January 28, 2013 -- winter aconite and smooth alder

The ground is still cold, but there was actually something blooming today: winter aconite, which often blooms before, during, and after a snowfall. Its little buttercup-like flowers are only about an inch and a half off the ground, but they are so very cheery! I picked these two to display them on the windowsill, and, on my way inside, I noticed these alder "cones" on the back porch. They'd fallen there when I threw out some alder branches. I gathered them up and added them to this tiny arrangement, making it much more interesting to me because it now includes two very seasonal phenomena--blooming winter aconite and alder "cones" spilling seeds.