Our favorite winter bird. They always come round in pairs. He travels fast. She follows. But often you will see him scouting for morsels. Two things are going on. She is very independent and she may still have a “yungin” close by. But her demeanor suggests she will always join him. Her coloring is subtle but his is blazing red. We love to watch them. Our cover certainly shows his majestic prowess.
And this photo below…..was captured during a huge snow storm. This northern cardinal is puffing up his feathers to keep the damp snow from settling on his plumage. Then when the snow packs down he can ruffle his feathers and shake the snow off. And the puffed up feathers helps to keep him warmer.
We think this December copy is fantastic.
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Birds and Blooms reminds us not to forget to provide water for the birds in the winter months.
…….and to decorate low hanging branches with bird treats that you’ve made yourself. Make sure to include some peanut butter on a pine cone. They love it.
Very helpful and sweet ideas children can do indoors, and then the family can visit a tree in the yard together, to string the garlands where they can be seen from an indoor window. Family fun and a learning opportunity too.
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Also published in this issue was the Grand Prize Winner of the Annual B & B Photo Contest. Literally thousands of entries were sent to the magazine. This one was the winner. Very cool. I mean how often could this “pose” be possible.
Butterfly photos are featured on page 48 and 49.
Finally, a Kale plant left over from a summer garden, turns pink in the cold.
I don’t often feature so many photos in my B & B posts, because the magazine photo copy doesn’t really do justice to these great photos in this publication. What I see is not what you see, unless you borrow our copy. But…. I hope your curiosity is keen enough to even order this magazine for your family. It’s $10 a year. You will improve your knowledge of birds, flowers, indoor plants, berry bushes, and insects, and the readership is from all over the US. It’s a fantastic and compact way to educate yourself and the members of your family. I grew up with books and publications of all these pictures in my home. It’s a fantastic way to take the natural world and bring it into our lives. We need to appreciate our natural world…. way more than we do. I hope you will take the time to do this with your family, or even just for yourself.
“Contessa” says….it’s all a very….very…good thing!
ContessasHome formerly ContessasGarden and Gift, LLC 
