This the second time I’ve found an image in this roadside ditch. The first being this. They can be anywhere.
-
Recent Posts
-
Join 1,289 other subscribers
Meta
01.07.2020 Milkweed Fluff…Winter Style
This entry was posted in Closeup Photography, Flora, Intimate Landscape, Nature Photography and tagged Amherst, dried pod, fluffy snow, intimate landscape, Massachusetts, milkweed, milkweed pod, native plant, native wildflower, New England, snow, snow crystals, western massachusetts, winter. Bookmark the permalink.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
Well spotted! Beautiful close-op, looks good in portrait format. I do envy you the snow. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Dina. It was a very nice snow that did not amount to very much but made everything pretty for a little while.
LikeLiked by 1 person
For all the milkweed pods we have in central Texas, I’ve yet to see one with ice or snow on it. It’s good to see you taking advantage of your winter opportunities.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll trade you some frosty milkweed pods for just one little frostweed curl.
LikeLike
I wish I could arrange it. You can drive here in four days, but there’s no way to predict the dates when frostweed extrudes ice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’d be pretty hard to keep those pristine snow crystals on a trip as well.
LikeLike
It occurred to me after my last comment that marsh fleabane has also been reported to do the same kind of ice trick as frostweed, and it grows in eastern Massachusetts. You can scroll up on the slider to zoom in on the county distribution in the map at
https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=PLOD
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bit of a drive although not that far by Texas standards. I checked GoBotany and they list it as Sweet-scented Camphorweed. If I could predict its appearance I’d make the drive. It could be happening now as we are experiencing warmish days and cold nights.
LikeLike
Makes a lovely little shrine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, I would worship at this shrine if it meant more monarchs next summer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This really makes me smile. You have captured the cozy side of snow. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. The last time I thought of cozy and snow together involved a snow fort. 🙂
LikeLike
Nice closeup and detail! Very cool!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Reed.
LikeLike
Looks like something from another planet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Winter World. Actually, that’s the title of a favorite book by a favorite naturalist author.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Winter style, indeed! 🙂 Snow does give an entirely different look to the world. We just had our first real snow of the season, nice big flakes really coming down fast. But it didn’t leave much and will be gone tomorrow. That’s the beauty of photographs, they stick around to jog our memories long after the snow has melted.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was the case with this particular snow. Nice soft but detailed flakes that disappeared by day’s end.
LikeLike
These light dustings of snow we’ve been having are nice for photo ops and freshening the landscape. Tomorrow’s weather sounds challenging however with rising and plunging temps, wind, snow and rain. Crazy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Crazy days this winter is right. 50’s again by the weekend. A few years ago, Facebook reminded me, I was shooting ice at -7°F. Who knows if we’ll see that this winter. So far I am guessing no.I wonder if there is any long er something called a typical winter?
LikeLike
IKR? Maybe that cool spell in early Dec. when we had 3 above was our ‘winter.’ These days, it seems ANYTHING can (and often does) happen weather-wise. Bitter cold tonight, warm tomorrow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful detail and I like the diagonal of the stem – nice composition!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Ann. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is interesting to see the fluff in the form of snow, while the milkweed fluff looks a little damp and bedraggled. Even the pod on the right seems to be astonished at the sight — look at those big eyes, and that ‘O’ of a mouth!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The actual milkweed fluff wouldn’t have made me want to take the image, I don’t think. Bedraggled is exactly how I would describe it but combined with the snow crystals it is a nice comparison. I hadn’t noticed a face but now it will always be there. A little extra texture, if you will.
LikeLike
Very nice, Steve, and the surprised face peeking out on the lower right is a nice bonus!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Ellen. I always have the feeling I am being watched. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really like the composition of this. It makes me want to be still and just look.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Melissa. I did study it for a while before deciding how to photograph it. Although there was a slight breeze, the whole experience was slowing and peaceful.
LikeLike
That is just how it looks. I didn’t mean to question your choice~it is excellent. Only, visually I’m greedy and I always want to see more! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did make a different view, from behind, but chose to not share that. I might at some point but it was fluffless. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ditches, fields, vacant lots – all great places to hunt. This is totally novel looking at a milkweed pod full of snow and ice. I like it! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had been thinking about finding this for a while and then we had a fluffy snow and the wetland I visited was filled with them. Tough decision who was the prettiest but I think I chose a good one. There’s stuff happening everywhere and while some things may not be that appealing everything has appeal. 🙂
LikeLike
Some things may not be that appealing everything has appeal….I’ll have to chew on that. 🙂
Were you thinking about finding a pod with snow because you’ve seen that before, or did you just think that would be a cool thing to see? In all the decades that I lived around them, I can’t remember seeing one packed with snow. We have a foot of snow here! Actually less now that the temp went up to 40 and it rained a bit. With the road edges getting a little slushy and the snow turning a bit dirty, I was reminded today of March in upstate NY. With global warming, maybe late Feb. But you know what I mean. It was fun to have snow for a change.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes and no to my expectations. I did expect to find snow on the pods but hadn’t gone beyond how it would be seen. It was a treat when I walked around to the other side and saw the interior.
As things have been unusual around here this winter I worry about what the season will be like in the future. I have that in the back of my mind as I acquire images thinking that it will be harder in coming years to experience the same phenomena. 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh…glad that you’ve had some snow. I guess it’s more special when it is out of the ordinary. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is more special than it used to be, and far less of a hassle than it was in NYC. 🙂
It’s too bad that we are beset by worries about the environment but I suppose with things the way they are, it would be wrong to be blind to it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree. I hate the news but it’s counterproductive to keep one’s head in the sand.
LikeLiked by 1 person