I could not pass on the opportunity to snap a few photos of this wet snow sticking to plants. Temperatures were far too cold in mid-January for the heavier snow and sleet to stick to leaves in the gusty winds, but today we’re hovering around freezing. It will become warmer overnight as the next front moves in, so this small amount of snow is about all we’ll get. It’ll be long gone by morning.

In a few days, temperatures are forecast to rise into the seventies, quite abnormal for early March but we’re overdue for a stretch of mild weather after a chilly winter. Any flower buds that have been held back by the cold will have no excuse for not blooming in the next week.

I expect that the early magnolias, ‘Merrill’ and ‘Royal Star’ (above) will hurry along into flower, and possibly the blooms will be enjoyed for a week or longer without a severe freeze that ruins them.

The flowers of winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis, above) are likely to fade more quickly in the warm temperatures, but tardily flowering snowdrops (Galanthus) should quickly come into full bloom. No doubt, buds of paperbushes (Edgeworthia chrysantha, below) should swell and flower quickly. While these typically flower beginning in late February, I’m curious to see the extent of damage from a single subzero (Fahrenheit) night several weeks ago.

Knowing that temperatures will quickly rise, my attitude is far better today than after our January snowfall. Scattered chilly days and occasional snowfall are not unusual in the next month, but it’s always better to know that it won’t last for long.