Red Cedar

It's cold! When will the temperature move above freezing? Maybe in a few days, when more snow comes in.

I guess that's my segue to excuses why I don't have more and better photo material. I am simply not into clambering over snowbanks in the cold! Okay, with the grumbling over... ;-)

Here's a shot of yesterday's cedar, nestled under an Eastern White Pine. I've read that this cedar, loaded with berries, is a female. The males have tiny tan colored pollen structures. Today I spotted quite a few Red Cedars around the lake but didn't get close enough to determine gender. I find it so entertaining that when I gain a new identification, that I can then find so many examples of that specie.

I am humbled when I look across a section of the lake's shoreline and realize how few species I can identify. I wonder just how many there will be when I feel that I'm closing in on the whole environment? I can't even begin to guess!