Today's Flowers: Strange February

I thought the early narcissus were frozen and wouldn't open but checked on them and a few did bounce back. However, they only last a few days before it got too cold for them again.

The lenten rose (hellebore) are droopy but still pretty. They are very sturdy having been encased in ice, melted and froze again.

These aren't flowers at all (tree below) but when the light hits them I think they almost look like flowers.

I'm not sure what they are called and its my neighbor's tree.

The camellia froze and turned brown but I think it's still pretty.

We didn't get the storm which hit the northeast this weekend but I saw in the extended forecast that we may get snow next weekend. This back and forth weather in NC continues.

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Photohunters: Promise and landscapes you like

Promise

Landscapes You Like

I promise I won't try to show you more than six different types of landscapes I like.

I also promise that I'm only showing landscapes I photographed in my state of North Carolina.

 

In addition, I promise that most of these landscapes are in different parts of North Carolina.

The first shot was taken in the NC foothills on the way to the mountains. The second shot was taken in the mountains in western NC.

The third shot was taken in eastern NC heading into the coastal planes part of the state. The shot directly above was taken on the NC coast at the beach.

The shot above was taken in front of my house the day after Christmas in 2010. I live in central NC in the piedmont section of the state. The shot below was taken on the highway in central NC heading west.

Click here for the promise photohunt and click here for the landscapes you like photohunt.

Nature Notes: February Begins

I love to photograph the ice I remove from the bird baths.

It's a good way to remember the winter too because during fairly mild winters the ice I remove is mostly thin like the shot above. During colder winters I'll have a bunch of thick ice blocks because they haven't melted during the day.

I shot the American Robins in the tree above from my bedroom window.

I was zooming in on my neighbor's tree so the squirrel and birds were far away from me.

The starlings above were on one side of the tree, the squirrel was in the middle and the American Robins in the second shot were on the other side of the tree.

The American Robin in the shot directly above was in one of my oak trees.

 

One day it warmed up enough for the American Robins to hunt through my neighbor's lawn.

I took the rest of the shots during a walk at the lake on Sunday.

The Canadian Geese couple cracked me up as they crossed in front of me on the path.

The cormorants were at their favorite spots.

It was a beautiful day and the gulls were quite active.

They would land on the bridge railing and then fly off again.

Most of the time I was taking quick shots because they were off so fast I couldn't take the time to focus.

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Today's Flowers: Confused

Our strange weather confused the plants and some of my narcissus had emerged only to be encased in ice after a storm last weekend.

This morning it was quite cold, well below freezing, but sunny. Something yellow caught my eye and I couldn't believe it.

Although bowed the narcissus above had started blooming, probably confused again by a warm day or two last week.

Another surprise was my lenten rose (hellebore) shown above when it gave way to the weight of ice was trying to make a comeback as shown below. Bowed but with their own beauty. Tough as nails.

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Photohunters: Daub looking out your window

I saw a daub of snow and a daub of bird excrement looking out my window.

 

Click here for the looking out your window photohunt and here for the daub photohunt.