Enjoyment of the Garden from Indoors

Although frigid temperatures keep me inside during January, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the garden from indoors.

I watch birds and take photos. With limited foliage, it's easier to see and photograph birds.Here's a flock of Dark-eyed Juncos eating seeds from a Pampas bush. How many birds do you see? I counted 10.

A Brown Thrasher feeding off the ground near a feeder.

 

A Northern Flicker Woodpecker scavenging the ground for food.

An Eastern Towhee visiting friends at the bird feeder. I highly recommend putting a bird feeder where you can easily observe it from indoors.

6 Goldfinch on Feeder

If you enjoy watching and identifying birds, participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. From February 15  through 18, 2013, you count and identify birds. Your results can be entered online and tabulated with other bird counts across the country.

I have counted birds sighted from my windows or while out running errands. Last year, my husband and I parked at a country pond and counted Canadian Geese, Hood Mergansers, and Kingfishers.

Although temperatures are low, there are still opportunities to enjoy flowers.

A Periwinkle vine blooming in January. This was an unexpected surprise.

Potting a few pansies in the fall can bring you delightful glimpses of color during a bleak winter.

Don't forget a few indoor plants to challenge your green thumb. I've been blogging about an orchid and amaryllis that I'm babying through the winter. It's my first experience with an orchid, and the amaryllis has provided wonderful photo opportunities.