Nature in Your Backyard, Just Outside Your Door!

Why do I bring up your backyard? Well to try and squeeze the nature out of you. Nature is an important part of life. It is apart of everything.

By noticing the nature outside your home you acknowledge that there is something there besides the regular humdrum of life. It makes life a little more full.

Is it not nicer to know that you can look out your window and know that there are some birds that admire your property and are grateful that you are both symbiotic of each other?

Those with children are more likely to have children who want to be outside, when the parent takes the time to enjoy nature and encourage their child to also. This can easily be done just by going outside. You do not even have to go out of your way and go to a park or walking path. Just turn the door knob and step out.

How long have you lived where you are? In all this time have you gone about your property for more than just spring cleaning or mowing the lawn? I bet if you went outback and turned over a rock or peeked up a tree you might find that you are not the only inhabitants of your property.

Everyone at some point or another gets so caught up in their daily routine that they do not stop to admire the little things. How many of you wake up and the next thing you remember your at work?

Children have the right idea about the outdoors. They go out and head straight for whatever just caught their attention. From there they head off until no leaf has been unturned, no branch has been missed and every log has been turned three or four times. Every creature has been identified, (whether its identified correctly is another matter but that is unimportant for the moment). All this is just outside your window. Just a step away from your doorway and takes as little time or as much time as you want to give.

So go outside. Flip over a rock. Take the courageous leap and roll over a damp old log. You will not be disappointed in what you will discover.

I walk outside my door and I look at my trees. There is several birds flying about. A blackbird heckles a blue jay. Juncos hop about the ground looking for bugs. A sparrow sits peacefully watching the other birds.

I go to the edge of the woods. I turn over a log. There is a salamander looking back at me.

I brush aside some leaves and find a frog had been scrounging around looking for who knows what.

I walk the outskirts of my yard and almost miss a bat that is sleeping on the old dog pen.

All these things I would miss if I left my house, got in my car and went grocery shopping right off.

I get home from getting the groceries and I am so programmed to notice my surroundings that my attention is easily grabbed when a family of pileated woodpeckers are playing on a wood pile on the other side of the house.

The importance of the Nature and your backyard simply shows how in tune you are with nature itself. You go for walks, but how much do you take in? Did you see the butterfly on the path, or were you talking to your friend on the phone about the next "whatever"? Did you go on this walk to take in the beauty around you, the serenity of the breeze through the soft leaves, the angelic fulness of the grass dancing in tune with the wind as you pass by? Or did you head out your door to stretch your legs?

The next time you go outside try and spot five things of nature. Even if it is simply that there is five different types of trees on your way to get the mail. You will find that as you do this more and more you will notice more and more stuff and your awareness to what is out there will branch out until you are in an almost awe of your surroundings.