The Power of Plants

This is a bit of a hit and run post this a.m.  Am scheduled to do my volunteer work at the Oakville Municipal Greenhouse and wanted to put something up before I left.  

The sun came out briefly yesterday.  Close to freezing in temperature, warmer than it's been for a week or so.  I was delighted to find all these little holes throughout the snow where plants have started to grow.  I began to wonder - do plants have special powers to melt snow?

Here's my earliest daff poking up through:

The Hellebore 'Ivory Prince' once again revealed:

The Carex - all but muskingumensis - are looking naked and green:

C. 'Ice Dance' - doing just as its name suggests:

This is one I've nicknamed C. Donald Trump - does this look like a lady holding a baby to you?

This Epimedium looked fine all winter.  Over the next few weeks, I'll get out and cut it down.  It has really pretty orange/peach flowers.   I it got at the RBG many years ago and see that Garden Import are selling it - E. 'Orangekonigin' this year.  It seems to have better melting abilities than the poor Hellebore to the right under the snow.

This nail polish colour is My Chihauhau Bites.  The pretty little seed head is Nicandra.

Notice nice flat plant crown - no snow - what's happening?

 A bush-type clematis - seeds gone.  And then just beyond....

I discovered, that not only do plants have the ability of poking through the snow, so do tennis balls.  

So is it reflected light, the magic of plants, or a little of both perhaps?

Perhaps my first robin of the season knows the answer to this little mystery.  When he comes a little closer, I'll ask.