WINTER TREES

In my eyes, there is very little in nature as beautiful is the sculptured grace of winter trees. This blog entry consist of my pictures and observations collected over the winter of 2015-2016. 

If you too, are a winter tree lover, I hope this post will resonate for you. If you are someone who shudders and thinks that the trees are so ugly and desolate in the winter, I hope that you can see some of the beauty that I so enjoy. 

If you wish to add your own thoughts or pictures, please feel free to send them along in a comment at the end of the post. I'd be happy to add to this post any thoughts and pictures others might have about the beauty of winter trees.

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Moon through winter trees
Bare branches against the sky
Night beauty abounds

The Moon & Venus

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The occasional leaf still on the limb

Like a flag, rustles in the breeze.
Is that a leaf or a bird peeking out from behind the branch?
Moss on the trunks.
No, not moss, but lichens,

Light greenish-yellow & white.
Delicate threads.

A few leaves remain on the oak trees all winter

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3:30 AM. 
"Who   who who   whoo    whooo"

The great horned owl gets us out of bed
Looking out the window
"Who   who who   whoo    whooo"

Behind the winter branches
Sparkling stars and the last quarter moon shine in the clear sky 
"Who   who who   whoo    whooo"

A new voice, lower, answers the first's call
Probably the female, as they are larger birds
The duet continues...
"Who   who who   whoo    whooo"  
                      "Who   who who   whoo    whooo"

I wish I could see the owls that I am hearing
One moves closer 
Still the empty branches  
Yet so special to be serenaded by this pair of Great Horned Owls tonight
"Who   who who   whoo    whooo"

The sky on fire with dawn light

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We have mostly white pines and oaks. The pines stand straight to the sky with large clumps of needle-full branches scattered on the limb tips looking like sponge painting. 

The red oaks are craggy and gnarled often with two trunks making a V shape. The branches bend and twist on each other and intertwine from tree to tree.

 

Oaks twisted and tangled in delicate, gnarled patterns

 

 

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Woodpecker, bright in the sunlight, tap taps on a dead branch bleached white by the sun.

Pileated Woodpecker against a cloudy sky

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The sun shines brightly through the mist and fog
It's the first we've seen sun in several days
Ice sparkles in the sunlight 

White against blue against black
The ice on the branches melts in the bright sunlight
Oh, that's cold down the back of my neck!

  

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"Lambent" Definition: Playing slowly and softly over a surface, breaking
up or flickering, as lambent moonlight on the rippling lake.
2. Glowing faintly, as a lambent light in the fog.

Trees reflected in an open place on the iced pond

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In mid-February, we had a snow storm with very heavy, wet snow.  At the end of the day, after dark clouds and on and off snow all day, we were outside clearing the driveway when suddenly, the sun came out, reflecting off of the snow covered trees.

Looking east, late afternoon

Looking southeast to the tops of the nearby trees

Looking south toward the pond.  Snow covered branches backlit by setting sun after a heavy snowfall


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YOUR WINTER TREE PICTURES HERE!

Send me thoughts and photos of the beauty in the winter trees.