Winter Is Descending: 22nd January

Quite recently I have learnt about Japanese (originally Chinese) lunar-solar calendar with 24 seasonal divides and 72 further seasonal divides.  And the final winter part, which are 5 days, of 6 has begun this  week.  The final winter part is further divided into 3 parts for 5 days each.  The spring begins 4th of February.  The winter is almost toward the end.

Next week is the last week of January.  The air is cold and damp, though, the sunlight is getting brighter day by day.  I can feel the season is moving to the next one.  Of course, the plants sense the seasonal change everyday.  They are growing slowly but steadily in our garden.  

In the middle of January the yellow male catkins of hazel began to release the pollen.  The air wasn't dry just after the heavy rain, but they didn't miss out the non-rainy day.

Witch hazel (hamamelis) started blooming.  The thin ribbon-like striking yellow petals are appearing slowly from brown hulls.  As they flower quite long for about a month, the yellow colour  brights up in the dark half-shade area of the garden.

Underneath of the hamamelis and other bushes, and under dead leaves, the smaller plants are protected from the coldness.  Lords-and-ladies are one of the first which appear from the ground.

And, snowdrops.  They come out from the same spot every year.  Just after a stormy night, the buds and the leaves had mud, but the next rain will wash it out.  February is coming soon.