall. For some reason this gorgeous butterfly (seen below), with bright pumpkin orange accents and soft lavender eyespots, decided not to come visit my cabin this past autumn. I’ll be planting more natives and hoping that I can entice them this coming butterfly season.
Roaming around I found evidence of other happy creatures enjoying the snow, besides me. These bird tracks (below) look to me as if the little guy took a flying leap off the high dive, hunting for the spot where I left him some sunflower seeds.
Another sign of seasons past, I found snow atop what is left of another butterfly and hummingbird favorite, Bee Balm, Monarda didyma (below). Looking quite different than in the summer when it is a brilliant scarlett. It would hardly get any notice now in mid-winter, except for its rich texture.
And speaking of textures, I found my lane to be a wonderful pattern (below). Of lace? Of letters? I kept looking to see if there were actually any letters formed in the intricate designs, created by the pine needles that had fallen with the wind. I found no messages though.
Another relic of a bygone season, the empty seed pods of Butterfly Weed, Aclepias tuberosa (below). I hope that nearly all the seeds that were in these pods are now in the soil, just waiting for spring and summer to sprout up and bloom again for me, and for the butterflies, such as the Monarch that so greatly depend on the Milkweed family.
And more seed heads. This is what is left of Purple Coneflower, Echinachea purpurea (immediately below). The seeds attract many of the seed eating birds such as the Goldfinch, Carduelis tristis (seen in the second picture below), chowing down on the Black-eyed-Susan, Rudbeckia fulgida, seed heads that I left for them. I’ll wait till spring before I clean up my garden. Leaving food for the birds to enjoy during the winter attracts them to my yard, pleasing the birds and pleasing me.
Still a good bit of winter yet to come. I’m hoping for many more inches of snow!
As I snuggled in my bed last night, I was prepared for nothing special in the weather this morning. Yesterday‘s forecast had been for snow, sleet and freezing rain.
Mother Nature skipped the snow part, and went straight to sleet, and it kept going, all day long. The temperature remained steady at 27 degrees during the whole day, but as bedtime drew nigh, it began to rise quickly and by the time I went to bed it was 32 degrees with no signs of leveling off. So my thoughts of a beautiful morning were of a beautiful rainy, wet morning.
The little girl within me was more than delighted this morning as daylight revealed a thick coating of ice over everything!
I very quickly put breakfast on the table for the family, gobbled mine down, and went out into the wonderland of diamonds and ice.
Thank goodness I have trekking poles! The ice was thick and not forgiving for a false move, and to further complicate things, I’m on the side of a mountain! Every surface is on a slant. With the poles though, I didn’t take a spill.
When I left the cabin, the temperature was 32 degrees and it was very cloudy.
There was no dripping. Everything in a frozen, fairlyland.
As I returned to my cabin, the sun was just beginning to break through the clouds, and like magic, it seemed to begin raining. Of course it wasn’t rain, but melting ice, dripping down on me.
Now this afternoon most of the diamonds and ice are gone from the trees and bushes.
But no worries! There is snow in tomorrow’s forecast!
How cool is that?
Stay tuned! I may be in my element tomorrow again, wandering with my hiking companions, my two cameras, taking snow pictures!
I’m easily entertained. Give me a little snowfall and I’ll be elated for hours. I’ll become the little girl from so long ago. The little girl who grew up on the best sledding hill in Prince George’s Co., Maryland. Other things take me back to my childhood. Bicycling does it too. But snow provides the best trip back in the time machine!
Today I got snow. Today I’m thrilled! Today I’m a little kid again! Take a walk with this little kid, as I check out the beauty of the snow .. .. ..
This is Blue Spruce. It’s my favorite species of tree for Christmas. It’s got sturdy branches for all those heavy ornaments, a gorgeous color, wonderful shape. Unfortunately it is not user friendly. Its needles are very painful to work with. Yes, painful to work with, but its beauty is well worth it. My husband and I grow Blue Spruce trees here on the mountain so that we can cut our own tree each year. And they are spectacular when they have snow on their branches!
Look at those snowflakes! Aren’t they wonderful! How could anyone not want snow? And no, I do not have my Christmas lights up already. Tonight these lights will be Thanksgiving lights. Just a few weeks ago they were Halloween lights. During the summer they were 4th of July lights and when I am expecting someone special to arrive at my cabin, on any evening, they become Welcome Home lights!
Continuing on our walk through the winter wonderland, we come upon brilliant, crimson berries of the Smooth Sumac bush. These berries are saved as an emergency food supply by many birds and will be consumed when there is much more snow cover and very little else to eat.
Providing a cup to capture the snow, the fused leaves of Coral Honeysuckle create a Christmas palette of scarlet, rich holly green and snow white. These berries attract Robin, Hermit Thrush, Goldfinch, Purple Finch and Quail.
This plant is a Yucca. Its flower is the state flower of New Mexico and the national emblem of El Salvador. The Yucca is also a native plant here in Virginia. The little kid in me loves to see this plant totally covered with snow, looking like a big igloo.
This plant is one that Thomas Jefferson grew in his gardens at Monticello. The berries often form a cluster that looks much like a blackberry, which is how it got its name, Blackberry Lily.
The snow I got today was enough to let me time travel back to my childhood, but certainly not enough to go snowshoeing or sledding. I got less than 1/2 inch. Tonight I’ll be dreaming of the winter of 2009-10, the best winter ever, when I got 72 inches of snow up here on Snow Mountain. Something dreams are made of!
P.S. The bare branch, with fire engine red berries at the top of this post is Winterberry, another native to Virginia.
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