The Dead of Winter

I found myself in the park tonight and this tree caught my eye. I remember this specific tree looking alive and green not so long ago, and since I rarely make winter trips to the park, I haven't become accustomed to seeing it like this.

So this I guess is where the term "The Dead of Winter" comes from. It's that time when it is so cold that animals rarely venture out, when it has been so long since fall that every last bit of green is gone and buried. Truly, it seems like all the life in nature is just gone. But it's not true, is it? The plants are alive under the bark and in the ground, the animals really are just sleeping, and now that we've reached the dead of winter--there's not much longer until Spring.