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Late Winter in the Litchfield Hills

February 29, 2008 Calm before the storm — the bright sunshine only slightly moderates today's very cold air.

Weed in the sun.

February 27, 2008 An air bubble trapped inside an icicle offers an undersea feel.

An icicle.

February 24, 2008 Partially melted snow highlights the structure of an old chestnut tree.

Chestnut tree with snow.

February 21, 2008 With Saturn to the left and Regulus above, an aircraft passes in front of the eclipsed moon.

Total lunar eclipse photographed in Litchfield, CT.

February 20, 2008 A hawk spreads its red tail while playfully soaring on this breezy day.

A pair of hawks.

February 19, 2008 A curl of grass decorates a frosty roadside field at sunrise.

Frosty roadside field in Litchfield County.

February 15, 2008 With a nearby crow loudly sounding an alert, this red-tailed hawk changes its hunting position.

Red-tailed hawk photographed in Litchfield County, Connecticut.

Underside markings are invaluable when trying to recognize a particular individual.

Red-tailed hawk -- photo taken in Litchfield County, CT.

February 14, 2008 After a rainy end to yesterday's snow and ice storm, a cold night yields strange shapes.

Ice on a branch in Litchfield, CT.

February 12, 2008 At 10°F, the frost can be flower-like.

February 10, 2008 A short-lived burst of heavy snow to begin the day today. A later burst left three inches.

Winter scene in Litchfield Connecticut.

February 8, 2008 Crystals of snow accumulate on this fern, still green from its proximity to a stream.

Snow on a fern in Litchfield.

February 7, 2008 Winter is slowly returning.

Horse with purple blanket.

February 6, 2008 Warm air means advection fog in the many areas where snow cover remains.

Advection fog in the woods.

February 5, 2008 A dusting of snow last night covered everything in a soft white. But heavy rain with thunder this morning left only the rough granular snow, from which this next-generation evergreen emerges.

Young pine emerges from snow.

February 4, 2008 Frost patterns on the thin top layer of ice that formed over the weekend at "high water" in this wetland after the heavy rain last Friday.

Patterns in wetland ice.

February 1, 2008 Today began with a pre-sunrise solar pillar, caused by horizontally-oriented ice crystals, photographed in Litchfield Borough.

Sun pillar.

January 30, 2008 Unusual for January: rain.

Raindrop on vine.

January 28, 2008 Milkweed — after the seeds have left the pod.

Milkweed.

January 25, 2008 Grasses continue to take advantage of the winter wind.

Grass spreading seed in the wind.

January 23, 2008 Yesterday's sunrise warned of an approaching front. But only a dusting of snow materialized in the evening.

Sunrise warning of snow.

January 21, 2008 A dried flower in a snow-covered field holds a bit of frost on this very chilly morning.

A dried flower above the snow.

January 18, 2008 With four inches of new and very wet snow, occasional stems of old grass are the only interruption in this field.

Grass in field of snow.

January 17, 2008 A still night and a bowl-shaped valley provide the ideal conditions for building up a lot of frost. This twig was beautifully decorated this morning.

Frost crystals on a twig.

Even dried grass, where it's not covered by the snow, is accented by sharp crystals.

Frost on dried grass.

January 16, 2008 "Who me? Did I cause that snow to fall on your head?"

Innocent-looking squirrel.

January 15, 2008 Combine a strong east wind with sticky, wet snow, and every tree trunk becomes a compass.

Snow on the east-facing side of a tree trunk.

This shelf mushroom supports more than its weight of wet snow.

Shelf mushroom covered with snow.

January 14, 2008 A minor snowstorm — not as big as predicted. Before it covered everything, cracks in the ice could be seen and, every so often, heard.

Cracks in the ice.

January 11, 2008 After a week of warmer weather, and today hard rain, three quarters of the snow is gone. Here an acorn cup is revealed, its shape providing an important winter clue for identifying the type of oak.

Acorn cup revealed by snow melt.

January 9, 2008 Despite the unusual warmth, the ice on Mt. Tom pond seems intact. This snowman has been keeping the ice fishers company in the morning mist.

Snowman on frozen lake ice in mist.

January 7, 2008 This was the weekend of the Connecticut Lighter than Air Society winter "freeze your..." gathering. With the sun still a couple of degrees below the horizon, some sixteen hot air balloons were already brightening up the sky.

Hotter than air balloons in the Connecticut sky.

Despite the milder, twenty-something degree weather, hot blasts at inflation provided welcome warmth.

Balloon inflation, with blast of heat from burner.

January 4, 2008 The native Cranberry Viburnum (Highbush Viburnum, or Viburnum trilobum, to be more correct) takes to the acid soils of the Litchfield Hills. It brings a touch of vibrant color to abandoned areas in even the coldest of weather. This one (temp. 10°F) was beside a road near the upper Bantam River.

Brilliant red cranberry viburnum berries.

January 3, 2008 More serious cold has arrived. It took a couple of hours of bright sun to push the mercury up to 1 degree F.

Thermometer showing one degree F this morning.

With the sun angle so low, shadows paint the snow.

Bird feeder covered with show.

January 1, 2008 Snow generously fills a dried seed cone of this Tulip Tree.The central spikes stand upright all winter.

Continue reading from the Early Winter archive >

 

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