An April Snowshower

Snow in April is odd in this part of Virginia. I quite scoffed at the reports of snow and figured that, even if it would snow, it certainly wouldn't stick. I was wrong. I awoke this morning to snow on the ground and in the trees, a clear blue sky, and sunlight over all. So I trotted out the camera and the tripod and took pictures of some of the springtime plants with snow on their buds and leaves. At left is the Japanese maple that sits on my deck with icy snow over its leaves. It makes a pretty picture; I'm hoping there won't be any damage. Fortunately, though I didn't believe in the snow, I did believe in the cold and made sure to get in my warmer-natured plants. They at least will be unaffected.

While the trees had snow and the leaves covering the ground in the wooded part of my yard had snow, the grass in my backyard did not. Almost a pity: I've hostas coming up in beds in the back yard, and I thought those would look really cool with snow on them. But there was no such luck. The redbud in the front, however, did have snow; one of the pictures I took of it (detail shown here and in the linked gallery) is spectacular. I'll be printing that one, shortly, and hanging it somewhere.