These dead coneflowers against the snow are one of my favorite subjects. Two species are planted here, both belonging to the genus Rudbeckia. At the right end are the graceful remains of Goldenrod.
I leave the stems standing in the fall, knowing that every winter they will arrange themsleves differently, and bring new pleasure. For earlier arrangements, see Two Winter Gardens*.
These are color photos, but the first and last could easily be mistaken for black-and-white. The white background is new snow on the pond ice. The images were captured over a five-week period in 2013. In the slide show, they are displayed in the order taken, with the date and time noted under each.
Photo 2. I shot on little notice when a late afternoon sun suddenly set the snow aglow, and threw the stems and their black ball heads into sharp relief. It shows the middle of the garden.
Photo 3. I took while still groggy with sleep. I had to push myself, but the effort was serendipitous. An hour later I looked out, and all the snow had melted from the stems.