I thought my thermometer was frozen in place.  It read -35C until about a half hour ago when it began climbing to the -26C at this time.  Our little dose of winter is here for a couple of days.  I'll take the -30s for a couple days vs a couple of weeks.

The cold temperature outside and the garden show on the radio prompted me to look at some backyard photos from last summer.  The radio show hosts are talking of beginning to plant in February!  That is only a couple weeks away.

I naturescaped my front yard when the new house went up.  After two summers of growth, everything is filling in nicely and I must say that the number of insects, reptiles and bird visits have increased.

I chose shrubs that flowered and provided seed for the birds.  I chose flowers that enticed the bees and the butterflies to stop in.  I chose garden plants for the hummingbirds.  The front yard is looking like my vision.  The backyard still needs some work.

My favorite perennial in the yard is the beebalm.  When it flowers I can hear the hum of the bees.  They move from petal to petal in search of nectar.  If the bees are not there, the butterflies are.  It is amazing to watch as they separate petals to gather their food.

In the fall I planted more beebalm in a variety of colors.  The fact that it spreads rapidly, adds color to the yard, draws in the insects and blooms into fall makes it an ideal plant for the nature sustaining yard that I am trying to create.  

I have more ideas for the backyard.  It is a work in progress that should take me a couple more summers to complete.  When it is done, it should be a haven for all my favorite little creatures; and some big ones.