When these images were taken we were having a mild, snowless winter with temperate days that allowed local gardens to stay in bloom well beyong their normal growth period. One Friday afternoon I noticed a lovely garden of bloomsoms that were remarkable for their lateness in the season. Later that night it rained hard, and then the temperature plummeted.

Mindful of those blossoms, I gathered up my camerae equipment for an early morning foray into that garden -- hopeful that I would find the blossoms encased in ice. And so I did! It is not often that you see Virginia flora so beautifully wrapped.