...when the sun starts to dip below the New Jersey post Panamax cranes gathered on the western shore of New York Harbor: snow flowers - pure white hellebores on the Brooklyn Promenade.
A snow bird.
Crimson witch hazels between the ink berries at Pier One, beside the Brooklyn Bridge and the barge straining on its ribs at extreme low tide.
From the DUMBO park between the bridges a tree melts in the sunset.
And the amelanchiers wait for the ground to be sufficiently thawed to bloom for early spring funerals, when the earth can be dug, earning their common name of service berries. I have not yet seen these particular trees in flower, but will watch them, this spring.
I've been thinking about serviceberry. My aunt Cynthia died two weeks ago, but the cemetary ground is frozen so we can't bury her ashes till spring. There's a word for using nature to mark time (when to plant, harvest, look for insects at a certain stage) but I'm drawing a blank.
ReplyDeleteThat last bridge photo is stunning. Good work!
ReplyDeleteNice images, may everything thaw and spring arrive.
ReplyDeletePhenology! In case you were wondering.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about Ellen's comment and I got the wrong word answer....not phenology. But I wrote about the other word years ago. Zeitgeber: a good word for late February.
ReplyDeleteEllen - phenology, thank you...I am sorry about your aunt.
ReplyDeletewebb - thank you - I like it too!
Thanks, Rob -
Zeitgeber - Janet - nice, lovely word.