Bright Spots in a Monochrome Marsh

The big storm that's supposed to dump lots of snow to the south of Saratoga has given us maybe an inch today. Sigh! We sure could use more of that snow up here. When I walked around Bog Meadow Marsh yesterday, much of the ground was bare.

At least that ground was frozen solid, which allowed me to wander around in areas where my shoes would be sucked off in summer. I followed a stream well into the marsh, hoping to maybe find otters or owls, maybe even a mouse's home in a roofed-over old bird's nest. Nope. Not a creature was stirring (although I did see a few snow tunnels made by mice). All was quiet, and all was brown. Unrelentingly brown.

Some of the brown stuff was pretty. Like what's left of these Flat-top Asters, sort of fluffy, like feather dusters.

Or the umbels of Great Angelica, reminding me of sparklers frozen in the air.

And Virgin's Bower is lovely whatever the season. This time of year, it goes by the name of Old Man's Beard. We could also call it Dame's Powder Puff, couldn't we?

In all of that monochrome marsh, this orange shelf fungus certainly caught my eye.

And Red Osier Dogwood branches glowed bright against deep green moss.

And here's a tree that always takes me by surprise each winter. Does Striped Maple have these hot pink twigs during the other three seasons? Maybe I only notice this brilliant color when it stands out against the drab of a winter landscape bereft of snow.

I love, too, those bright little coppery buds of American Beech in the background.