Winter Holds On
Hello!
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Monday morning. Yes, the week began with a groundhog and a group of middle-aged men in top hats performing their annual ritual to predict when winter will end. It was a sunny morning, so according to tradition, we’re in for six more weeks of winter.
Sipping coffee with Sonny and Cher on loop, we watched the livestream of funny hats, silly songs, and elaborate ceremonial nonsense. In a word: Bonkers.
I won’t belabor the memes (we’ve already had our fill), but I do love one of the Groundhog Day movie’s more existential, some might say Buddhist, themes: Every day is a chance to be the best person you can be. Try. Make mistakes. Learn. Make amends. Try again.
For plants, a magical daylight number is ten. Without at least ten hours of sunlight for photosynthesis, growth slows to a stop and plants enter a dormant “cold storage” state, even if temperatures are warm enough to prevent freezing. Talk about chilling out! Instead of producing new tissue, plants conserve energy and resources, hold their size, and bide their time. Then, when sunshine returns and conditions improve, they emerge revitalized and ready to grow.
At our Canaan Valley latitude, Groundhog Day and the upward arc past ten hours of daylight roughly coincide. So, while the ground may still be frozen, perennial and overwintering plants have crossed an important threshold. Their internal signals say it’s time to come out of dormancy. We may have to wait another six weeks, but spring is on its way.
And it hasn’t just been the sun shining lately. The aptly named Snow Moon arrived Sunday in stunning fashion. A soft glow over Dolly Sods caught my eye, and the magnified “moon illusion,” combined with light reflecting off the snow, stopped me in my tracks. I had to remind myself to breathe as I watched it rise, climbing higher and brighter into the clear, cold night sky. Absolutely awesome.
Be your best self today.
Let there be flowers!
Lizz