Frosted daisy (Bellis perennis), November 24, 2014
At last we have had our first white frost of the autumn here in Cardiff – on Monday, November 24. I was up and out to Llandaff Fields early to try to catch some images before the sun warmed it away.
There was a red dawn…
It’s a shame the colder weather has come so late, as it has missed most of its opportunities to bring red to the autumn leaves. But not all…
First view of the fields…
…red leaves on the flowering cherry trees
Many people were here before me, but I don’t know what made this track, just a person’s width in size…
The white grass made the trees seem more golden…
The sky had that silvery grey look, with streaks of what I always think must be ice crystals at altitude.
Looking back at the sun between lime (Tilia cordata) and sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)
This winter I will be able to identify more bare trees than ever before!
Frosted daisy in the grass
No wonder the daisy’s Latin name is Bellis perennis, which means “pretty everlasting”. It has a very long flowering season and it will be interesting to see if there are any still around at midwinter.
Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)
Maple hanging on to a few golden leaves…
…but most of the maple leaves are frosted on the ground
Frosted buttercup leaves (Ranunculus repens)
A leafy carpet
As I neared the higher, more sheltered area of the fields near the main road it was milder. This is where the hornbeam I am following stands and it was surrounded by mud, not frost. But more of that in my next tree-following post. The other trees there were also thawed.
A mulch of turkey oak leaves (Quercus cerris)
Magpie (Pica pica) rummaging in the leaves
Turkey oak hanging on to some of its leaves
Very green moss in the low sunlight on a maple tree trunk
The frost lingered in the middle of the fields
If you are warming to the idea of cold weather, here are a few of my older posts that may interest you…
Cold words: Jack Frost, hoar and rime…
Black ice – “cool” but deadly
All my winter posts here…
I woke up this morning – just a mile or two from your photos – with my first chilblains of the season. That’s how I identify the start of winter!
Ouch, itchy! I haven’t had those since I was a child living in a cottage with just a coal fire and hot water bottles…
I seem to remember that urine is a good cure for chilblains – feel free to try that one!
All the best š
Can you recommend that from personal childhood experience, Pat?
Oooh, you are naughty!
Gorgeous Pat. I haven’t seen much of nature on our dog walks after dinner each night. We move to ‘road’ walks in the dark. It doesn’t take long to realise that those walks at the end of a ‘day’ really do re-charge your batteries! (well mine anyway).
Thanks, Shaz. There isn’t much daylight these days, is there?
I think I must have become a morning person – I really couldn’t manage a walk in the evening after a hard day’s work! I prefer first thing. But a good walk does recharge the mental batteries.
Each to his/her own, I suppose.
All the best š
Oh, what beautiful frosty pictures! I especially enjoyed that first one, and the photos of the frosted leaves. Frost is pretty fascinating, isn’t it?
Indeed it is. Even the leafy patterns on car windows, as if they have been absorbed by nature!
All the best š
We had record high temps for the day just a couple days ago. Now we are down into the low 20s. It’s crazy. Absolutely lovely photos, Pat!
That’s weather for you!
Thank you for the kind comment š