Bird feeders aren’t the only tools for attracting birds. By choosing the right trees, shrubs and perennials, you can create a habitat that will draw birds and other wildlife.
-
Conifers provide cover, winter shelter and summer nesting sites. Some also provide sap, buds and seeds. - Grasses and legumes provide cover for ground-nesting birds if the area is not mowed during the nesting season. Some also provide seeds.
-
Nectar-producing plants attract hummingbirds and orioles. Hummingbirds especially like tubular
red flowers, such as fuchsia, bee balm, coral bells and penstemon. -
Summer-fruiting plants include cherry, honeysuckle, raspberry, serviceberry, grape and plum. Birds attracted include brown thrashers,
robins, thrushes, waxwings, woodpeckers,
orioles, cardinals, towhees and grosbeaks. -
Fall-fruiting plants include dogwoods, mountain ash, winterberries and cotoneasters. They are used
by both migratorybirds preparing to leave and non-migratory species preparing for winter. - Many winter-fruiting plants are not palatable until they have frozen and thawed numerous times. These include glossy black chokecherry, Siberian
crabapple, snowberry, bittersweet,
sumac and Virginia creeper. - Nut and acorn plants provide food and nesting habitat. They include oaks, hickories, buckeyes, chestnuts, butternuts and walnuts. Broken nuts and acorns.
Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News
Leave a Reply