Watch Where You Are Walking! Photos By Amy

White pine needles and oak leaves make an interesting surface for walking.  It is slippery especially on uneven ground. This causes a person to watch where they are walking.  When you have a camera and an eye for beautiful nature images, this is the result.  "Perforated Oak Leaf with Pine Needles"

                                                 

I guess you could call this "Dead Stick with Fungus" but that would hardly cover what I see here!

Flattened leaves, a round fungus, green moss, a round fungus and sunlight in January make a perfect picture for me!  I'm calling this one "Natural Sphere".

This one titled "Milkweed Mess" by the photographer is not the image of milkweed we are accustomed to seeing.  Rain and snow have made their mark.  Most of the seeds have been eaten by hungry  bugs or rodents.

These milkweed seeds will not float on the wind under their fluffy white parachute.  Still they have a purpose.  I'm calling this one "Five Seeds in Half a Pod".   For January or anytime these are special images.  Watch where you are walking because there is so much to see!

Chilled Garden Close Ups

Things are cooling off in the garden. If out thermometer is correct it went down to 10 degrees last night. Obviously this sedum plant has reacted to the cold, but the hens and chicks are still looking good.

An even closer look shows us that as gross as this  sedum looks it still has  has tiny new growth at its base ready for next spring.

Right now this English lavender plant couldn't look more beautiful. It's not the cold but moisture that lavender despises.

Yes! This is a dead stick. I was captivated by the white fungus growing on it. Its white color and coral like texture  captured my imagination.

During the sunny part of the day Ed is working with stones now, getting ready to build a wall. He found this  fossil. It  was fascinating enough to place on  top of the shade garden wall where we can look at it whenever we wish. This small stone may have the deepest fossil imprint we have found here.