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A snow white, but no snow, vase on Monday!

While a large chunk of the country is under a blanket of white, we are snow-free.  Actually I am quite glad.  We had plenty of that last winter.  Enough to last me for a little while longer!  One of the advantages of not having any snow is that I can watch our tiny little snowdrop wood (and it is tiny) come to life, and with each passing day a few more flowers appear amongst the carpet of ivy leaves.  A source of huge joy and a welcome reminder that life is stirring, and Spring is moving ever closer.

My vase today not only has a few snowdrops, a single snow-white hellebore, an arum leaf, one twig of alder catkins, just about to burst, but also some lovely hazel catkins (Corylus avellana), which always remind me of when I was very young.  I think the catkin is probably one of the first wild plants a small child learns about.  Lambs' tails left behind, snagged on the bushes!
I am also including three feathers I found on the golf course, which lay some distance from a section of wing.  I fear they belong to a barn owl.  How such a fabulous bird could have been brought down out there is beyond me, but, sadly, I suppose I have to put it down to the law of the jungle.

Comments

  1. Cathy4 February 2019 at 17:43

    Oh what a pretty assortment of seasonal offerings , Amanda - they look so at home together. Shame about the owl - I have some spotty feathers which I guessed belonged to a woodpecker, presumably brought down by a sparrow hawk that sometimes pays us a visit, well pays our birdlife a visit... I am glad you have a little snowdrop wood to enjoy - have you planted anything else there? I have planted wood anemones and bluebells in our little woodland (which I planted too)

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    Replies
    1. the running wave4 February 2019 at 18:56

      I think I am being a bit grandiose about my snowdrop wood! It really is tiddly but when we moved here I was so happy to have a woody little area that produced snowdrops because where we came from - in the midst of a large woodland belonging to someone else - there were carpets of snowdrops, and I knew I would miss them! It is tricky to plant anything else here because it is a mass of ivy which is so interwoven it is quite difficult to make inroads! A

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  2. Kris Peterson4 February 2019 at 20:38

    I think that's the first all-white hellebore I've ever seen. It's very pretty and looks beautiful with the other materials you collected. The feathers are attractive too, even if the story of the discovery is sad.

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  3. The Shrub Queen4 February 2019 at 22:28

    I love catkins and Arum, so wintry and promising spring all at once. I hope your owl just lost a few feathers..

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    Replies
    1. the running wave5 February 2019 at 08:41

      I love all the first signs of spring at this time of the year. They are even more lovely for being so brave as to appear at the coldest time of year! I'm afraid the owl didn't make it. I also found a significant part of a wing too. I don't know how a silent, night-flying bird could have fallen foul of a predator, or even which one, but I will keep my little trio of feathers in its memory.

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  4. Christina5 February 2019 at 13:13

    Your flowers are so beautifully photographed; a perfect collection to celebrate the season.

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  5. Cathy5 February 2019 at 19:17

    A lovely late winter collection! Love the catkins. :)

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