We Thought Myrtle was Dead

We thought our crepe myrtle died in November during the deck installation.  It took a serious beating from the contractors.  We were sad, but we came to terms with Myrtle's death over the winter and left her uncovered - why wrap a dead tree?  (Crepe myrtles are southern plants need to be wrapped over the winter to protect them from the bitter cold NJ temperatures.)  Then when I went to dig up Myrtle I saw this:

New branch buds!  Life!  Myrtle had survived the deck construction and the winter unwrapped! It must have been all of the snow we had, insulating it through the worst of the freezing cold.