I’m a plant person, but I really get tickled when I seed birds in my garden. Watching the wildlife appreciate my plants is just as good as hearing a friend compliment my garden. I know those birds could have picked any yard in the area and they choose mine because it had what they wanted. On the other hand, my mom is a bird person who has joined full steam with the native plant garden enthusiasts once she saw how the plants could bring even more exciting birds to her yard. No matter what type of person you start off as, native plants will bring the excitement to your garden.
While saving a birds original habitat is always best, recreating bird habitat in the garden is a accomplishable goal for anyone. Using native plants in the garden can provide the habitat birds need with nesting sites, shelter, and food. Even small improvements, like adding one berry bush, can attract more birds to the garden.
Birds need large trees to nest in and the best time to plant a tree is now. Preserve mature trees by having them tended to by a certified arborist. Even dead trees provide nest sites and insects for woodpeckers and many other birds. When preserving a dead tree be sure to have it evaluated to make sure it will not fall on any structures. When a dead tree must be taken down, keep large logs to rot and provide insect (food) habitat. Logs make good bed edging, will hold up floppy plants, and prevent erosion when placed on contour.
The birds want you to plant a protective shrubby area where they can hide and nest. Shrubs that form dense cover by growing as a colony are gray dogwood, hazelnut, sumac, plum, and spicebush. It is so fun to watch these shrubs alive with flocks of birds when the fruit is ripe. To provide evergreen thick cover that birds love plant an eastern red cedar. Plan the garden to have protective cover a short distance from any feeding stations so birds can easily dive for cover if a hawk flies over. However, keep the cover a little distance from the station to prevent a cat from hiding there and jumping out at the birds.
Loosely piled brush also provides good cover for birds and insects. Birds enjoy foraging in a decaying log and rotting sticks in the brush pile. Many neighborhood ordinances do not allow brush piles. Tucking the piles into hidden areas under shrubs or surrounded by taller flowers will keep it from view. Brush piles are also another way to keep organic material from leaving the garden.
Migrating birds notice fall fruits more easy from above when they are planted in large masses. Tempting birds down out of the sky is easier with bright fall and winter displays from berry producing shrubs. Berries will ripen at different times throughout the season depending on their sugar and fat contents. For the widest variety of birds plant fruits that ripen at a variety of seasons like serviceberry, elderberry, and winterberry.
Birds are looking for ripe seeds. Leave seed heads standing so they can be pecked clean. Attract finches with coreopsis and cone flower. Larger birds like the many species of the sunflower family. I really enjoy the acrobatics birds perform when pulling seeds out while balancing on a bouncy flower stem. Asters and goldenrods provide important seeds for birds putting on extra fat to survive the winter.
Seeds and berries are not the only bird food native plants provide. Insects make up an important part of the bird diet especially when nesting. Native plants feed insects and insects are tasty treats if you are a bird. Oaks, willows, and plums are wonderful host species for many insects providing a reliable source of protein for young birds.
Don’t forget the hummingbirds that sip nectar. Plant columbine, red buckeye, and coral honeysuckle to attract hummingbirds. Providing a natural source of nectar during the times hummingbirds are in the area ensures they will always have food even when we forget to fill the feeder. Hummingbirds also use spider webs to build their nest so be sure to leave those in the garden.
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