Vernal witch hazel, home

The snow is rapidly disappearing in the face of, of course, the return of El Nino warmth. What we're experiencing is essentially the January Thaw on steroids, but there's a twist. Except for the recent snowstorm, an anomaly in this so-called winter, there really isn't much to thaw. In last year's similarly late-starting winter, things didn't even begin getting under way until now, but this is starting to feel more like the end of the cold season than the debut. Perhaps I'm wrong. although the non-native red Witch Hazel we planted some years ago—this one blooms in late winter or early spring rather than in the fall, as the natives do—clearly appears to be confirming my suspicions. I've never seen it start to unfurl its curious crepe-papier petals in mid-winter, when everything is supposed to be fast, fast asleep. This plant didn't read the playbook and is either prescient... or stupidly over-eager. In any case, the splash of unexpected color is a welcome sight for winter-sore eyes... and viewfinders.