Winter solace for gardeners and others

Snowy owls migrate in the winter to Jones Beach where there is an abundance of food and water. When the weather gets frigid, Mitchell Schlimer of Glen Cove loves to make photographs of wildlife and birds.

Mitchell Schlimer of Glen Cove came to Jones Beach to shoot photos of wildlife on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015.

Mitchell Schlimer of Glen Cove shoots wildlife photos at Jones Beach on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015.

Mitchell Schlimer of Glen Cove shoots wildlife photos at Jones Beach on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015.

Mitchell Schlimer of Glen Cove shoots wildlife photos at Jones Beach on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015.

Snowy owls migrate in the winter to Jones Beach where there is an abundance of food and water. When the weather gets frigid, Mitchell Schlimer of Glen Cove loves to make photographs of wildlife and birds.

Mitchell Schlimer of Glen Cove photographs wildlife at Jones Beach on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015.

Mitchell Schlimer of Glen Cove reviews his shot of a male red-breasted merganser at Jones Beach on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015.

Mitchell Schlimer of Glen Cove shoots wildlife photos at Jones Beach on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015.

Vincent Drzewucki, horticulture and urban forestry resource educator with Cornell University Cooperative Extenstion in Nassau County, walks at Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015.

A visit to Bailey Arboretum in Lattingtown can be especially invigorating in the fall when the air is crisp and the colors are bright and deeply saturated.

Corris and James Little and their 4-month-old son Zachary brave the cold winter weather and walk along the boardwalk nature trail at Robert Moses State Park on Sunday, March 1, 2015.

A deer makes an appearance during Corris Little's walk along the boardwalk nature trail at Robert Moses State Park, Sunday, March 1, 2015.

Corris and James Little of Holbrook and their 4-month-old son Zachary walk the boardwalk nature trail at Robert Moses State Park on Sunday, March 1, 2015.

A fox searches for food along the boardwalk nature trail at Robert Moses State Park, Sunday, March 1, 2015.

Paul Levine of Woodbury spends time at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay, one of his favorite haunts.

It's still winter, but more than 200 camellia shrubs and trees are blooming, on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, in Oyster Bay, at the Camellia House at Planting Fields Arboretum, where people look for early signs of spring.

The Quatrain Barber Shop Quartet serenades visitors to the Camellia House at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, Feb. 22, 2015. The quartet's members are, from left, Bob Kelly, Steve Marrin, Al Fennell and Paul Santino.