We’ve had our first snow and, from the time between when I took some of these photos and started putting together this post, we had our second and third snows. To have this much snow in November with leaves still on many of the trees and shrubs is rare, so I had to go out and see it.
But snow isn’t all we’ve seen. The frost on the windows speaks of full blown winter, even though winter is still weeks away.
These snows have been of the sticky kind and snow covered every branch and leaf.
Beech leaves will stay on the tree through winter and they do collect snow, but though the extra weight seems to bend their branches down I’ve seen very few very few actually fall off.
Oak leaves form the waxy, corky cells called the abscission layer at their base later than many other trees so seeing leaves on oak trees in the winter is no great surprise, but I know this tree well and it has usually shed all of its leaves before it snows. In fact most oak trees still have most of their leaves and this can be problematic, because the snow load on those leaves can lead to power outages from all the falling branches. Unlike beech trees oak trees lose branches regularly year round, and I’ve seen limbs as big as my leg fall on calm summer days, so it doesn’t take much snow to bring them down.
An odd thing that I noticed was how many oak leaves fell after the storm. Everywhere you looked the snow was covered with oak leaves.
The dark color of oak leaves means they absorb sunshine, which warms them and lets them melt their way through the snow. Oak leaves also repel water and you and see it in the many water droplets on the surface of this leaf.
There were many oak leaves that were still in the process of changing into their fall colors when the snow fell, like the beautiful leaves on this small red oak.
The hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) in my back yard were heavy with snow but like most evergreens they have a lot of flex in their branches so they can take quite a snow load. In fact they keep much of the snow from falling on the ground under them, so there is often several inches less snow on the ground in a hemlock grove. In a snowy winter deer will go there and so will I, because the walking is much easier.
When the sun fell through the forest in such a way that the still colorful shrubs were highlighted it was a very beautiful scene and I had to stop and just absorb it. It is things like this that truly are good for the soul I think. I’ve discovered that being able to find joy in the simplest things means that joy is never far away.
The small pond in my neighborhood has already frozen over but on this day it was really more slush than solid ice. After -2 degrees F on Thanksgiving night though, I’m sure it must be solid now.
There is a muskrat in this pond that eats an incredible amount of cattail roots (Typha latifolia,) and I know that from seeing not only the muskrat but all of the cutoff cattail stems floating on the surface of the pond. Native Americans used to roast these roots and make flour from them. They contain more starch than potatoes and more protein than rice. In fact Natives used all parts of the plant, eating the new shoots in spring, weaving mats and baskets from the leaves, and even using the pollen in bread.
I thought I’d get an old cliché shot of white snow on red winterberries but by the time I got there the wind had blown all the snow off them. They’re still pretty though, nevertheless. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) is a native holly that likes a lot of water. Birds love the bright red berries and it is an excellent choice for a landscape plant to attract them, especially if your yard has wet spots.
Here is another view of colorful understory shrubs in a snowy forest. It’s so very beautiful and it doesn’t happen often, so I was thankful that I could see such scenes on this day.
Mount Monadnock is always at its most beautiful when it is snow covered, in my opinion. Scenes like this remind me of the shoulder deep snow I found up there when I climbed it one April day; snow so deep I had to crawl over it to reach the summit. Henry David Thoreau wrote that felt the presence of “a vast, titanic power” when he saw Mount Monadnock. He climbed Monadnock many times but finally realized “Those who climb Monadnock have seen but little of the mountain. I came not to look off from it, but to look at it. The view of the pinnacle itself from the plateau below surpasses any view which you get from the summit.” I agree, and that’s one reason I don’t climb it.
And then it snowed again, and again…
…until it seemed that every living thing must be coated with it, and it reminded me of one of my favorite winter quotes by William Sharp: There is nothing in the world more beautiful than the forest clothed to its very hollows in snow. It is the still ecstasy of nature, wherein every spray, every blade of grass, every spire of reed, every intricacy of twig, is clad with radiance.
This grove of witch hazels (Hamamelis virginiana) was certainly clad with radiance.
And they also had hundreds of flowers blossoming in the snow. I’ve known for a long time that these flowers were tough, but this is the first time I’ve seen this. I think they were taken by surprise because it had been in the low 40s F before it snowed, and that’s plenty warm enough for witch hazel blossoms.
It is in the deep quiet of a winter morning just before sunup when I really feel the beauty of this season. The birds are silent at that time of day and if I’m lucky so are my thoughts, and it is at those times when a great sense of peace can come over me. It’s the same peace that comes on the top of a mountain, or when I sit beside a river, or when I’m in a forest and sit with my back against a tree. It’s a peace that is always there but one that you can’t just order up like a meal at a diner. You can search for it as long as you like but it is only when you stop searching and are still that it will find you. It is restorative; healing even, and I do hope it will find all of you as well.
The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found? ~ J. B. Priestley
Thanks for stopping in.
I liked all the snow scenes, but there were a couple of stunning images in this one, the ice crystals on the window and the scene along the river!
Not only is there usually less snow under hemlocks and some other evergreens, when the trees are covered with snow they also block the wind very well also. It can feel much warmer in a hemlock grove during the winter than it really is.
Thanks Jerry! I’ve noticed that about hemlocks too, and they’re also great at keeping the rain off you!
