Snow on the Tamaracks

After the Sunday snowfall, Sue got us out early on Monday morning to see whether the boughs of the tamarack trees might be holding onto snow. We began to walk there, but we soon opted to drive because the sidewalk was very slippery underfoot. We have grippers for our boots, but we hadn't accessed them yet, and I don't really like fussing with them anyway.

The snow or some snow was, indeed, clinging to the branches, which is of course exactly what we wanted. I stopped at the very first tree close to the park entrance. Its crookedness pleases me, but it, apparently, the opposite of what we expect from tamarack trees.

Tamarack trees (Larix laricina), also known as American larch or eastern larch, are naturally characterized by a straight, upright trunk. This is one of their defining physical characteristics, along with a narrow, conical crown and horizontal branching, which becomes more irregular as the tree ages 

Farther along, there was another tree, of which this is not your first glimpse.

At the farthest end of the pond lay the subject for my final photo — final for the day and quite possibly for this year, but that remains to be completely determined.

It was most satisfying to see and photograph this rather unusual juxtaposition that I hadn’t witnessed previously and quite likely will not see again, After all, the snow doesn’t usually fall in measurable amounts when the tamaracks lie in this colourful state. 

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