Wintertime in Our Backyard

This is a "dingy" time in our backyard. We've had a couple of freezes, the big red oak tree has lost most of its leaves, and there's not a flower one to be seen. It's definitely a different vista from our kitchen window than it is during the spring and summer when the view is nothing but lush greenery and the riotous color of flowers. As I discovered last weekend though, it's still beautiful.


We've avoided yard work for a month or so now. Finally the leaves overwhelmed us, and my other half and I grabbed rakes to do a little winter clean-up. I had the pruner in hand to clip away the branches of basil and penta and lantana that had frozen to the ground. Pulled up tomato and pepper plants, some with stubborn holdovers hanging on to the branches bruised and blackened from cold weather.


Yet, if I was observant and looked closely enough, there was already promise of the spring to come. The pentas had new growth at their bases and many of the branches I trimmed were brittle, but still green, ready to burst forth again when the weather gets warmer. There were even a couple of Gulf frittilary caterpillars tenaciously munching on their passionflower vine host.


So I clipped things and scattered wildflower seeds from their dried pods before dumping everything into the compost pile. Of course we left some of the leaves in beds; they are a great mulch blanketing daylilies and iris for the cold weather still ahead.


It was a great reminder of how life (and Nature especially) can always be beautiful, even if not in the "traditional" sense. I'm going to make it a priority to bundle up and spend more time outdoors in the weeks ahead. Whether in our own garden or the neighborhood park, there is still much that is beautiful to be seen.