Mother Nature is decorating the Bayou!

There is definitely a chill in the air!  I am one of those people that likes the winter and hopes that this cool weather is a forerunner of an early and cold winter.  For the past several years, it has been too warm for my taste!  I need some good old-fashioned-woodstove-burning weather!  I like the weather that other folks deem to be dreary.  It makes me happy..perhaps because it is more or less a rare occurrence on the Bayou. This far south, we seem to hang in the forties during the winter and hardly ever get a "good" freeze.  This mild weather is nice on plants but the following spring is rampant with bugs and other critters that make gardening hard during the summer months.  So....give me winter!

Out and about the hillside today, I came across the brightest red berries!  Michael has been clearing more of the underbrush down by the persimmon trees and was kind enough to leave the Yaupon Trees.    He knows that I am partial to these small shrub-like trees.  They bring such a bit of brightness to the hillside each winter and lure many birds in to feast upon their berries.  So far, the birds have not touched the fruit as it is usually the Cedar Waxwings that strip every branch.  Cedar Waxwings will migrate in when the harsh cold of winter settles in on the more northern states.  They will stay just as long as there is a food supply then move on their merry way. I am glad that the Yaupons are loaded if not for anything but the birds. The Yaupon Trees seem to like the sandy soil that washed in with recent hurricanes.  I rarely see any back in the thick, mulched soil behind the house and when I do come across one, the berries are never heavily laden.   I did notice that there were dozens of tiny saplings coming up beneath the larger trees.  It appears that the birds are "reseeding" as they feast!  There are also dozens of tiny persimmon trees mingled in among the Yaupons. This, too, makes me happy as I am pondering planting a hedgerow of the two types of trees all along the marsh edge.  This could be a feasting ground for birds and animals of all sorts!

These red berries also made me realize that it is coming up on Christmas! I would love to decorate with these and the wild holly but the birds always seem to beat me to them.  Today..I got smart!  Instead of waiting, I bought some artificial berries that look so similar to the real things.  This way, I can leave the others for the critters and still have some long lasting beauty inside!  Mark patiently reached up to the top shelf at the store and handed me branch after branch.  Each was inspected and only the best were chosen to come home with me!  Now a question...since Mother Nature is already decorating with red berries, is it too early for me to string garlands of them on the stair railing?  hehe...Christmas decorating might just begin early...cool weather...red berries...hmmmm?