Common Nature

Here are more pictures, mostly from the savanna and prairie garden. (See also the House Yard and South Lot, Midwinter Grove, and Heading Back Toward the House.)


Check it out! Our road actually got plowed the day after it snowed. This basically never happens. Here is the view looking south down the road.




This is a closer view of a farm to the southwest. Their barn actually looks red even in this gray light.




This farm lies to the northwest.




This is the view looking up the road to the north.




From the west, you can see into the end of the old fish pond that forms the middle of the Midwinter Grove.




This back view of the Midwinter Grove from the savanna gives a glimpse of the Colorado blue spruce seedling.




Here is a closer view of the Colorado blue spruce that we planted last Midwinter. It's battered from the hot dry summer, but doing better now.




The base of the hazelnut shrub has collected a lot of snow in the tall grass, which provides shelter for wildlife.




The wildflower garden shows off its winter form. This is why it's important not to cut down a wildlife planting in late summer or fall. Wait until late winter or early spring.




Northern sea oats make up a majority of the standing foliage.




At the base, the northern sea oats trap snow to form little caves where wildlife can hide.




Most of their large bobbing heads have fallen off in the wind or been eaten by foraging wildlife.




This head of purple echinacea has been pecked apart by hungry birds, probably goldfinches and/or house finches.




Looking east along the treeline that separates the savanna from the prairie garden, you can see a little drifting.




Buried under the snow is the root end of a fallen log, pointing west.




The far end of the fallen log, pointing east, shows a few holes in the snow leading to its hollow interior.




I turned to look north into the prairie garden, and holy smoke! Look at all those snowdrifts. Slowed by the many goldenrod stems standing here, the snow has been trapped in layers 2-3 feet deep.




Here is a closer view of the drifts that shows their height better.




Closer to the eastern end of the prairie garden lie more drifts.




One snowdrift breaks at the crest with a soft white smile.




More drifts form at the east end of the prairie garden.