Bright Flowers Give Way to Snowy Blankets Now

We are practically guaranteed to get some in the Northwoods

Ceder tree slumped over with heavy snowfall in our woods. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2023.

I’m a nature person. I love all four seasons and the beauty that is held within each.

Ferns and Fiddleheads in the forest. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2023.

Spring brings unfurling ferns and fiddleheads, along with verdant mosses that are green before the ephemerals bloom.

Bledding heart, jack in the pulpit, trillim, wood violet. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2020–2025.

Summer is the time for perennials to shout, “Look at me!” Colorful black-eyed Susans, phlox, lilies, and dahlias provide an array of colors in our yard. And zinnias, so easy to grow, are always plentiful mid-year.

Summer Flowers are eye-catching in color. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2020–2025.

By fall, we have Wild Romance Aster (one of my old favorites) and Grape Crush (a new love), the heliopsis, vervain, and coneflowers are all still putting on a show.

Bumblebee on Heliopsis in my yard this summer. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2025.

Coneflower, Purple Aster, Rough Blazing Star and Wild Romance Aster. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2019-2025

Blueberry shrubs are turning red, as the maples, aspens, and tamaracks become a brighter yellow by the day.

Larch and Maple Trees are vibrant in the fall. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2020–2023.

Then, things stop growing. The grass — we don’t have much of it — goes dormant. Seed heads still provide food for birds that visit all year. Stems are left for pollinators to use for their next generation, and we get a “hard frost.”

This week, the lake upon which we live finally froze over. It’s been fighting the freeze for a while now, showing a layer of ice that forms and retreats as we get sunny days. Now, all the water appears to be covered with ice. We don’t go on it until we are sure the ice is thick.

Partially frozen lake in Northern Wisconsin. Carol Labuzzetta, 2023.

We also got five to six inches of snow this week. Last Wednesday was blustery and cold; we got a few inches then. And, it’s continued to fall from the gray, cloudy sky each day since.

Molly in the snow. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2024.

Our dog, Molly, loves the snow. She trots along the forest trails, sniffing leaf piles left by the deer bedding down for the night. She’s a Labrador retriever and loves to eat the snow, finding leftover acorns from the fall.

Boots, hats, and gloves are a must, now. It’s December, and while not officially winter yet, it’s here. The snow will be with us for months. And that’s okay. It blankets the ground, insulating the plant roots, allowing bulbs to grow roots, and providing water when it melts.

Snow. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2024.

December is the time for snow. We welcome it!