twigs, and stems, and…bark!

i overlook bark. i have no idea why. the texture is extraordinary. it’s varied. it’s abundant. and still i look past it. i suppose there is many things in my environment that i do this with. it’s got me wondering…how to go outside tomorrow with eyes-like-a-traveller? you know how you are best self when you travel, full of wonder, with all your senses piqued, curious about everything? i want to be that person here, in minnesota, on my familiar walking trails. perhaps a little pre-walk meditation will get me in the right frame of mind: eyes wide open.

poplar bark

captured sunshine

these dried roses look like captured sunshine to me. a stark contrast to the almost white-out conditions outside my window as i type. capturing summer sunshine for winter is as old as time. squirrels bury nuts, bees store honey, home cooks preserve fruits and vegetables, and i dry botanicals. we have all adapted to our environments in the same way.

dried roses

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)