[Theme] this winter...

[Thomas G]

This winter seems to be special according to the temperatures recognized.
Let's start documenting what is deviating from the usual winter as we remember and expect it.

I'll start with a Chaenomeles (Japonica) Nivalis.
These sometimes start flowering late in winter, more so in spring.
They are also flowering later then other Chaenomeles which bear orange or red blossoms.

Chaenomeles Nivalis by lumofisk, on Flickr
Df, 50mm f/1.2

[HCS]

Thomas, somehow no picture is showing. Flickr says "This photo is no longer available".

[Thomas G]

Thomas, somehow no picture is showing. Flickr says "This photo is no longer available".

Fixed, so I hope. These Flickr links do not survive updates on the images, I think.

[Tom Hook]

Thomas, here's what's happening where I live in Connecticut on Christmas Day, the third full day of Winter.

The temperature was 65 degrees Fahrenheit, which I believe broke the all-time record and is about 25 degrees above normal. I went outside to document what unusual things I might see around the yard. Our small pond was ice-free and there a green frog was floating on the surface. Along our driveway, the Myrtle was in flower. The Star Moss was beautifully green.

It is as if it were April.

[Thomas G]

Thank you, Tom.
While we seen some birds around here which usually travel south at this time,
I did not recognize frogs so far.

It's about 12 centigrades today, roughly 55 degrees Fahrenheit, with very little variation over the last days.
It's very mild for the time of the year.
My expectation is that the usual swoop of cold Siberian air will reach us soon enough.

Roses are keeping leaves very long this year. And they started over flowering again.
This one lives in my garden, the image has been taken on Dec. 25th.


Rose on Dec. 25th 2015 by lumofisk, on Flickr

[Frank Fremerey]

Bei uns ist nach Weihnachten noch mehr Frühling als vorher

In Bonn after christmas it is even more spring than before christmas

[John Geerts]

Beautiful one's ! 

Well it's very warm already, 13 degrees at the moment with Christmas. Although the Forsythia reacts quickly on higher temperatures, it did never flourish like this on Christmas.

Df with Micro Nikkor auto 55/3.5

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Also here in my part of the world (Oslo), December has been the warmest on record (ie. since 1880 when regular temperature monitoring was introduced). Not entailing it's warm every day of course as it is now approx. -5C outside. But we have seen plenty of days hovering between +5 and +12C this month and no snow in the vicinity of course.

A climate change does not mean the temperature is rising everywhere - we're talking global averages here. Thus some regions can get say colder (and usually wetter) summers in combination with mild winters.

Here is a June scene from northern Norway to cool things a little off. The scene incorporates all three national colours into one: red, blue, white. Red from cryophilic algae^*, blue from open water, white from ice and snow.

^* these algae thrive at very low temperatures and are used as an example of what a life form on Mars might look like.

[Thomas G]

Another surprise yesterday, the Daffodils start putting buds.


Budding Daffodil, December 2015 by lumofisk, on Flickr

[John Geerts]

Very nice one, Thomas.  (and better of course than the one with flare   )  This gives really a spring feeling.

The Kerria Japonica var. Pleniflora  also flowered during Christmas.

[Bruno Schroder]

Same situation here with Chaenomeles already in full bloom, Helleborus orientalis and Campanula flowering now instead of end of March or April and 2 Hamamelis blooming before Christmas when we've never seen them flowering before January 10. Tulips, daffodils and Arum italicum are also there already. And budding roses too.

[Bruno Schroder]

Some wildfowers too, way early in the year

[Bruno Schroder]

And in case further proof was needed, this is what I found this morning eating peanuts . In Belgium ...
Handheld, slight crop

[Mike G]

Bruno, that is a female Ring Necked Parakeet, which have almost reached plague proportions in the UK. In my neck of the woods there is a flock of approx 50 birds that have a liking to raiding the local gardens. And all because some idiot released a pair into the wild!

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Just to show how intricate the weather situation is, today Longyearbyen, Svalbard (81N) set a record for the warmest December ever, +8.7C, in fact warmer than most days of its summer! Today, mountain passes in Norway (about 15 deg latitude further south) closed for traffic due to bad weather (snow and wind). A coach was literally blown away off the road over one of the passes tonight.