It's mid winter and the days are getting longer and the shadows are shorter. Tree bark and seed heads have been frozen, inactive and dried out. You get to look at tree bark that you would never see in the summer and besides it would have a much greener tinge to it. So before I took a second charge through the shrubbery I decided to try a few pictures. Things have definitely lightened up since the winter solstice. Yesterday the sun rose at 8:23 and set at 5:12 which gives us 8 hours and 49 minutes of sun. On the solstice we had 7 hours and 39 minutes of sun.
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| Lilacs that look much different compared to June. |
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| Lilac seeds that haven't been eaten by the Pine grosbeaks. |
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| Lilac seed heads and buds ready for next June. I didn't notice the buds until I looked at the photo on the computer. |
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| Snow rats hiding in the shade. So ever so gradually we are inching towards spring. |
your photos show the perfect browns of winter against those blues. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I have rarely tried anything like this. After I nearly poked a stick in my eye and backed out I saw this.+
DeleteLove the snow rats!
ReplyDeleteThey're cool kids!
DeleteI love those pictures. They're not the typical. Yes, we are getting closer to spring!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, spring is closer than we think.
DeleteYes inching toward spring...slowly. We had sunrise at 7:50 and sunset at 5:15 for 9 hours and 25 minutes. I think that makes us 36 minutes more of daylight than you. EXCEPT the days are so cloudy most times you can't tell..:)
ReplyDeleteOur winter started about Oct. 20 so it's been long. We will be looking for spring. check with me in 30 days and we'll see how close the daylight is.
DeleteIt's always a privilege to look at the complex forms of nature.
ReplyDeleteYou're a guy who really knows this stuff.
DeleteStunning pictures. Winter with its blue skies and snow fields really can highlight patterns and textures can't it.
ReplyDeleteThanks . Comments like this really help me to see things in a photo. I was not really considering what the background would look like.
DeleteI always notice the return of the light at about this time of year. It's coming! :-)
ReplyDeleteDarn! You're going to miss some of this when you're sitting in Florida.
DeleteThe lilac seed heads n buds are very interesting. Yes, the slow change is coming - still very cold here today at -12, however; big change from last week at -21 to -30. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteWe are getting a blast tonight with high wind chill.
DeleteInching...slowly...February by this weekend. It is always a relief to me to get to February.
ReplyDeleteLinda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
Hard to believe that January is almost gone.
DeleteLots of beauty offered all year, but winter opens ones eyes to many new attractions
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm slowly starting to discover that.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder! Spring is just around the corner!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great time of year to check out the bare bones of nature ... just a pity it's so dull and wet over here.
ReplyDeleteThe light in winter offers us many views of past and future greenery that we tend to not notice otherwise. I'm glad that you did and that you shared. Hurry spring!
ReplyDelete