Let it snow!

Yesterday's snow has suddenly made me think wintry thoughts.
Over the years I've seen snow fall on Homewood several times and I've been lucky enough to get some lovely pictures of our nursery dressed in white.

In January of 2004 we got a nice dusting that was just enough snow to be really pretty but not too dangerous for us to close early.

This was before we relandscaped the atrium hillside. Looking back on it now it's neat to see how much it has changed. I'm crossing my fingers in hopes that this winter I'll get to take pictures of the new landscape covered by snow.

The fishes in the courtyard pond had a thick layer of ice for insulation that year.

A few years before the 2004 snow (my computer records say December of 2002 but I don't think that's right) we had the heaviest snow I've ever seen at Homewood. Big, fat, fluffy flakes started to fall around lunchtime and by 2 o'clock I was wondering why I was still at work. There were no customers out and about so I sat in the nursery office and watched the birds and squirrels from the window. (From the following pictures it's easy to see how Homewood Nursery recently became a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.)

Many of the birds cooperated by posing on the railing just outside the window. Here, a chipper looking Tufted Titmouse says hi.

A somber Junco tries to ward of the cold.


This Thrasher is even more puffed up than usual. But he's not fat, he's just fluffy.

And a jolly Towhee grabs himself a bite to eat.

The suet cake is also a popular spot for hungry birds to hang out. Luckily there's enough to go around and

the female Red-bellied Woodpecker doesn't mind sharing her meal

with a male Downy Woodpecker.

I was fortunate enough to capture this shy little Ruby-crowned Kinglet just before he flew away.

Possibly my favorite bird to photograph in the snow is our state bird, the Cardinal. Maybe it's because the bright red of the male's feathers stands out so well on a white background. Or maybe it's because they're so darned Chistmasy without even trying. Whatever the reason, I've taken pictures of a plethora of cardinals in snow.

But in order to keep from boring you, I've limited myself here to my favorite three.

...like this perfectly posed bird against a background of Aucuba and red-twig dogwood.

Our Canadian Hemlocks are so lovely with a bit of flocking and if you look closely you'll see that the red smudge in the middle is my red feathered friend.

It's obviously not mating season since these two fellas seem content to perch near one another on adjacent branches.

What a great time of year for curling up with a cup of hot cocoa and enjoying the nursery from the inside looking out. Since it's already snowed (a little) in Raleigh three times this year and it's only November, I think our chances are pretty good for some snowy photo-ops by winter's end.

by Christina, Assistant Nursery Manager