Here we are again in the middle of Winter in Minnesota. The temperatures have been varying widely, but today is a typical cold, windy wintery day.
The temperatures this morning are in the single digits and a strong wind blowing from the north, making for a wind chill factor of minus 11 degrees. Not a real pleasant time to be outside.
As many of you may know because you are also dog owners, dogs do not understand it is very cold out. They still need to go outside for obvious reasons and get some excersise.
Pictured is our member of the family, Lucy. She is a young Golden Retriever who lives for being outside & chasing a tennis ball forever. As I was outside with her this morning, throwing the ball for her, I was extremely happy to have a large Spruce Tree to be able to stand behind to block that very cool wind.
Evergreen trees in general make for excellent wind breaks.Wind takes away heat from homes as well as people. By stategically planting trees on your property to slow down the winter wind, you can also help reduce your heating bills.
I like to feed the wild birds in the winter months. What I notice on a cold windy day is the birds do not come to my feeders as often. They are also utilizing the evergreen trees to protect themselves from the severe winter elements.
Some varieties of evergreens that make for great screening, excellent wind breaks & shelter for birds would be Black Hills Spruce, Colorado Blue Spruce, Balsam Fir, White Pine & Austrian Pine.