With three days left before Spring officially arrives here we had a slight relapse. Last evening three inches of snow fell in two hours. It was wonderful!
Then this morning it looked like Spring again when a flock of Robins came to play in the snow.
Tucked neatly in between snow flurries these days there have been periods of sunshine, and Nature is proceeding with the inevitable journey toward Summer. The Buttercups which have been in bloom for a month on Buttercup Ridge have now spread to sunlit places along the valley floor
Sagebrush Buttercup Ranunculus glaberrimus
and among them are the tiny white flowers of Whitlow Grass.
Whitlow Grass, Draba verna
Near where these were blooming there was a section of an old abandoned barb-wire fence and it appeared to be a danger to the deer who crossed that hillside on their way to the river to drink. As I knelt down to cut the pieces of old rusted wire, this very early bloom of Woodland Star became visible, perhaps as a small reward for my effort.
This is Molly. We adopted her from an animal shelter five years ago and she turned twelve on January third. It has been a rewarding experience for all of us and there should be many good years still remaining.
