Rewilding My Lot

In last week’s freeze, one of my new Frostweeds (Verbesina virginica) produced its first ice sculpture (see photo above).

This is something that these plants do after the first hard freeze of a winter. In this case, the ice structure was in place for two nights and the day in between. On the second day, temperatures rose high enough for the ice to thaw and the ribbons disappeared.

A few days later, after everything has had a chance to dry out, this is how the stem looks. The inner (pale green) stem is intact, and there has been a clear separation away of the torn outer stem layer. I presume that over the next year, the inner stem will harden up ready to do the same thing again next winter.

By the way, the green leaves around the Frostweed are new Firewheel aka Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) seedlings, waiting for spring. They did not mind the freeze at all.