Friday
Jan152010
Closely observed under grey skies
Friday, January 15, 2010 January may not be the greenest, brightest or most exciting month for Northern Hemisphere gardeners but it does have hidden gems & pops of colour. If not for my daily commitment to spend a few moments behind the lens (I joined this 365 group on January 1st), I suspect I would overlook or undervalue beauties like these:
...one shiny, black berry nestled in the grassy fronds
... tiny mustard-yellow flowers warming up the grey, mid-January light.
Top photo: Black Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens')
Bottom photo: Witch Hazel (Hamamelis)
Reader Comments (6)
Beautiful! I have only seen witch hazel blooming in the fall here in Michigan. I still remember my first time to stumble upon it while out birding with a friend. Seeing it in full bloom during January is breath-taking! Thanks for sharing.
Oh, Yes.
There is always something to look at in any garden. Anywhere, anytime. As you know, it's about looking. Which 365 will do wonders for (and you know how much I love these two...ah, winter light...so pretty).
The witch hazel looks beautiful. I've never seen it before. Sounds like your photography project is a good way to open your eyes to hidden treasures.
Thank you for your lovely comments, everyone. I arrived home from a day in the country yesterday evening & it was a joy to read them.
Diana, I just read your latest blog post. It sounds like we photographed some of the same subjects -- signs of the current season and the one to come.
Lucy, thanks for encouraging me to look beyond, deeper & from different perspectives when I choose a subject. You know how I feel about your photos (and you, of course).
Arwen, I am surprised at how much I'm learning from & enjoying this 365 project. I highly recommend it. Even though I regularly take photos (several to dozens each week), the daily commitment and deadline have been helping me focus, in more than one sense of the word.
Lovely pictures! Yes, nature reminds us that it's still alive and well. Friendly January reminder.
Thanks for RTing my piece yesterday.
Maryse
Hello Wifsie. Lovely to meet you. Yes, your post was very inspiring. I so much like the idea of thinking of January as a hallway. I hope you don't mind if I share the link so others can read it:
http://bluamaryllis.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/somewhere-between-december-and-february/