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Monday 19 February 2018

A Break From Frost, Snow, And Ice

Our spring is still quite far away, but our winter has been mostly mild and "open" (meaning not much snow, or snow that disappears quickly). With all my talking about ice and snow and frost lately, you could be forgiven for thinking we've been snowed in since December. That is not the case.

The lack of snow does make for a rather barren landscape, though. Most of nature is looking either gray or brown these days. Evergreen trees such as spruces, pines, and rhododendrons are still green, but on one of my walks this week I took a closer look around our yard and found a few other green things, too.




Moss like green velvet in the cracks of our brick walkway



More moss, of a different kind - more feathery - although it's hard to tell from an overhead shot




Can you see the hardy little dandelion leaves right in the middle of this picture? I know, I know - we should have cleaned those old leaves away. But then maybe the dandelion wouldn't have had enough shelter to stay green under the snow and freezing rain we've had this winter. Laziness benefits other living things sometimes.



Brown, not green, but intriguing:  a vine has sent out its tendrils to cling to the vinyl siding of our house. Who'd think something so dainty would be strong enough to stand up to four months of ice, snow, and wind?



Yellow, not green, but bright is bright - I'll take it:  lichens on the concrete of our verandah



Back to green (ish):  Ignore the spruce branches to the right - those are from our Christmas tree, laid over a tender plant to help protect it from the weather. This picture is all about the plant in the middle of the shot. It came from a summer planter we were given a couple of years ago. The planter was advertised as being good for a southern exposure where it would get direct sun and lots of heat. It had several kinds of succulent and cactus types of plants in it. That fall I noticed that several sprigs of this plant had escaped the pot and were doing well in the garden. Two years later, it's gotten much larger and is still thriving. What does a desert-like plant think it's doing, looking so healthy in mid-winter??? Imposter!!


We won't see any green tree buds or green grass until well into April, but the lack of snow has opened my eyes to the green that exists even when snow covers the ground (or should be doing so).

For all of you who have had more than your share of snow this winter, rest assured that we usually share your pain. Spring is coming! Only 30 more days until the equinox! I hope you stay warm and cozy.

For the rest of you, who are labouring under heatwave after heatwave in the southern hemisphere, Fall is coming! Only 30 more days until the equinox! I hope you get some cooler weather soon.

And to help take everyone's mind off the weather:



Duct-taped pavement:  this is what we get to look forward to AFTER Winter has frozen, heaved, and cracked our roads!! Not really; our roads always look worse than this, and duct tape is not an option :)


Happy Week, friends!

34 comments:

River said...

Ha Ha, roadworks, MacGyver style :)
So many plants are much more tenacious than we realise.
Have you ever taken a macro shot of moss and lichens and other fungi? The details revealed are sometimes so pretty to look at.

jenny_o said...

MacGyver, ha ha!

I can't take really close close-ups with my point-and-shoot, but I've seen professional shots and they are amazing! Oh, how I love the internet :)

Geo. said...

Beautiful! Don't rake those leaves off the dandelions. We pile leaves on them and close each winter by watching the dandelions rise and pitch those piles into spring wind. They keep the bulbs at a happier temperature through the freezes.

dinthebeast said...

Briana brought a moss-covered rock back from our visit to Yosemite two years ago, and put it in a dish on the kitchen window sill. It hung in there until about a month ago when it turned all slimy and brown and she just had to declare it dead.
There is some similar moss in the back yard, so she may try again, or perhaps just let it do its thing in the back yard...

-Doug in Oakland

Terry said...

Hi Jenny, I can’t believe the road has cracked like that. 🙀
Well, I can. Your picture proves it but omg!
It’s winter here as well.

gz said...

no,you shouldn't have cleared the leaves away! Good mulch and insect protection!
Its brown and grey here too,still with snow on the hills even here in Ayrshire. We're suffering from excess wet...snow would be better.

Marie Smith said...

Lol. They don’t make enough of that stuff for some of the holes here!

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

Signs of spring are popping up even through the melting snow. It is always a welcome sight.

