IN SEASON

Late Winter Flowers

Early March is synonymous with unpredictable weather.  One day it feels like spring; the next it's back to winter.  This particular day was more late spring than late winter with temperatures around 70 degrees.

I expect to see witch hazel in bloom this time of year.  But henbit and maple flowers?  Seems a little too soon.

Left: Witch hazel's (Hamamelis Virginiana) vibrant yellow petals.  Center: A very short video clip of Freeman maple flowers on a typical March windy day.  Right: Henbit stems and flowers grow tall and narrow in unseasonable warmth.

Mulberry (Morus Rubra) Tree Bark

Lichens cover this old mulberry tree.  I've never taken a satisfactory picture of the tree; it grows next to a RV dealership enclosed by a barbed wire topped chain link fence.  Inches behind it is an electric fence with vivid yellow and red DANGER signs posted here and there.

So not the loveliest backdrop for a majestic tree.  But I captured video of its lovely companion in Summertime for an Old Mulberry Tree.  

Back to lichens.  I'm not skilled at identifying lichens; many look similar.  I've decided to stop obsessing about the names. 

What are lichens?  They're a complex symbiotic life form of fungus and algae.  Though classified as non vascular plants, lichens aren't plants: no roots, stems or leaves.  Photosynthesis is conducted in the algae cells. No lichen is identical to another. (Source: About Lichens, US Forest Service website).

Beautiful and bizarre.

Melting Snow

I'm not fond of cold weather. I have no affection for snow.  I've learned to accept both as consequences for living in the mid Atlantic.  It's winter, after all.

I didn't go out to take photos while eight inches of snow was still on the ground.  The snow was slow to melt with daytime highs in the twenties and single digit temps at night.  Yeah, I stayed indoors.

I ventured out when temperatures returned to typical  winter temperatures for northern Virginia.  It was warm enough to hear birds singing.  

Speaking of birds, the stunning feathers are from a male northern flicker.  I'm not certain.  But it appears as though the feathers were ripped from the bird.  A beautiful and ghastly discovery.

Mid afternoon light and shadows form enchanting patterns.  In some places, the melting snow resembled mini landscapes: hills with snowy valleys, sand dunes and icy tundra.