A white flower might not be too showy compared to yellow, pinks and blues, but any wildflower, even a white Trillium, would look better than white snow drifts.
Spring White
Picture of the Day for February 7, 2014
Sunny, smiling daffodils would be nice to see and they are blooming in some states already, if they poked their heads up around here, they would find themselves under three feet of snow.
Smiling Daffodils
Picture of the Day for February 6, 2014
Like some of the birds, this Red Admiral butterfly heads south for the winter, something that I think a lot of people in the north would like to do after another day with wind chill advisories. The Red Admiral spends the winter in southern Texas instead of the frozen states like Wisconsin. And while butterflies are often thought to be simple and carefree, some butterflies like the Red Admiral are very territorial and defend their area with patrolling flights and complex interactions in flight with intruders of their own species. Too bad the butterfly can’t chase winter away!
Not So Carefree Butterfly
Picture of the Day for February 5, 2014
I guess I shouldn’t have complained about the cold, sunny day yesterday since it was cloudy today and even colder with a few snow flakes in the air too. The drab day increases the desire for spring and colorful wildflowers.
Splash of Blue and Pink
Picture of the Day for February 4, 2014
Blue flowers with hint of yellow centers is more pleasing to look at than blue sky and the sun on a cold winter day. These early spring bulbs won’t be emerging through the frost and snow pack for a while yet though.
Splash of Blue
Picture of the Day for February 3, 2014
Although the sun was out and make the snow bright, it didn’t feel too warm outside, so I rather see some sunflowers brightening the fields with busy bees buzzing around. But that dang groundhog said winter would be a long one!
Sunny Sunflowers
Picture of the Day for February 2, 2014
I didn’t need a rodent to tell me winter would continue six weeks longer. It has been a long winter already. Punxsutawney Phil and Wisconsin’s Jimmy both saw their shadow signifying winter will persist longer.
According to legend, Groundhog Day is based in part on Candlemas and weather on the hallway point between winter and spring was important as old English sayings states, “If Candlemas be fair and bright, come winter have another flight. If Candlemas brings cloud and rain, go winter, and not come again.”
In addition to Candlemas, Groundhog Day is also supposedly based on Roman belief that if early February was sunny and a hedgehog casts a shadow, then winter temperatures will persist for six more weeks.
The German immigrants settling in Pennsylvania, melded the traditions and lacking hedgehogs, substituted native groundhogs, also known as a woodchuck, and Groundhog Day began.
Farmers in the north, knew winter was not close to the end, whether or not the marmot saw his shadow or not on February 2, so their saying was “Groundhog Day – Half your hay” which meant if that if the farmer didn’t have half his hay remaining, there may have been lean times for the cows before spring and fresh grass arrived.
And with the lack of hay from the drought and the high snow piles, I think the farmers will need more hay than that.
Groundhog Day
Picture of the Day for February 1, 2014
With the start of a new month, it means spring is a little closer but it will be at least four, almost five months before the wild roses reappear in the field. But maybe the bud of spring has started except doesn’t seem like it since it is below zero again.
Bud of Spring
