Yackbard
Yackbard is an area of some 328 acres which became part of the Empire on May 8th, 2012, annexed from the Midwestern United States. we have a large garden, a climate controlled greenhouse, where we grow a few kinds of flowers native to the area which we sell to local landscapers. We are on the registry for the World Wildlife fund 's back yard habitat. There is a fairly decent sized creek forming the eastern border of the property, and a river (the North river, which runs west to east on our land then south until it meets the Des Moines river) forming part of the northern and all of the west border. We have two medium ponds filled with fish and salamanders. Our local wildlife consists of: squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, 2 badgers, a confused wolverine, skunks, deer, the occasional black bear, coyotes, a pair of grey wolves, hundreds of small birds, 2 eagles and their babies, hawks, vultures, various snakes and lizards, possums, groundhogs, moles, mice, rats, shrews, bunnies, an abundance of geese and wild turkeys, and a homeless guy by the river. Our flora is mostly native hardwoods though we have some pine and a few blue spruce, fire bushes, holly, and transplanted star jasmine and blue honeysuckle. As we attempt to keep the local the local culture intact, we do not require the fauna to wear clothing, though the bucks have been seen running to the pond with clothes on their antlers, which I think is their attempt to help us dry our clothes. Hunting is not allowed, except in rare occasions of coyote encroachment. We do have a ghost, and a family cemetery with a large Marble mausoleum. Our state bird is the elusive invisible North American Penguin. Our state animal is the elusive cross dressing sub-polar bear. The state flower is whatever is alive before my wife does the gardening. The state tree in the Larch, the Larch. The state song is "Particle Man" by TMBG. The "national" dish is Apple jacks w/skim milk. Little known fact: there is a Native American village site on the far western area of property. We notified the historical society but asked that they come and do a survey and stake it out, but not dig, which they did. They brought a group of elders from the tribe that it belonged to and they also felt that leaving it alone was acceptable.
"Yackbard: where true dreams come false"