According to the folks at the National Weather Service 2.7 inches of snow fell in Keene last weekend. That was then packed down by all the rain that followed, and then all of that froze solid over night so there was no shoveling it until the next day. I had to wait until the sun came out on Monday and softened it up a bit, but even then I was shoveling inch thick plates of ice. Once the shoveling was done (actually I was done) I went out to see how the flowers had come through and was surprised to see how unaffected many of them were. It was the temperature, which got down into the low teens, more than the snow that harmed many of them so the ones that were insulated by snow cover pulled through. Those blossoms higher up on bushes and trees weren’t so lucky.
Sometimes it looked like the weight of the heavy wet snow rather than cold damaged the most delicate blossoms.
Many crocuses were open for business as this one was, but there were no takers. All the bees were somewhere other than here and I haven’t seen one in days now.
There is something about flowers in the snow that I find very beautiful. Maybe it’s because it’s so unexpected; one of those things that takes you completely by surprise.
You can see in this shot how the snow had turned to ice. That little scilla blossom seemed very interested in what was going on in that hole that had opened up. Maybe warmth? On very cold days I’ve seen warmth in the form of vapor coming out of holes like that one many times. It’s the warmth of the earth.
These crocuses looked like they were made of silver and inlayed with lapis lazuli. They were very beautiful, I thought.
The vernal witch hazels said “Ho hum, another spring storm.” They’ve been blooming since February and they’ll continue for as long as the cool weather does. Too much heat is the enemy of these flowers.
I’ve been waiting for the hellebores but apparently they were waiting for some snow to bloom in. Another name for them is “Lenten rose” and this year it looks as if they’ve lived up to it.
This hyacinth, the first one I’ve seen blooming, had been frost burned but there are more to come.
The Cornelian cherries miscalculated and were hit hard by the freezing temperatures. The petals on the flowers seen here were more liquid than solid, and the same was true for most of the buds. I don’t know if these cultivars bear fruit because I’ve never seen it, but if they do there won’t be much of it this year. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this happen to them.
The one Forsythia I know of with open flowers was also hit hard but this is one among many thousands. Most buds on other bushes aren’t even showing color yet so they might still blossom as usual. It’s hard to tell with Forsythia because they’re so susceptible to cold. Many years in spring you’ll find blossoms only at the bottom of the bushes, and that’s because that’s where the snow was deep enough to insulate the buds against the cold. This year we had little to no snow and no real cold until now, so it’s anyone’s guess how they’ll blossom.
I’ve seen very few open magnolia buds but the ones that had opened before last weekend had been burned brown by the cold. They shouldn’t look like a brown paper bag.
The tiny threads that are female American Hazelnut flowers should be bright red so these were looking a bit under the weather. That could be cold damage but it could also be that they had been pollinated and didn’t need to be there anymore. Only the fall hazelnut crop will let us know for sure.
The willow blossoms that had opened before the storm were lost to the cold but most had not opened yet, so there are still many millions of willow blossoms to come. They’re an important early spring source of pollen and nectar, so I’m glad they hadn’t all opened.
How very beautiful life is and how easy it is to love. There is no work to it; gratitude is the key that unlocks the door and then love and joy just quietly seep in.
The willows in this post bloom under the power lines on power company property so I have to walk an old access road to get to them. The heavy rain over the weekend flooded the road and then the cold froze it all, so I had to walk in the unmowed rough alongside it. There was lots of melting ice on this day, and that meant the water in places was deep enough to be over my boot tops. I can’t say that I got out of there completely dry.
There were lots of shapes in the ice. This one reminded me of a caladium leaf. If you don’t know what a caladium is but have a lot of shade in your yard, you might want to look them up.
There were bubbles full of bubbles in many places. This scene reminded me of a painting of glass. I’ve seen paintings with glasses in them that looked as real as any photo, and it was because the artist had been so accurate with the highlights. I’ve had several painters ask me if they could paint my photos and I think this would be a great one to practice with. Nature makes each little spot of sunlight and the white outline on each bubble look so simple…..
Dandelions said what snow? It didn’t even slow them down.
This shot is of many thousands of red maple flowers that fell to the pavement during the rain. This is a common sight in spring, usually made up of male flowers that have released their pollen. Once they’ve done their job and are no longer needed they fall like rain.
Mallards didn’t seem to mind the ice and snow, and what must have been very cold water.
Before the storm the summit of Mount Monadnock was down to bare granite but now there’s a lot of snow up there for the sun to melt away again. Since we’ve had another cool and cloudy week it hasn’t gone anywhere yet. I’ve always thought the mountain was at its most beautiful when capped by snow so I had to stop and get a shot of it to show you. On this day I had the added bonus of a cloud shadow.
Flowers carry not only beauty but also the silent song of love. You just have to feel it. ~Debasish Mridha
Thanks for stopping in. I hope everyone has a Happy Easter tomorrow.
New Hampshire Garden Solutions 