There’s an enormous willow tree at the eastern entrance to the Dungeness Recreation Area. The other morning very early signs of spring, willow catkins, winked in the morning sun.
Here is what the tree looked like only four days before. It makes spring even more eagerly awaited and causes me to wonder: are those catkins a mirage?
This is a “Weekly Top Shot,” hosted by Madge at The View from Right Here. To see other Top Shots, click below.
Here is the last of my photos taken in the snow last Thursday. There is a small meadow that normally opens out into a nice view in the Dungeness Recreation Area. After the snows the trees and shrubbery took the starring role in the scene that awaited at the top of the trail.
I took these photos on Thursday, our third day of snowfall. By midday yesterday, Friday, the temperature began to slowly rise and it was around 40F by sunset. Winds from the south initially brought heavy rains and rainfall was predicted overnight with flood watches and advisories in regions all over Washington state. For the next few days I’ll continue to post photos that I took of the snow and try to include some weather updates.
The trails at Dungeness Recreation Area showed evidence of skiers and snow shoers who were out enjoying a rare opportunity to play in snow at sea level.
Chord, the Wonder Dog, puts playing in snow up at the top of his favorites list and can barely wait to get out the door once he sees snow. He tolerates the girly jacket which means there’s less of him that needs drying off when we get home.
Yesterday was our third consecutive day of snow. We’ve limited our travels to walks in the Dungeness Recreation Area; it snows infrequently enough here that we’re a little leery of other drivers. It stopped snowing long enough yesterday for me to finally pull out my camera.
It’s hard to estimate just how much snow has fallen. Some areas have deeper drifts from wind but enough has fallen that there’s even plenty in forested areas. It’s still light and powdery; I’m guessing there’s at least four to six inches. I’ll post more snow pictures over the next couple of days. In the meantime, for those of you watching the white stuff come down: do stay warm!
Bright light on a winter’s day can bring the starkest scene to life.
It’s tough to fall in love with an orchid, bring it home, and then discover that the spot that seemed perfect simply isn’t. I’m pleased to find that I have an inside spot where orchids seem to be happy, which means for me that an orchid keeps living and blooms again. I think this one is an odontoglossum, but it’s hard to be sure because there are so many hybrids.
In addition to finding the flowers fascinating, the leaves on this plant pop out with a fascinating ruffle. I’m not sure if this is a typical growth habit, but they seem to straighten out and grow normally so I consider it another pleasure of keeping the plant alive. It’s nice to have a plant that is blooming in winter.
If you look at Sequim on a regional map you can see that the landform bulges out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, particularly in the northern Dungeness area. At times this maritime influence delivers the brunt of high winds.
Planted windbreaks like these are somewhat common around here. This is another view of the lombardi poplar “four seasons trees” that I posted here recently. These trees seem to hold up well against the wind. Others have the look of artistic topiary as they grow bent from the sometimes brutal westerly winds.
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