Last night and this morning we had a 3-4 inch snowfall. Snow in my part of Texas is a hit or miss kind of thing. When it happens, I like to photograph interesting subjects coated with snow. Here you can see the Sycamore tree at the end of the driveway accented with snow.

Here is the previous Sycamore’s partner who lives across the driveway. Notice that this one has shed its leaves. (premature baldness??) Sycamores shed their rough outer bark and have green inner bark that is capable of photosynthesis. This property, plus snow, makes for an interesting view of a tree we pass by everyday without much notice. This one is dressed up in its winter finery.

Here are snow covered yucca, lantana, and tree cholla in the front yard. They show how each of these plants collect snow. This snow was the powdery kind, like fine white dust. We were expecting an ice storm to come with this storm but it got cold enough to snow and make everything pretty!

Here in the foreground are Shepherd’s Purse wildflowers that have been growing since mid-September. These plants flower and produce seeds twice per year. We get a crop in the spring and the fall-early winter. Since these little mustard family members are annuals, what flowers and sets seed late in the year are likely sprouts from the spring crop of seeds. Tough, cold adapted little fellas you can eat. Wash them well though, we have neighborhood dogs and cats visiting regularly.

This last one is a closeup of some Shepherd’s Purse coated in snow. It is today’s homage to art in nature. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. We live in a universe-sized piece of performance art. We impoverish ourselves by neglecting to notice. Enjoy the wonder, it is one of our saving graces.

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