Instead of being in full bloom this past week, the temperatures and wind chills seem to have made the witch hazel have second thoughts. The flower petals seem to be trying to crawl back into the buds. No, I don't blame them. (It was -18˚ C (0˚ F) when I was out running yesterday morning.)
I found this Red Hellebore (Christmas Rose) bud in the Woodland Garden at the RBG last Friday under some leaves. I would not have seen it except I knew where it grew and cleared off some leaves to see if anything was happening. Yes, I covered it up again as there will be more cold and snow before it blooms.
This is the Brevipetala Witch Hazel, also called Chinese Witch Hazel. This particular bush grows in the RBG Woodland Garden just below the Rose Garden. It was almost in bloom on Friday, January 22 when I walked by.
Last year it was in bloom already on New Year's Day. Other years it has waited until February.
There were many round holes in a log I was inspecting on my Friday walk and this exoskeleton was hanging on just by one of them. I have no idea what the animal was but I found the left overs interesting.
I have been working on my watercolour skills with a "how to" book. I still need lots of practice but it's looking a bit better to my eye.
