The unseasonably mild weather we’re experiencing is unusual enough, but yesterday there was an added twist. When I took the dog out for her morning walk, the sidewalks were soaking wet. Yet there had been no rain. Lawns were not similarly wet. Evidently the sidewalks went into the night relatively cold; during the night, a warm, moisture laden air mass moved in. The water on the sidewalks was condensate, not rain. Today it’s cooler; at 5:30 A.M. the temperature was a bit over 60º F. The highlight of the dog walk this morning: I saw a fly. Flies are not a typical element in our January fauna! I can’t match Jay’s precocious daffodils, but Galanthus elwesii opened its first flowers yesterday as did wintersweet, Chimonanthus praecox. Two other sometimes early bloomers, Eranthis hyemalis and Helleborus niger rarely respond to these mild spells at the beginning of winter, and they have not this year. The Italian arums are wonderful now. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7 My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/