Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Winter Wednesday - We Came From the Land of Ice and Snow

Blue skies? Sunshine?  Could I be blogging from my home in upstate New York?

I'm not.  I am in warm, sunny, Florida. (Although this morning, a cold front is coming through and it is cloudy and windy.) Warm, as in yesterday's high of 70. (21 degrees Celsius). I am soaking in every last one of those little degrees.  Not one will escape.

It is GREEN outside, as in actual, growing plants, blooming.  Birds are singing.  Insects are chirping. Did I mention that there are flowers outside?

The winter storm that is hitting the mid-Atlantic right now with up to two feet of snow expected in areas came through about 20 minutes ago with a whimper of wind and a sprinkle of shower.

Let me show you some of the flowers near where I am staying:
Bird of Paradise flower. (this plant is related to the banana, by the way).  The plant, by the way, is named after a son of a Russian Czar.

I am not 100% positive, but I think this is a spider lily.

Coral Bean (a native; picture taken at a native plant nursery).

And finally, the beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis), which is commonly found on the edge of - well, beaches.  It is useful for dune stabilization, besides being pretty.

It's wonderful to be able to blog about flowers at the beginning of March!  Next Wednesday, if I can get ID's, I will post some pictures of Florida wildflowers.

And in case you are ready to throw darts at my picture, oh northern friends - we are expected to have near record cold tonight, with a low of 43 degrees.

Is it warm where you are?  Or are you still firmly in winter's embrace? (alas, I will be returning next week to upstate's grey skies and snow after this winter's break.)
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7 comments:

  1. Jo MichaelsMarch 6, 2013 at 12:16 PM

    Oh, man! I wish I was in sunny Florida! I'm in snowy Georgia, freezing my arse off! :) Lovely photographs today, Alana! WRITE ON!

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    1. bookwormMarch 6, 2013 at 9:10 PM

      We will be in Georgia next week. I hope the snow has melted by then.

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  2. Francene StanleyMarch 6, 2013 at 1:13 PM

    I was pleasantly mild when I set out for my afternoon walk. Some of the little blue crocus had emerged under 100 ft trees, and pink blosson decorated bare branches in one garden I passed. If I know April, they'll be blown off in a spring storm sometime soon.

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    1. bookwormMarch 6, 2013 at 9:10 PM

      Sounds like spring is well on its way where you live. They will be getting snow where I live tomorrow night - spring is definitely not on its way for us, yet. Maybe in April...

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  3. Toni NelsonMarch 6, 2013 at 8:02 PM

    I love living in Florida. I don't miss the snow and ice at all. This past Sunday I posted a couple of photos from Marie Selby Gardens.

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    1. bookwormMarch 6, 2013 at 9:08 PM

      Thank you. We will be passing through Sarasota Friday on the way to somewhere else. I had read about Marie Selby but figured we didn't have enough time - we will definitely consider it now. I hope we have time!

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  4. AnonymousMarch 7, 2013 at 11:49 AM

    It's warm here in sunny Arizona. My daffodils and hyacinth are even starting to bloom now:) Lovely pictures and fun post to read. Thanks!

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