Fin: The End

It has officially come to the end. Winter is here and all that started as a spring sprout has meet its destiny. It all started with lizards, but due to the time of the year the topic switched towards the wild garden of my back yard. I never realized how many mysteries a back yard could hold.
Winter began with a burst of cold weather that forced all of Reno to turn on their fireplaces and make hot chocolate. The yards are full of plants that are dormant and no leaves are left to be seen. All the research I have done clearly states that no lizard is out during winter. "Hibernates during winter." (Western Sagebrush Lizard) That only shows that lizards are like any mammal and must do what ever is needed to survive. It is all part of "survival of the fittest".
With all the challenges that winter brings, it shows the struggle of nature. I had never noticed how beaten up my back yard was until after my observation project. The grass looked damaged due to the factor that it froze before it went dormant and all the traffic of the kids playing made it look worse. It was brown and yellow like if it hadn't had water all summer. "If turf receives concentrated foot traffic while it is frozen, individual grass plants may be killed, leaving you with dead spots come spring time." (What happens) The plants where dead in a matter of days. It started of with the edges being brown and in a matter of days they were completely frozen and dead. After a week of December the yard is plain and all the plants are in the trailer ready to go to the dumb.  No seasonal plant is left in the ground and all that started as a seed has come to an end.
I am grateful that I had the chance to do the observation project. It shows that just like everything in the world, it has a cycle and it must end sometime. It may be short for some, but for others it is just a chapter that can be part of a story.

 

Works Cited

 

Western Sagebrush Lizard  - Sceloporus graciosus gracilis (Western Sagebrush Lizard  - Sceloporus graciosus gracilis)

http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/s.g.gracilis.html

What happens to your grass in the winter? (Home)
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/983

Proceed

It has been a very cold week and some rain has encountered us. Every morning the grass is frozen and looks white due to the frost. No Blue belly lizard has been seen for about a month now and I have no hint that shows that they will be back anytime soon. The summer birds (Robins, Lesser Goldfinch,& California Quail) are starting to disappear south and the Canadian geese are moving into the area. I’m not sure how much longer it will be before we have our first snow fall of the year.

Canadian Geese are birds that are found all over Reno during the winter. The geese are highly hated by golf course and baseball field owners, they damage the grass with body waste and destroy the root for food. "Canada geese have become permanent residents of parks, golf courses, suburban subdevelopments, and other human habitats across much of North America."(Canadian Geese) Geese are an annoying bird when behind your back yard is a golf course.  They are loud and make a mess all over the golf course. These birds make the garbage that needs to be cleaned in the winter.

Garbage continues to be left behind by plants and our trailer continues to fill up slowly inch by inch of yard waste.  The trailer is more than half full due to the garden. My dad has taken every vegetable plant out of the garden and only the dirt is left.  There are a few holes dug up that are full of ashes from the fire place.  Firewood is split and stacked under the porch for the winter in case it rains or snows, the wood doesn’t get wet. Winter is cold and all the trash must be cleaned before it gets out of hand for spring.

Works Cited

Canada Geese, Canada Goose Pictures, Canada Goose Facts - National Geographic

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/canada-goose/