Goldenrod in early winter garb
I took this picture on January 1. Went out for a short walk in the lightly falling snow after our New Year’s brunch at the Four Seasons in Yorkville. About as urban an experience as you can get here in the Big Smoke.
After I got home, I grabbed my camera, some plastic bags to cover my gear with in case it started to precipitate more heavily, and headed to the bay. It was a quite grey, as you can see from the pictures.
I stopped along the path of Dog Bay to appreciate the feathery shapes of the golden rod (Solidago canadensis) that pokes out between the huge boulders there. The dried flower heads adorned with little puffs of snow reminded me of ballerinas in white tutus doing graceful arabesques.
Fat flakes of snow on the sea buckthorn
Also along the path, I found a favourite of the cardinals that make their home here. The sea buckthorn, (Hippophae rhamnoides) always a reliable spot of colour on even the dreariest day, keeps its berries right through winter — a gift to the cardinals and other birds, no doubt. Fat flakes of snow clung to the berries and their wickedly sharp thorns. I’ll write more on the sea buckthorn later. It’s a fascinating plant with an intriguing natural history and long association with man.
A beautiful walk today. Lightly falling snow. A hush all around. What a perfect start to the new year.
©BCP 2010
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