Whispers of a coming Spring

Oak Leaf in melting snow

A wind-freed Northern Pin Oak leaf rests on a warming bed of snow, softening its winter brittleness in the slowly melting snow - the first steps in its journey to fertilizing new growth.

Conjuring up (for me, at least) the enchanted woods of Lothlorien, Northern Pin Oak trees (Quercus ellipsoidalis) usually keep their leaves through winter, eventually losing them to the blustery winds of March.

Echoing the contrast of winter to spring, the cool blue of the snow yields to the warm color of the leaf; the once hard snow, to the softening drops of water on the leaf.  Soon ... Spring!