Waking Up to a Winter Wonderland

The morning after our first big storm storm, I looked out the window to witness a stunning winter wonderland before me. This was especially exciting, because the combination of frigid cold, ice and snow had left the most beautiful snow covered trees. As an added bonus, there were partially cloudy skies and little wind. I knew I would have some nice light to work with. I often find that after a snowstorm such as this, there will be cloudy skies, the temperatures will warm up and the wind will take all of the snow off of the trees. Not this time. I had all day to photograph this natural wonder.

I got all of my winter gear on and grabbed my camera bag and set out to see what I could find. I came across some of my frequent wildlife visitors, so of course I had to take photographs of them as well. I took several photographs throughout the day and these are the ones that made the final cut. I think the day turned out to be pretty fruitful and as you view the following photographs, I hope you agree as well.

Bending white birches (Betula papyrifera).

Snow covered trees.

An American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) posing for the camera.

An American red squirrel eating an apple core.

Winter fruit trees covered with snow.

A snow covered pond.

Falling snow from the branches.

Snow and ice covered branches.

A black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) perching on a snow covered branch.

A black-capped chickadee perching in the snow.

Snow covered fruit trees.

Snow covered branches against a blue sky.

A snow covered tree line.

Apple trees (Malus pumila) covered in fresh snow.

A curious black-capped-chickadee.

The end of a perfect day.