Around the edges of the Boston Public Garden, a few witch hazel bushes have sprung into bloom. At least these plants believe there will be spring and warmth this year.
If you would like to give yourself a photography challenge, spend some time photographing a witch hazel plant.
If you have a macro lens or a close-up setting on your camera give that a try. I didn't have my macro with me and used a telephoto to show the details of these fuzzy buds.
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Around the edges of the Boston Public Garden, a few witch hazel bushes have sprung into bloom. At least these plants believe there will be spring and warmth this year.
If you would like to give yourself a photography challenge, spend some time photographing a witch hazel plant.
If you have a macro lens or a close-up setting on your camera give that a try. I didn't have my macro with me and used a telephoto to show the details of these fuzzy buds.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Most years, I start looking for the first signs of spring right after Valentine's Day. This year, it was nearly Saint Patrick's Day when I spotted sprouts in the Back Bay, yesterday.
The snow drops are blooming along the edge of this garden.
Those grassy sprouts will be crocus in a few days.
And, these green goodies will be daffodils if they are springing from the same bulbs as last year.
It's happening! The snow is melting and the bulbs are blooming. We may make it to spring yet.
The courtyard at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square is a very popular place for outdoor dining on warm days year-round. But, I didn't expect to find people using it this week. I was wrong. Even the smallest thaw brings out the picnicker in many of us.
It looks like someone planned for the thaw and cleared a small section of the patio. Just a few days before, I took this photo of the opposite patio from where the women were lunching.
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Poppy loves snow but even she was a bit irreverent in saying goodbye to February 2015 and its record-setting snowfall.
Spring can't come too soon for this family!
(Since yesterday was the first of the month and a Sparkling Wine Day for BostonZest readers, we thought we'd bring our Sunday Dog fans a Monday Dog this week.)
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It has been a very photographic February with the cycle of snow, freeze, thaw, and freeze we've endured. Ed said it was as if Mother Nature wanted to add a fresh coat of makeup to the snow piles so they wouldn't look dirty.
Icicles added a touch of frosting to the Victorian townhouses along Commonwealth Avenue.
On Newbury Street, some took on the look of waterfalls.
On Boylston Street, the stonework and icicles set off one another beautifully.
Here's a view of icicles from inside one of the glass crossovers at Copley Place.
Bacchante does not seem to mind the snow at all and just continues to dance in the Courtyard of the Boston Public Library.
As much as we may complain about the endless snow and cold, it's hard to resist photographing the way it changes our neighborhood.
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February has been an icicle month, so far, in Boston. We are learning to look up to be sure the buildings we're passing are not about to drop a lethal spear on us.
These on a Back Bay home had formed over a front yard garden so they were not a danger to pedestrians.
"Icicles typically form on days when the outdoor air temperature is subfreezing but sunshine warms and melts some snow or ice. As it drips off your roof, a water droplet freezes when it loses its heat to the cold air. An icicle starts with a few frozen droplets. When it reaches a certain size, drops begin to drip along the side of the structure."
Any Boston phenomenon sends Penny off to search the Leslie Jones Collection at the Boston Public Library to see how this photojournalist documented it in his day.
She loves this 1919 photo of icicles on the Brewer Fountain on the Boston Common. We don't know if the fountain was still full and running when there was a sudden cold snap or if rains had filled the basins and wind had whipped the water over the edge. The angle of the icicles certainly seems to indicate that wind had some influence on their formation.
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With the first storm of the current series, Ed took this photo of a team of men clearing a sidewalk in the Back Bay. Those signs should read "Don't Stop!"– shoveling that is.
It made me remember some photos I once saw in the Boston Public Library's Leslie Jones Collection.
This one is titled Men shoveling snow into trucks.It's from 1939 and shows a much larger team of shovelers who seem to be clearing both the street and the sidewalk on Tremont Street across from the Boston Common.
Some horses were added to this team in February of 1936. Jones titled this Workmen shovel snow.
Downtown, Summer St., coffee break is a good reminder for everyone out there working in the cold and exerting themselves in the storm. Take it easy, take some breaks, get inside, warm up, and don't do more than you are able. Those shovels look heavy. (1934 – 1956 approximate)
And, if you are fortunate and don't have to shovel out your home, consider adopting a hydrant or catch basin to make you and your neighbors safer in case of fire or local flooding.
In 2010, a century old elm in Boston’s Back Back gained notoriety after a group of residents worked to save the towering giant.
As one of the neighborhood’s original street trees planted more than 125 years ago, this aging beauty had stretched its toes up and through the brick sidewalk. To smooth passage over the roots, an experimental macadam was installed but didn’t work out. It was time to try another alternative.
After extensive talks with the city of Boston and the Back Bay Architectural Commission, the previous material has been replaced with a more durable and aesthetically pleasing product called KBI FlexiPave – a rubber and aggregate surface that is ADA certified, the color of brick, and extremely water permeable.
(Once the main walkway was in place, the FlexiPave surface was extended over the tree's protruding roots to widen the path)
The Garden Club of the Back Bay generously fronted the $1,400 to install the new surface before winter set in. Now they are asking for donations to refill their coffers for the next project.
The tree is on Marlborough Street near the corner of Fairfield. Take a test stroll or roll over the new surface. It’s smooth and has a bit of cushion to it. If you like this treatment, don’t be shy, consider making a tax deductible contribution. It’ll be greatly appreciated.
Checks should be made out to The Garden Club of the Back Bay and mailed to: Margaret Pokorny, 384 Marlborough St., Boston, MA 02115.
Watch our 1-minute video to see how FlexiPave changes from a loose aggregate to a solid surface, plus a demonstration of how extremely water permeable it is.
This geranium ground cover is confused about the season and was putting out blooms earlier this week. When I mentioned this to a garden expert, she said she's seen a lot of strange plant behavior this fall.
What have you spotted?
While elsewhere around the city the fall foliage is still putting on a show.
But, my favorite shots are of leaves as they gather in natural groups on surfaces like this granite. I enjoy the shapes and shades of individual leaves and their ever changing colors.
Or, when the family of leaves from one tree fall in profusion onto a surface like this evergreen hedge.
Are you a big picture or close up leaf lover?
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