Plant or animal?

Something is emerging from the earth in my garden…Recognize the plant? Doesn’t it look prehistoric and reptilian?

Showy entrance

I have no idea what type of tree this is. I don’t recall ever seeing this around us in NW Ontario. We were returning from a business trip to Minneapolis MN and stopped for dinner in Forest Lake MN. These delicate seed strings were swaying ever so gently in the setting sun like hula skirts at a luau.

April 2012 desktop

Spring has come early this year!

Wish this was my garden….

I was fortunate to visit Bellingham WA with my daughter a spring or two ago.
The image is available in different screen sizes here.

Watching water freeze

Agimak Lake gradually opened up over the last few days. Today it is practically clear save what was blown into the bay.

Monday night the still air slowly dipped below zero Celcius with the golden, setting sun. While catching shots of the day’s final rays of light on the texture of ice in the bay, spikes and feathers of ice grew before my eyes!

Crystal ‘blossoms’

Isn’t it beautiful to see the first blossoms of spring?

Well, these are not what they appear at first glance to be!