Winter Fruit in the Snow

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.

A Few Fleshy Fruits of Autumn

Garden blooms are gone and foliage is fading in my neighborhood, but a few fruits remain here and there. Some will last through the winter, while others offer happy feasts for birds and critters as winter's cold, icy claw will soon grip the landscape.

As I glance around the garden, the berries, drupes, pomes and other fruits catch my eye amidst the brown and gray of "once lush" trees, shrubs, and forbs. I'll refer you to a list of types of fruits for proper identification.

Can you identify what types of fruits (berries, drupes, pomes, hesperidia, other) are shown here?:



Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. trilobum)



Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)



Pachysandra (P. terminalis)



Yew (Taxis canadensis)



Crabapples (unknown Malus cultivar)



Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)

Those are a few of the outdoor fruits; here are two I overwinter in the sunroom:



Developing Fuchsia fruit (F. 'Marinka')



Meyer Lemon (Citrus x meyeri)

Can you correctly classify these fruits? What fruits are growing and ripening in your garden?

[Disclaimer: Not all of the fruits shown here are edible to humans! Research before you consume the parts of any unfamiliar plant!]