Queen Anne's Lace Flowerstalks in Snow
This photograph of the dead and dried stalks and flower heads of Queen Anne's Lace (wild carrot) was made in a forest in the Front Range of Colorado. The sunlight is coming through some openings in the ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir canopy, backlighting the frosty umbrella-like flower heads and making a mottled pattern of light and shadow on the snow.
Winter is a great time to see nature at its most basic form, with deciduous leaves down and much of the herbaceous cover flattened by snow or frost. Fresh snow especially creates an illuminating backdrop to whatever is still standing, and it helps reveal every nook and cranny in the landscape.
Photo location: Douglas County, Colorado.
