Everything was coated with a layer of ice this morning.  It made for a slow commute to work.  Much of the snow in the backyard has melted because of yesterday's rain.  There is dirt showing in the raised garden beds.  It made me begin to envision what the flowers are going to look like in the summer.

I want to add more natural wildflowers to the yard.  When my new home was built, the ground was disturbed and I've had fireweed begin to grow under a tall spruce.  It has reseeded itself for three years now.  It is one of my favorite flowers.  I found a wild area last summer where the fireweed formed fields of purple.  It was beautiful!  There were butterflies and hummingbirds everywhere.

I would like to incorporate some wild asters.  They are not fussy about where they grow and the butterflies love them as well.

When I go camping and admire the wildflowers in the area, I marvel at how they are capable of growing through gravel or in narrow cracks in large boulders.  It is that kind of hardiness that I'm looking for; something that I can plant and forget about.

 

It is January 26 and it is raining outside.  I can hear it beating down against the downspout.  It sounds like a summer storm.  

There was only about 4 inches of snow on the ground.  If the rain keeps up, there will be a couple inches of ice-covered snow by morning.  It is going to be a real treat for commuting tomorrow.

This winter has been a strange one.  Temperatures have gone from +9C to -35C.  I looked at the forecast for the rest of the week.  Today it was +6C and by Sunday it is supposed to be -!5C.

2008

2009

This made me reminisce about winters gone by.  I browsed through my photos from the month of January from the years 2007 thru 2015.  I shouldn't have done that.  I love snow.  I love shoveling snow.  I love 'playing' in the snow.  Looking at the photos only made me realize how much I'm missing the snow this winter.  I have only shoveled 3 times and winter is more than half over.

2011

2016

After viewing the photographs I came to the conclusion that I should be grateful for the snowfall that we do have even though it is dismal.  There is actually enough to ski on and the temperature has been cold enough for the outdoor rinks.

I managed to get out on the x-country skis twice over the weekend.  I took my shorter, wider adventure skis to break a track on the lake surface beside the Amisk Wuche trail at Elk Island.  The hard packed under layer was covered with about four inches of fluffy snow.  It took a bit of effort to get the loop made.  I was overdressed for the task and felt like I had stepped out of the shower with my clothes on.  Needless to say, I did not do a second loop that day.

The second day was supposed to be sunny.  Well, the sun was shining at home but the clouds filled the sky at my destination.  I was looking forward to blue sky and sunshine while touring the lake shore but that was beyond my control.

I brought two sets of skis; the adventure skis to go around the loop the first time and the regular classic skis to use after that.  I learned something new that day.  I learned that the old comfortable ski boots that I have don't fit into the binding on the new skis.  The bar is a few millimeters narrower than what they need to be.  Try as I might, it was not going to happen so I put the adventure skis back on and away I went.  

Halfway through the second loop, the clouds parted and the sun shone through.  There is nothing like hearing the swish of the skis through the snow, blue sky and sunshine. 

I could see hikers on the trail but I was the only skier out on the lake.  As I made my way round the loop, my tracks criss crossed the tracks made by the animals.  The large beaver lodge was a popular destination.  I could see that coyotes were digging in the snow close to the lodge entrance.  Mouse tracks and tunnels were visible between clumps of tall slough grass.  I don't usually see the tracks of larger mammals on the ice but there were some elk tracks in the snow.

The day turned out to be sunny and perfect for my ski outing.  I can't wait to get them out again; with boots that actually fit the classic skis.

The backyard feeder has never been as entertaining as it is this year.  There is constant action this winter with the redpolls and grosbeaks providing most of it.

I threw a cupful of shelled sunflower seeds in the tray feeder and birds appeared to come from the heavens.  There were redpolls everywhere.  I could not count the number of them.  They were feeding fast and furiously; flying in and flying out.

It wasn't long before the female grosbeaks showed up.  They shared the space with the little birds.  Every now and again a chickadee and a nuthatch would show up.  This continued until I heard the blue jays come into the yard.  When that first squawk happened, the little birds scattered until the jays were gone.

The feeding happened in intervals throughout the day.  In the

afternoon when I went out to replenish the seed, I heard an unfamiliar sound.  The top branches of an aspen provided resting spots for a flock of waxwings. 

I don't have any berry-producing trees/shrubs in the yard.  They are planted but not yet bearing fruit.  When that happens, I hope that the waxwings will stay and feed instead of just stopping by for a rest.


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Yesterday I woke to find it cloudy. The light was grey and flat; not good for photography.  That didn't stop me from throwing the rest of my outdoor gear in to the vehicle; snowshoes, skates, cleats and skis.  I was prepared for whatever the snow conditions happened to be at Elk Island National Park.

I drove to the Amisk Wuche Trail.  The parking lot was empty.  It was going to be a good day.  After checking out the trail conditions, I decided on the cleats and hiked the 2.5kms.  It was silent and calm and peaceful.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/elkisland/activ/a/a5.aspx 

The only sound I heard was the crunch of the snow underneath my cleats.  As I made my way into the forest, the squirrels began chattering.  I watched a couple of them chase each other up and down the tree trunks.  The black capped chickadees flitted from twig to twig in the underbrush.  Their sweet 'cheeseburger' songs could be heard through the trees.  There were lots of animal tracks that wound through the trees; squirrel, hare, mouse and coyote from what I could tell.
I didn't stop at my usual snack bench so I made it back to the parking lot in under an hour.  There was plenty of time to take out the skis. 

