In the midwest, January doesn’t always feel like a very lively month, at least not in the outdoor garden department. The fall leaves have dried out and plants from last season are sadly drooping under the cold and wet blanket of winter. We are in the thick of hibernation season, but that doesn’t mean that things have completely shut down in the plant world. In fact, this January has been unusually mild and rainy. When I stepped outside to capture these images, I was without a coat wearing sandals, comfortably enjoying the sun and observing the state of the yard. This is not the same January I have grown up to know in the midwest. It’s a little strange that we are seeing some very early signals from spring already, some colorful sites in a generally gray time of year.  [Read more…]