Get ready to meet the cool Shore Birds with Curved Beaks, where their special feature stands out, making them even more interesting to look at!
09.08.2023 - 13:41 / finegardening.com
Our gardens can be valuable habitats for birds, providing nutritious food, nesting sites, and life-saving shelter, especially during the coldest months when overwintering birds are challenged. If we are mindful of these basic needs as we design our beds and borders, we will be rewarded with a landscape rich in birds. Here are some things you can do to help our feathered friends when times are lean.
While many of the plants featured here help feed birds throughout the year, it’s especially important to provide nourishment during the late fall and winter, when birds need it the most. These three plants can help feed birds during that time of year.
1. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata, Zones 3–9). I’ve seen winterberry literally shaking with flocks of American robins and cedar waxwings until every red berry was eaten. The fruit can persist into February, providing months of sustenance.
2. Northern bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica syn. Morella pensylvanica, Zones 3–7). This shrub’s nutritious, waxy, powderblue fruits help sustain bird populations through bitter winters.
3. Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida, Zones 5–9). During fall migration, this native tree offers red, fleshy fruit to bird species such as thrushes and grosbeaks, who must replenish vital fat reserves before flying to their wintering grounds.
Keep your loppers or pruners in the shed, and consider leaving your perennials intact until early spring. Numerous perennials, such as purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, Zones 3–9) or many of our native grasses, become natural bird feeders once their seeds mature.
Including a diversity of conifers and broad-leaved evergreens in the landscape will provide vital shelter for birds in winter. I have found semi-dwarf pines
Get ready to meet the cool Shore Birds with Curved Beaks, where their special feature stands out, making them even more interesting to look at!
Ever wondered about the tiny, vibrant visitors that flit through Georgia’s gardens and woodlands? Look no further – explore with us the captivating world of Hummingbirds In Georgia!
It started at the garden centre, where I was helping to put newly arrived plants out in the autumn/winter ‘tub and basket’ display. There’s a good range of ornamental plants on offer, all looking very cute in their youthful stages, in various colours and textures. They might not have the showy flowers of summer bedding, but they’re all interesting plants. The winter garden doesn’t have to look dull! The ones that caught my eye were Gaultheria ‘Very Berry’, cute little plants with dark green leaves, white bell-shaped flowers (they look exactly like little blueberry flowers, because they’re related), and quite large berries ripening from white to pink (ultimately they should go red).
Header image: Glenn, in the NASA mailroom, received letters from fans of all ages. John Glenn Archives, The Ohio State University, CC BY-ND
Red Breasted Birds do not only catch our attention with their bold red plumage, but also offer fascinating insights into the diverse avian life. Let’s explore a few of these remarkable Birds with Red Chest.
Soil provides nutrients for plants as well as millions of microorganisms. However, this only applies if the soil is healthy. Soil conservation is the movement to keep soil healthy, fertile and productive, as well as protecting it from erosion and deterioration. Learn about different methods of soil conservation here.
How to Grow and Care for Braeburn Apple Trees Malus x domestica ‘Braeburn’
Does Firebush Attract Hummingbirds? – If you have this question in your mind, then this article will clear all your doubts!
Have you noticed the persistent brown leaves still hanging on some deciduous trees long after their foliar companions have fallen? This usually becomes very apparent after normal leaf drop in early winter. These brown leaves may remain attached until spring bud growth pushes them free.
In July 2022, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) drew attention to North America’s migrating monarchs by adding them to their ICUN Red List of Threatened Species. In the United States, the more immediate plight of other threatened and endangered species has precluded the monarchs’ inclusion on the Endangered Species List. However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledged that their place on this list is “warranted.” They mandated that the monarchs be reviewed annually as a potential candidate for inclusion. These incredible insects migrate 4000 miles every spring and fall and face immense dangers on this epic journey. What simple steps can you take to help monarchs as they travel past your home?
Spring is here! All the signs are evident, including walking into caterpillars hanging from trees by slender threads (which happened to me last week). These danglers are often members of the Geometridae family, also known as inchworms or loopers. I love that their Latin name means “measures the earth.” The distinctive gait of these caterpillars makes it seem like they are taking their measuring duties very seriously. First, they deploy their front feet, and then, unlike other caterpillars with intermediate appendages, they pull forward their rear feet. This causes them to arch their bodies in that characteristic manner. Unsurprisingly, this onset of caterpillars coincides with the first flush of spring leaves, a buffet for these newly hatched critters.
Icon of the southwest, organ pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi) is one of the best known species of cacti in the United States.Reaching up to 26 feet in height and 12 feet wide, this slow