The lake surface can be accessed from the parking lot by making your way through the trees, down a hill.  There was some fluffy snow on top of a wind-packed layer.  I brought my shorter, wider adventure skis that are great for breaking a track.  It turned out to the easier than I had anticipated.  I skied a loop along the shoreline.  It felt good to be on the skis.

Now that I have a track set I plan on taking the regular classic skis out today to make take advantage of the new trail.

The 'icing on the cake' so to speak, happened when I drove into the Astotin Lake area on my way home.  Two mule deer were eating twigs in the underbrush beside the road.  They didn't mind my watching and photo-taking.  It was the perfect ending to my outing.

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The morning after a night of thick fog is magical; especially if the sky is clear and the sun is shining.  The night before last was very foggy.  Thick hoar frost coated the tree branches.  The sunlight reflected off the crystals, creating a winter wonderland that sparkled.

I left early for work because I knew that I would be stopping to take some photos.  There were areas where the wind had already blown away the frosty coating but there were enough spots that were protected from the wind to give me the opportunity to capture Mother Nature's art.

There is one spot along my route where the trees open up and I can see the x-country ski trail at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre.  The tall tree trunks cast shadows over the trail, creating an intricate design.  The frost sparkled in the sun.  I wanted to put my skis on right then and there to be in the middle of that beautiful scene.  I could picture myself standing under the towering spruce and aspens, looking up to marvel at the forest 'twinkle lights'. 

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I love when I experience a 'natural' event for the first time and learn something new.  This happened while on a stop made at Twin Lakes during a day trip a few years ago.

We stopped to stretch our legs and have some lunch.  The picnic table we chose to sit at was close to the shore.  I glanced toward the water and noticed a number of butterflies on the sand.  The day was bright and sunny so I thought they were sunning themselves.  Later, I found out that they were 'puddling'. 

They were sipping the water, taking in the salt and minerals from the soil.  I read that most times it is the male butterflies that do this.  They transfer the nutrients to the females to improve the viability of the females eggs.  Who knew??

A 'puddling area' can be built in the backyard to encourage butterflies to visit.  Choose an area in the garden that is close to the flowers that they like.  Use a shallow container like a tray that would be used under a flower pot.  Fill the container with sand and place a few flat rocks in it for landing spots.  Keep the sand moist with water from a rain barrel.  The butterflies will eventually come.  Just sit back and observe.

I think I'll try this little project this summer.  The beebalm is a magnet for butterflies.  They may appreciate a resting spot.

Last summer one pile of branches and twigs in the backyard provided shelter for a mama and her babe while the babe was learning to fly.  The little fledgling made it out of the nest but did not have the skill to fly.  It hid in the branches while mama hunted for food.

There was a plentiful supply of butterflies and mama had great success in search for food.  The little one waited with beak open wide until mama returned with the meal.

Their color blended right into the color of the twigs and branches.  I noticed them only when I saw mama flying back and forth.  This is what caught my attention and made me investigate more closely.  

Feeding time lasted more than an hour and was most entertaining.

When the construction of my home was complete I began the re-construction of my yard.  The plan was to nature scape the front and back yards.  I don't mind mowing grass but I wanted to provide more habitat for the small creatures in my yard as well as draw more of them in.

Draw them in I did.  I had some new visitors arrive the very first summer. One was about two feet long.  It watched every move that I made.  I had never seen a garter snake in the yard before.  That summer there were three.  During the day, they lazed in the sun on the warm clay soil.  In the evening they would crawl into a crack in the ground and stay there until morning.  I've seen snakes in the yard each year since.

The other visitors were a pair of tiger salamanders.  I created a twig/branch pile in two separate areas of the yard.  The piles provided shelter for the small birds and reptiles.  They were home to the salamanders during the day when

the sun was out.  When the air cooled and the dew coated the grass, the reptiles would exit the pile and explore.  I have found up to four of them in the yard since the first day that I saw them.

There is a snag standing in the backyard for the woodpeckers.  Wood stumps were grouped together for the insects to enjoy and little birds to hide in between.  Tree trunks were laid along the edge of the garden to provide shelter for insects and to provide a place for the snakes to hide in the shade.  Mulch was laid to keep the weeds down but to also provide a cool place for the reptiles.

I will continue to re-build the backyard; adding more habitat for the small creatures and hope that they will continue to thrive in the yard that we share.

There was a feeding frenzy in the birdfeeder this morning.  I treated the redpolls and chickadees to some shelled sunflower seeds.  I've never seen that much action.  There were up to a dozen little birds in there at the same time with others 'waiting in the wings' on the deck railing.

This winter has been great for seeing species that do not show up on a regular basis.  I've had pine and evening grosbeaks in addition to the redpolls.  There have been years where I didn't have one show up in the yard.

My sister lives about 1.5 hours away and she has white winged crossbills in her spruce trees.  This is the first time that she has seen them.  I'm hoping to get out there to watch them in action.  I'm also hoping to see a snowy owl this winter.  I recall seeing them regularly on the fenceposts west of Calmar but it has been years since I've seen one.

The cup full of shelled seed that I threw into the tray provided a couple hours of entertainment for me and some much needed sustenance for the redpolls and chickadees.