The Greenery Of Winter

As nosotros approach the wintertime solstice, much of the Temperate Zone landscape appears to endure lifeless.  Brown, dry out grasslands, barren deciduous trees too leafless thickets dominate the scene spell the spend upwards of the growing flavor blows across our fields too lawns.  Fortunately, an exception is provided past times the conifers, the evergreen trees too shrubs that adorn our parks, suburbs, farmlands too forests.

Here on our Littleton farm, nosotros convey a mix of conifers, including junipers, pinon pines, Austrian pines too a few spruce trees.  Providing greenery during the wintertime months, they too attract a broad diverseness of birds that utilize their shelter too feast on their berries too nuts.  Among these residents too visitors are red-breasted nuthatches, bushtits, cedar too Bohemian waxwings, pine siskins too other to a greater extent than mutual species.  The presence of these conifers too increases our peril to encounter mount birds that may descend to lower elevations inward winter; these include northern goshawks, Steller's jays, mount chickadees, ruddy crossbills, Cassin's finches and, inward closed to years, eve grosbeaks.

The role of conifers for Christmas trees, wreaths too garlands, stems from the rituals of ancient man, who considered them signs of perpetual life too used them to fuel wintertime solstice bonfires to coax dorsum the life-giving sun.  Even today, when nosotros sympathise the solar cycle, the greenery of conifers offers promise through the dark, frigid months of winter.

Golden Currant

Golden currant is a small, drought tolerant shrub native to western North America; it has too teach naturalized across almost of the U.S., excluding the Southeastern States.  Its loosely-branching, woody stems behave lobular, maple-like leaves; inward early-mid boundary (depending on peak too latitude), clusters of fragrant, tubular yellowish flowers appear, attracting hummingbirds, orioles too a multifariousness of pollinating insects (including monarch butterflies).

On our Littleton farm, nosotros bring several patches of golden current; favoring partial shade, they mingle alongside chokecherry, lilacs too other shrubs inward our woodland borders.  Blooming over the past times week, the flowers volition yield modest blue-black berries past times early-mid summer, consumed past times a host of songbirds too modest mammals; humans too savour currant berries, using them to brand jams too jellies.

Like almost plants on our farm, these natives ask no irrigation or maintenance.  Better yet, they to a greater extent than than compensate for the infinite they occupy, offering beauty too attracting many wild visitors.  Over time, those visitors volition provide the favor, spreading the plant's seeds to other areas of the property.