Snow on the Prairie

Gotta love Texas weather! Temperatures were in the 70s a few days ago and then the rain this morning turned to snow. At one time, it was coming down so hard that the warm roads were covered and temperatures were not even below freezing.

Backyard Prairie

Indian Grass

Possumhaw Holly

Red Yucca

Front yard prairie

The drive to work in the morning should be an adventure. The temperature will drop into the 20s and freezing drizzle is expected through the morning. I love the snow and ice, but only when I can enjoy it from the comfort of my home.

Frost on the Prairie

This was a frosty morning here on the prairie. Here is a look at some of the sights.

 Black Sampson or Narrow Leaf Coneflower, Echinacea angustifolia.

The white fuzzy leaves and stems of Gregg Dalea, Dalea greggii, always look frosty. The frost on the oak leaf is easier to see. The dalea is still blooming.

 Frost crystals on bluebonnet, Lupinus texensis,  leaves.

Frost settled in the back prairie rain garden. Here is a mixture of frogfruit, Phyla nodiflora, and Brazos Penstemon, Penstemon tenuis.

I can not resist taking pictures of the “frost flowers”. The frost flowers above formed on the stub of a scarlet sage, Salvia coccinea,  that I cut back to a stub a couple of weeks ago.

Frostweed, Verbesina virginica, always has the best display of frost flowers.

Here is a close up of the delicate icy "petals" of the frost flowers.

More frosty mornings are surely ahead, although it has been a fairly warm winter so far.