Here comes the sun! It’s the Winter Solstice, astronomical mid-winter, one of two turning points in the solar year. From today the sun begins its return march north, and in two weeks or so, the days will become just a bit more noticeably longer in the northern Hemisphere. Our friends far south of the equator will soon notice their days becoming shorter as their warm mid-summer season matures.

There’s still a long winter ahead, but the sun’s light, even on the coldest day, is a heartening reminder that the cold and hardships will come to an end, someday. Until then, everyone will endure snow and sleet, like these goldfinches:

 

 
…and everyone will seek what warmth they can on frosty sub-zero mornings, like this blue jay:

 

 
The sun illuminates hoarfrost on the jay’s crabapple twigs and buds.

 

 
Asked if she’d like to see warmer days and an abundance of fat grubs, this hairy woodpecker nods her answer:

 

 
Mourning doves huddle against the cold in a sleet storm, and surely would prefer warmer weather:

 

 
And if a shrew would stand still long enough to hear you ask if he enjoys winter, he’d shake his head vigorously in reply:

 

 
After the storm, a rainbow marks day’s end:

 

 
The next day, clouds dissipate and the sun climbs as high as it can in the south:

 

 
The river is freezing, the banks are snowy, but the sky is blue:

 

 
Even in the deep woods the sun slashes through the trees:

 

 
Winter has a stark beauty, and the denizens of the river basin have learned strategies to endure in their own special ways. But they all welcome the sun whenever the clouds give over and let it shine through.

 

 
Send a Comment