My backyard in winter is not at all the same as it is in spring or summer, but it is far from being a barren, empty place. First, there are the winter birds. They know when sunflower seeds are in the feeder and they flock to snatch some of the oil-rich food before it is taken away by the squirrels.
Those squirrels! Opportunistic, rowdy, selfish little critters, but they lend life and movement to the browns and grays of the winter plants and leaves. They aren’t the only residents, though–there are the rabbits. How many? One or two venture from under the storage shed. But, you know what they say about rabbits. There may be a family, a rabbit warren who winter under the small building. They scoot out, nibble the clover, hop back, always on the lookout for the Dog, that nosy, rowdy, busy boss of the yard who ventures out into the cold far too often for their liking.
At night, the bushes that flower in spring and summer and look mighty drab and dreary in the winter are cover for the birds. They settle in, twittering and chirping, huddling together to conserve heat and energy. They’ll be there when the back door of the people house opens each morning and those lovely seeds rattle in the feeders.
In the cover of darkness, wild, forest creatures slip into the yard after everyone else has gone to bed. A raccoon, a ‘possum, a skunk waddle in and check out the seeds and the water in the bird bath. Night time residents only, secret, furtive animals they are, who leave well before sun-up. The birds know about them, but they keep quiet, still and safe within their shelter.
The backyard–changed by the season, hides more than one would think, harbors life and the tenacity to hold on through the cold months. Come spring, it’ll change again, but there’s something mysterious and rather nice about my backyard in winter.
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