A Botanist in the Frost

Frosted Daisy, Bellis perennis © Karen Andrews

Jack Frost partied hard overnight. Evidence of his overnight visit was everywhere following a relatively mild Christmas and start to the New Year.

Sheltering from the cold against a hedge © Karen Andrews

The local livestock were sheltering against a hedge. The country lane was quiet. Most humans, other than dog-walkers, were staying in the warm. The peculiar antics of a botanist with a camera proved the subject of much bovine curiosity and puzzlement.

Bovine curiosity © Karen Andrews
Frosted grass leaf blades © Karen Andrews

It was interesting to note how frost emphasises the margins of grass leaf blades.

Frost crystals on grass leaf blades
Frosted grass © Karen Andrews

The frost highlights the positions of stinging hairs on nettles, Urtica dioica.

Stinging Nettle, Urtica dioica in frost © Karen Andrews
Frost highlights the structure of Stinging Nettles, Urtica dioica
© Karen Andrews

Other types of frosted vegetation:

Frosted Ivy-leaved Toadflax © Karen Andrews
Frosted moss © Karen Andrews
Frosted wild Geranium species
Frosted Geranium leaves © Karen Andrews

Winter Heliotrope, Petasites fragrans, had featured in the BSBI New Year Plant Hunt just a few days earlier. Now, many of the flowers were curling over to protecting themselves from the cold.

Frosted daisy
Frosted Daisy, Bellis Perennis © Karen Andrews

It was particularly interesting to note how daisies were behaving in the frost, given the previous blog on the Daisy as a weather barometer and clock.

Plant blindness seems to reach its peak in the winter. A botanical walk in the frosty countryside demonstrated how much there is to see if you look more closely and pay attention to plant structures.

Copyright Note

Karen does not seek or receive any commercial interest or advantage from this blog. She is not promoting any business venture. She simply loves to share fascinating facts about plants. These pages illustrate her love of plants, botany, biodiversity, gardens and creative expression. There is always so much to learn about plant diversity. This blog is designed as a showcase for photography, commentary on plants and wildlife, gardens and other places visited, horticulture and related topics. Viewpoints are her own, not those of her employer.

© Karen Andrews 2018 onwards. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Karen Andrews and BotanyKaren.net with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. 

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