Snowflakes

Andrew took these yesterday.  A certain type of snow and weather conditions are necessary to photograph individual flakes.  They are seen here on Clematis seed heads, metal and coneflower seed heads.

We only have this moment sparkling like a star in our hand-and melting like a snowflake. Maria B Ray

Visiting the Vernal Pool

It was more like spring outside today than winter.  That is suppose to change tomorrow. In the mean time we made the best of the pleasant weather and took a trip to a nearby vernal pool to search for caddisfly cases to photograph for a magazine article we are writing for spring publication.  We found them and some fingernail clams; everything else was hiding under the leaf litter waiting for spring. While the water was ice cold we were not cold until the very end when our toes started feeling like they were frozen and when we took our waders off..brrr. The ice was about an inch thick in the middle of the pool.

caddisfly case=little bits of sticks and gravel that are "glued" together to form a home for a small aquatic insect larva.

 Leaves under the ice

 Fingernail clam

Joy to the World

“Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own.”— Charles Dickens 

This morning we took a quick trip out to Madison County to look for Snowy Owls. The Ohio bird listserv reported a sighting near Rosedale.  We struck out on the owls but there were lots of other beautiful things to be seen in the winter woods.  It was really cold but my new Stormy Kromer cap kept my head really warm.  We stopped at Pearle King Savannah and took a couple hundred photos. The lighting was really dramatic this morning.

 Bittersweet

Andrew is looking out over Pearle King Savanna, one of the park district's landholding, and making note of what work needs to be done there this spring.

 Mountain Mint

Almost noon on Christmas day.

Merry Christmas

Christmas Puppies

We got puppy update pictures yesterday.   They are now 5 weeks old. Prepare for extreme cuteness. Two male Bichons. Not sure which one is ours yet.

Edited on 12/19/13  Nolan is in this first picture. We found out yesterday he is ours. So happy.

photos by Linda K.