i was so smitten with the large assemble i shot of all our finds in languedoc, that i was inspired to do more of the same.  thus the bones, and now pine cones.

i pick up new-to -me pine cones whenever i come across them. i keep them in a box in my storage room.  i always assumed i would use them some day for holiday decor–on a table or mantel.  but STILL blog is a much better use, don’t you agree?

my collection includes cones from :  australian pine, cedar, jack pine, balsam, cypress, douglas fir, austrian pine, scotch pine, norway spruce, white and black spruce, red pine, white pine, atlas cedar, parasol pine, longleaf pine, and sequoia redwood

minnesota, florida, georgia, california, and languedoc, france

winter’s beauty is subtle

i like it

rice creek regional trail, saint paul, minnesota

most of this collection was found by our observant nine year old son, joseph, who has embraced the STILL blog project with as much enthusiasm as his mother.

the pieces we can confidently identify include: intact bird skeleton, muskrat jaw, coyote jaw, heron leg bones, deer ribs, beaver skull, catfish skull, bass spine, turtle breastbone, northern pike head and spine, green frog skeleton, squirrel skull, baby raccoon skull, raccoon skull, northern pike jaw

one of my favorite things to come across in winter are the dried up wild cucumber vines

they are such a vivid reminder of my unsupervised childhood spent roaming empty fields

each of these dried pods has burst and spat out four new seeds for next year

saint paul, minnesota

poplar leaves in winter

i love the gray and brown palette of winter, set off as it is  against the white snow

rice creek regional trail, saint paul, minnesota