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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2 responses to “Snow!”
It’s clear that you’re relishing your snow, both for its own sake and for the opportunity to portray plants in a different guise. If your winterberry is Ilex decidua, we have it in central Texas, too, but only on rare occasions have I gotten to photograph it covered with ice or snow, given our more southerly climate; my usual backdrop for the red fruits is a clear blue sky.
Steve, when I planted those bushes, I didn’t have the sense to pay attention to what species/cultivar I was purchasing, let alone to be sure I was getting the native species. That certainly would be my goal today! But I certainly am thrilled that at long last, it is producing berries! I’m hoping that this winter might provide enough snow to stick to the berries. But winters here in central Virginia are fickle. We had a *grand* winter in 2009-10 when I got 72″ of snow here on my mountain. If only something of that sort would happen again. Keep on posting your photographs – I find them to be *total* inspiration!