The young northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) have always been prone to hiding in the weeds and underbrush whenever they feel at all threatened. Over the summer and fall, it was often quite difficult to see them at all or parts of them would be hidden behind large leaves. Now that winter is here and we’ve had a couple of light frosts, the number of leaves in the underbrush has been greatly reduced, giving me a somewhat better view of them there. I like being able to get shots of my subjects in their natural environments, so I’ve been taking full advantage of the lighter leaf cover. In this shot, the young female was hanging out in her favorite spot underneath the pipevine. She had just finished eating, and I guess she wanted a safe place to digest. She sat there for quite a while and seemed very content, so after getting a few shots of her, I decided to call it a day and go inside so she could continue her peaceful afternoon.