Wildflower Wednesday Popsicles

Bart and I headed out in the -17C (1F) weather this morning to take part in Gail's first-of-the-season - Wildflower Wednesday.   Kevin and I had been talking about how we'd spent so many hours outside in the winter in Montreal doing sports and just playing.  It didn't matter how cold it was, our mothers were both of the same "You need to go outside" school.  Kevin remembers skating when it was -35F - "Well, I was probably the only one there."  I remember being up on a ski-lift when it was -40F - now that was cold - and very lonely as I remember.

However, over the past few weeks, I'd say we'd almost crossed over to becoming weather-wusses.  "Oh, it's -5!", said Kevin.  "With the windchill, it's almost -12C."  You'd think we had been raised in Barbados.  -5C, -12C.....  My goodness, isn't that why we have a battery of winter coats: the long wool one, the medium wool car coat, the puffy ski jacket, the fake fur coat - the hats, the hairbands (so much easier on the hair-doos), the earmuffs, the Olympic red mitts, the 6-1/2 pairs of gloves, the short boots, the tall boots, the scarves (wool, cashmere/wool, hand knit, plaid, solid, mohair) - so we can go outside in what we rarely have anymore - Canadian Winter.

So I put on my tall boots, my ski jacket, my snow pants, my orange scarf around my neck, my from-New Zealand wool hand knit big scarf on top of my coat, my thermal gloves, my ski toque (pronounced tuoouk), threw my camera over my chest, grabbed my purse, had Kevin put the poop bags in my pocket because I couldn't move my hands - and off we went - Barbara Bibendum with her little dog Bart.

Snow streamers off the lake yesterday had left a very pretty dusting of snow.

With the car cleaned off, we headed off to Joshua Creek Trail to check out the wildflower seed-heads.

As you can see, not much snow.  But the little bits we did have stuck so beautifully in all the right places.  Look at this teasel Dipsacus.

I find it interesting to see, what's started to lie down and what continues to stand up straight.  Most of the native asters stems are broken very close to the ground and are taking the rest of the winter lying down.

Bart just wonders where the ducks are.

 

I had seen a number of evergreens that had trouble last summer in gardens.  Overall this tree was healthy but was showing signs of stress of the heat and dry.

That's the Ford plant smoking away.

Sumac are almost completely naked now.

More pokie little seed heads filled with snow.

Not many rose-hips left on my favourite wild rose.

A lovely day - providing you're wearing everything.

This patch of Solidago bloomed very late last year.  Most of the other swaths I can remember are bald.

One little bit of sumac:

And then the walk was over.

So back we scooted.

I knew the ducks had to be somewhere:

A passel of teasel.

Bart is looking forward to removing his Wildflower Wednesday sweater and spending some quality time on top of the heat register.  What was mum thinking?  Here's to an early spring and some real Wildflower Wednesday blossoms!