Martha said...

The duct tape...hahaha! Someone has a sense of humour :)

It is really dry where you are. It's been the opposite here. We have had plenty of snow. And for the next couple of days we will have plenty of rain. Maybe the rain will wash away some of the snow. I'm good with that :)

Red said...

To go searching for green must men that you are waiting for spring. We are in a month long cold snap if it makes you feel any better.

only slightly confused said...

Now that's the way to fix the roads...for sure.

37paddington said...

wow, does duct tape really help keep the road from crumbling more? i never would have thought.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Observant winter detail. Sometimes it's the detail that matters.

jenny_o said...

I used to rake the leaves each fall, but no longer do, mostly because I don't have time or energy. But I realize it also benefits the plants, especially when we don't have an insulating cover of snow, so . . . laziness wins :)

jenny_o said...

I wonder how easy or hard it would be to grow moss indoors? I know it's extremely easy to grow outdoors - we didn't do a thing and boom, there it is - ha ha

jenny_o said...

The roads crack because the frost in the ground expands and contracts as the temperature changes. Many places in the roads are much worse than that picture. Then the asphalt starts coming out and makes big holes in the road . . . and THEN the municipalities have to spend the summer patching up or re-paving them :)

jenny_o said...

Yes, I worry that next summer will be very dry because we haven't had much snow. There has been a lot of rain, but the ground is frozen so the rain runs off rather than soaking in.

jenny_o said...

I know, and I know YOU know, Marie!

jenny_o said...

Indeed it is! I love the tender green of spring.

jenny_o said...

Yes, it's been quite dry here. When it rains it runs right off the frozen ground, so it doesn't really help. It makes for a dry summer to follow.

jenny_o said...

Well, while I'm glad it's not that cold here, I feel for you folks who have to go through it!

jenny_o said...

LOL!

jenny_o said...

No, it's just a joke, Angella :D

jenny_o said...

Seems like all the gray and brown landscape has forced me to look at the details to find something good. First the ice, now this.

e said...

Someone has a sense of humor...love the photos.

jenny_o said...

Yes, someone has :)

Diane Henders said...

The duct tape made me laugh! And it's nice to see some velvety green still persisting through the winter. There's hope... :-)

jenny_o said...

In Canada we seem to live on hope for six months of every year! ha ha

baili said...

i am relived by your sharing dear Jenny that snow has taken a break and gave you sometime to ponder upon the little signs of greenery you have in your surroundings!

i always find moss so fascinating i remember i used to see it so closely with awe and wonder in my childhood and was surprised to see that this is the tiniest plant we have on earth .

i was not aware that snow damages the roads too .

hope this barrenness goes away soon and you see wavin green trees and colourful blooms around you.
our spring starts in the beginning of march .
hope you are perfectly alright my friend!
take care ,lots of love and hugs!

Jono said...

Snowless! Aaahhh, the stuff of dreams. We just got about 14" or 35 centimeters for you, eh? Love the duct tape repair. That should hold for a while.

jenny_o said...

Thank you, my friend! I hope you are feeling well these days too. I'm not really in a big hurry for spring because then the summer is right behind it, with its heat and humidity!

jenny_o said...

I never fully converted to metric so 14" means more to me than 35 cm! We really need snow; our summer is going to be very dry unless we get some before spring. I really should start a mail-in campaign where all you folks with too much snow could send us some :)

Chicken said...

The duct tape picture is hilarious. You might have to live it to get it but I've lived it all my life, as have you. Good on you for finding the color. The tendrils from the vine? So creepy if you ever read the book I read about people that climbed a cursed hill they weren't allowed to leave as vines claimed them while they slept. Scary. It *might* be why I cut all the ivy off our house last summer.

jenny_o said...

Oh no! I think I'll give that book a miss :)

I never thought about the duct tape being taken seriously because, as you say, if you live with snow and frost you just grow up knowing what a mess it makes of the roads. And while there are many things duct tape can fix, asphalt is not one of them :)