it’s still february

it is still winter here in the north. sticks and stems are what i have to play with. some of you lucky souls out there are probably already seeing signs of spring–budding magnolia, fiddle heads, maybe even some spring bulbs. i’ve got another whole month before i see any signs of spring. but i can feel it on the breeze.

little nubbins

the rest of the tamarack twigs i found on my walking trail after heavy winds. those little nubs along the branches make them unusual and striking in my opinion. the nubs are called shoots, and each one will sprout 10-20 needles next spring. if only i could catch them in a photo while they are just sprouting…but like i said yesterday, tamaracks like bogs. and i am not an amphibian.

tamarack twigs in winter (Larix laricina)

heavy winds

tamarack is a delightful oddity. it is a  deciduous conifer that looses it’s needle-like leaves every fall in a burst of yellow-gold glory. tamarack, aka larch, is a boreal conifer. here in the twin cities, we are on the southern edge of it’s natural range. tamarack grow most commonly in bogs and swamps. so, while i can see and admire them from afar, i am usually unable to get close enough to photograph them. but a few days ago, we had heavy winds, with gust at 30 mph, which littered my lakeside trails gifts that are usually out of my reach. like this lovely tamarack branch with with its petite and perfect cone.

winter tamarack branch with cone (Larix laricina)

almost

i found this guy on the deck under the sliding glass doors. juncos are one of only a few year-round avian residents here in the north. the others include:  nuthatches, chickadees, woodpeckers (downy, hairy, red bellied, and pileated), cardinals, and blue jays. we are only a week or two from the earliest migrants (grosbeak finches) returning. it makes this loss doubly sad that we were so close to the end of the winter hardship for this wild creature.

dark eyed junco (Junco hyemalis)

seed pods forever

seed pods are my love language. if you are ever wondering what to get me for a birthday present, just find me a good seed pod. this screwbean mesquite seed pod from the palm springs desert was my favorite thing i brought back from my trip a couple weeks ago. imagine my delight when i saw this jester’s cap bouncing in the breeze above our dinner table.

screwbean mesquite seed pod (Prosopis pubescens)