Looks like winter is here. Maybe that isn't what our calendars say but Mother Nature seems to be saying otherwise.
I took these photos a few minutes ago. As you can see, the 4 inches of snow we got last night has turned our landscape into a magical place.
The top photo is of berries on our American Cranberry Bush (Viburnum trilobum) and the second one is of Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) seed heads.
I have left a lot of seed heads on my perennials because I know they will provide finches and other wild birds with much-needed protein during the winter.
As a gardener, I find it difficult to leave the seed heads on plants because I like to have the flower beds tidied up in the fall and I worry that I might end up with a lot of "volunteer" plants if the birds miss some of the seeds. But for the most part, it works really well and the birds provide me with a lot of entertainment when I watch them perch on the seed heads for their feast.