Such beautiful photographs, Allen…you might remember my love for the snow in the mountains and forests from my time up north…. You captured some fantastic images and provided some excellent words (your last paragraph) that speak to near perfection of that love. Thank you for the post…it’s just wonderful.
Thank you Scott, I’m glad you liked it.
Yes I do remember your love of snow. It’s too bad you don’t have a snowy spot close enough to visit.
We had another storm last night and today the kids were just loving it, and they see it all the time!
Very much, Allen…and I’m glad the kids were loving the snow…hopefully they’re making wonderful memories….
My, you have a beautiful winter wonderland! All we have had is a dusting here in the valley and not nearly as cold as you have been. I’m glad that I don’t have to explain the “why” of the weather.
Thanks Montucky! No, I wouldn’t want to have to explain the weather either. It seems to change every day here this year and we’ve already had something like 5 or 6 snowstorms. It’s almost unheard of in November!
Your writing in this post is absolutely beautiful, Allen. I love your photographs of the snowy scenes you found on your walks through the forest.
I remember a heavy early snowfall a few years ago which came suddenly before the leaves had dropped. The snow was covered the next day by a thick carpet of golden maple leaves; a really strange but magical sight.
Thank you Clare. The first snow usually gets me excited and I feel like a kid again, but after that not so much.
Your leaf story is much like ours and it’s still playing out here. The snow is covered with oak leaves. I think maple leaves would be prettier!
Wow. A bevy of beauty shots. I keep learning stuff from you I didn’t know any of that about the oak leaves. Ain’t nature grand?
Thank you Cynthia, It sure is!
Such a beautiful time of year. i suspect that because winter came so early, the oak leaves hadn’t had a chance to fall.
Thank you Laurie. Yes, it is beautiful.
Yes, winter came before the leaves fell but I thought the snow would take them down. Instead they fell after the snow had stopped!
lovely, lovely post
Thank you Cathy!
The photographs are just beautiful. I especially like the oak leaf lying on the snow. We still haven’t had a real snow fall, though it is both north and south of us.
Thanks! You’re lucky that you’ve had no snow so far. It seems like that’s all it’s done here.
You always choose exceptional quotes. As I read your paragraph describing peace, I was looking for the reference! I know we can have snow in November, but I am a bit surprised at how much and how it is staying around!
Thank you Jocelyn. I do put some thought into which quotes best fit the post, but it isn’t always easy.
I too am surprised by this much snow this early. Maybe we’ll have a warm January!
Lovely photos of our first storm. Truly, you were walking in a winter wonderland!
Thank you Eliza. Yes, that’s just what it was like!
Both your quotations exactly hit the mark and your pictures illustrate that very well. A lovely post.
Thank you, I’m glad you liked it.
Thank you for sharing such beautiful pictures.
You’re welcome Jane and thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Beautiful pictures! You really have the snow, we only had a few inches but it didn’t stick. Yesterday was so warm, 49 degrees, we got some shingles on a roofing project all done.
You are so right with, being able to find joy in the simplest things, I find joy walking in the woods at any time of year!
Thanks Allen!
Thank you Chris. I hope we get to see some of that warmth. We’re still far below average temps.
Aren’t we nature nuts the lucky ones!
Yes we certainly are!
Congratulations. You have captured the magic of snowfall. And you are right there is nothing like the pure stillness of coming dawn on word of new snow.
Thank you. Sometimes it’s so beautiful you have to remind yourself to breathe!
Lovely pictures, particularly “winter-stream-at-dawn”, and thoughts.
Thanks very much!
You provide many quotes to accompany your posts, but within your posts are words that are every bit as profound, like … “I’ve discovered that being able to find joy in the simplest things means that joy is never far away.” You could write some books, and become the Thoreau of your time. Similarly your last paragraph in this post, which truly resonates.
Thanks very much Lee. I’d never dare to compare my writing to Thoreau’s but I do have a good idea where he was coming from, I think. The beauty we see in nature seems to well up in a person and you have to find a way to let it all out. His outlet was writing and mine is the same, with the addition of photography. It always feels better when I share it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he felt the same.
A celebration of snow! Suddenly I remember how beautiful Winter can be, Picture 17 (the one with the quotation from William Sharp) got me laughing but with tears in my eyes. Forgive me: it’s the Cancerian in me.
Thank you Ben, I’m guessing that you don’t see much of this kind of snow so your reaction isn’t completely unexpected. I’m glad you liked the post!
I’ve had my share of snow over the years, but generally missed the worst of it, due to the spots where I’ve landed up working. I still love to experience of a good snowfall from time to time. 🙂
You’d certainly find it here this year!
🙂
Beautiful photos, and it is wonderful that you have such a sense of peace in your place in the world. I haven’t experienced much snow, but I do love the silence snow brings. I too, feel at peace in the country, and especially near the mountains where I live. I agree it is restorative. I always hope my grandchildren will inherit the same wonderful world as we experience it.
Thank you. Yes, this always seems to be the quietest time of year and it can be very beautiful too.
I’ve always found nature to be very peaceful but sometimes the sense of peace can be remarkable, as if it is coming from outside rather than inside.
I also hope your grandchildren and all children will inherit the same wonderful world. That’s of prime importance in my way of looking at things.
Thanks for braving the snow and the cold to give us such marvellous pictures. My favourite is the one fourth from the end with the reflections.
You’re welcome Susan and thank you. It has been cold but also beautiful.