A Fast First Snow at My Farm
Even if you’re not a fan of cold weather, the first flurries of the season are always fun to see.
Although no one here at my Bedford, New York farm remembers seeing snow in the forecast yesterday, at about 3pm ET the skies darkened and heavy precipitation began - first as freezing rain, then as graupel or ice pellets mixed with sleet and large snowflakes. The weather system did not last long. In fact, it was all done in less than an hour. Fortunately, all the plants are tucked away in temperature-controlled greenhouses. We are still in the process of preparing for the winter season ahead - soon all the shrubs, hedges and cold-sensitive garden containers will be covered in burlap.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- The donkeys were already inside the stable enjoying their afternoon meal when the wintry mix started. The skies were heavy with cloud cover and within minutes sleet, snow, and graupel began falling.
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- The term graupel describes ice pellets shaped like tiny balls. Graupel should not be confused with sleet, which is sturdier and more frozen. Graupel occurs when a snow pellet falls and is encapsulated by ice. It is also different from hail, which is formed from raindrops that are lifted upward into freezing air by the wind. Graupel is more like “soft hail.”
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- Hard to believe these great pin oaks were filled with foliage just weeks ago. Now their interesting branch habit can be seen – its pendulous lower branches, horizontal middle branches, and upright upper branches.
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- The day was very gray, but patches of color were still visible. Here, one can see the reddish tint of the blueberry bushes and the green in the lawn and boxwood.
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- The grass and gardens beneath the mighty bald cypress are a coppery bronze from the fallen ferny leaves of the trees.
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- The short storm left some of the ground covered in white. This is my herbaceous peony bed surrounded by a wall of boxwood.
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- Thankfully, we were able to get all the cold sensitive plants into the hoop houses before the snow. We also use some of our old hay bales that the horses don’t eat to further insulate the perimeter of the structures.
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- This carriage road leads to my tennis court. It is also beginning to show a light layer of snow. This road is flanked on both sides by a row of Styrax japonicus ‘Marley’s Pink Parasol Japanese Snowbells’ and a row of Styrax japonicus ‘Evening Light.’
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- In the woodland, streams are filled with water. We’ve had a very wet summer and fall this year.
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- As many of you know, I am constantly planting trees here at the farm. I’ve planted tens of thousands over the years. Here is a grouping of young evergreens in the back hay field.
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- And another group not far from my compost yard. This grouping of trees was planted in 2009 – 640 small “Christmas trees.” They’ve all grown so excellently.
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- Within minutes after the sleet, graupel, and snow started falling, visibility decreased. Hard to see, but this is a view of my golden weeping willows on the edge of the middle field.
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- And here is another view of the foggy atmosphere.
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- This is a look west up the carriage road to my long and winding Boxwood Allée.
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- By 3:20pm, the precipitation changed to all snow. This is my allée of lindens that stretches from the carriage road in front of my carport all the way down to my chicken coops. On the right, one can see a bit of the old corn crib.
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- The pachysandra in front of my Winter House was nearly all covered in snow…
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- … And so were the horizontal tops of the antique fence rails.
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- These are the stone pavers on my terrace parterre – outlined in snow. The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts more than an average amount of snow will fall this season… we’ll see.
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- And look at my geese. While there is a large covered shelter just feet away, filled with a thick layer of bedding hay, they all choose to be out in the elements. Geese are actually very cold hardy and resilient birds, and don’t mind the snow and cold at all.
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- The snow slowed down within the hour. There were even some peaks of blue in the skies overhead. The cold season is here. Temperatures today are expected in the high 30s with below freezing temperatures at night with possible rain this weekend.
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