No more snow (in Hertfordshire at least) but the snow that fell on Sunday hasn't melted in the countryside after days of sub-zero temperatures. NB This isn't a black and white photo; the landscape is drained of colour at the moment. 

 Plants native and naturalised on this island are cold hardy and adapted to include winter dormancy as part of their growth cycle. For example some seeds require a period of chilling underground as a pre-requisite for germination. Plant growers sometimes mimic this with a 'cold stratification' i.e. putting seeds mixed with a bit of compost in the fridge.

 A distinction is made between endo-dormancy and eco-dormancy. Endo meaning something inside the plant and eco being environmental factors. It occurs to me that dormancy is a major topic in plant science about which I know very little.

 Anyway, one thing I can assert with confidence: it's dormant out there.