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A pastoral scene near one of our favorite dog parks, including an ice fisherman in the distance on a frozen tributary to the Yahara River. |
Suddenly...it's winter!
We've already broken two "winter" weather records near Madison, Wis. On November 29, we received nearly 12 inches of snow in 24 hours--the snowiest November day and the heaviest single November snowstorm on record!
And now it's very cold: On December 4, the high temperature was 16F/-9C and the low was around 0F/-18C. While these temperatures often occur in January or February here, they're far below normal for December.
Right after the big snow, I thought I'd go out and photograph some winter fruits--they're so interesting and colorful framed in white. But the bitter cold and heavy snow limited my choices in our garden. So I'm including a few fruits from plants in the sunroom, and another observed during a recent dog walk:
Frosted drupes on Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. trilobum);
A snowy cap for Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina);
Wind-scattered Crabapples (Malus spp.) for bird snacks;
Poisonous, drying Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii) berries, ready to be clipped;
Ripening Fuchsia 'Marinka' berries, almost ready to harvest;
And bright, cheerful American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) along the trail.
I couldn't resist sharing this special message created by a fellow dog lover at the park. ❤️
I'm linking in with Jim's "Six on Saturday" meme over at Garden Ruminations.
