The Beauty Of Late Winter

It's a cold, frosty morning in early March. The light is just coming up as you peer out your front window. Spring is little more than two weeks away and your garden is still snugly nestled under a thick layer of white. Slowly, your gaze shifts to a small cluster of trees in front of your house. Tiny specks of gold have begun to flicker across the solitary silhouetted trees bathing the snow-covered ground in a soft, warm glow. Except for a scattering here and there of crinkled brown leaves that still cling fragilely to a few slender outstretched branches, the trees are bare. Yet, the landscape reflects a quiet, subtle beauty which pulses with life.

        

Listen for the sound of birds.

             It could be the shrill cry of bluejays.

              Perhaps the melodious whistling of a 

                     northern red cardinal.                             
         Or the musical chip call of a black-eyed junco.

        Do you hear a loud, drumming sound echoing nearby?
         It's probably a woodpecker foraging for food in
                          a tree hollow.

    Do you have a woodpile in your yard? Nooks and crannies
   in that woodpile offer protection and warmth for many small                creatures during the long, cold winter. 

                 
     A family of squirrels will find comfort and safety from 
     the harshness of winter in this warm, cozy nest perched
                        high in a tree top.

    Food is scarce in Winter for all animals. Finding food and              shelter is the basis of their very survival.

           A brown squirrel munches on some deer corn.

       A black and white chickadee snacks on some bird seed
                     left on a deck railing.

         Deer are no exception, but they are persevering                                    creatures.

               They find food wherever they can ...

        Sometimes we help them out with a bit of deer corn

       Or they help themselves to some bird seed when the 
                      birds are not around.

   Winter offers many beautiful sights and sounds to behold. 
  You just have to open your eyes, your ears, and your heart
                             and look. 


                     Good Gardening To All