How to attract birds to your garden
3. Other plants that provide food for caterpillars include willows, grasses and stinging nettle.
4. Butterflies also appreciate sources of water. This can come in the form of wet gravel or mud, sap flow or old fruit.
5. Some butterflies need places to hibernate. Good options include old sheds, woodpiles and loose shingles.
7 tips for attracting birds
Stutchbury suggests the following steps to making your garden bird-friendly:
1. Plant a variety of flowering plants and, instead of deadheading them, let them go to seed -- "the birds will pick their own seeds off the flowers instead of going to a birdfeeder," she says.
2. Plant flowers that will be in bloom throughout the growing season. "It means you see birds in your backyard at different times of the year," Stutchbury says.
3. Sunflowers, daisies, thistles and goldenrod are among the best choices, although she notes that she has even seen a migratory bird eating the seeds off a dandelion head.
4. Butterflies also appreciate sources of water. This can come in the form of wet gravel or mud, sap flow or old fruit.
5. Some butterflies need places to hibernate. Good options include old sheds, woodpiles and loose shingles.
7 tips for attracting birds
Stutchbury suggests the following steps to making your garden bird-friendly:
1. Plant a variety of flowering plants and, instead of deadheading them, let them go to seed -- "the birds will pick their own seeds off the flowers instead of going to a birdfeeder," she says.
2. Plant flowers that will be in bloom throughout the growing season. "It means you see birds in your backyard at different times of the year," Stutchbury says.
3. Sunflowers, daisies, thistles and goldenrod are among the best choices, although she notes that she has even seen a migratory bird eating the seeds off a dandelion head.
4. Birds love fruit, especially in the fall -- consider planting native fruiting trees in your garden, such as red mulberry, sumac, serviceberry or white ash.
5. Have native trees and shrubs -- such as cedar, spruce or hemlock -- in your yard to provide shelter for birds all year round.
6. Ditch your wood fence, suggests Stutchbury, and instead, "use evergreens to provide shelter for birds as well as privacy."
7. Rather than bundling up sticks and other yard waste to get picked up at the curb, create a brush pile in the corner of your yard where birds can stay warm in the cold weather. "To us, it's garbage, but to birds, it's shelter," Stutchbury says.
More than a garden
By making your yard a haven for visiting wildlife, not only will you help out bird and butterfly populations in need of a place to live, but you'll also create a nature habitat that will provide endless enjoyment and educational value for everyone who visits your yard. Just pick the right plants and provide a little shelter, and let the birds and butterflies do the rest.
Make your garden the most gorgeous on the block with pretty patio decor.
Looking for more great garden-planning advice? Visit our sister site, Styleathome.com for 10 principles for creating the garden of your dreams.
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5. Have native trees and shrubs -- such as cedar, spruce or hemlock -- in your yard to provide shelter for birds all year round.
6. Ditch your wood fence, suggests Stutchbury, and instead, "use evergreens to provide shelter for birds as well as privacy."
7. Rather than bundling up sticks and other yard waste to get picked up at the curb, create a brush pile in the corner of your yard where birds can stay warm in the cold weather. "To us, it's garbage, but to birds, it's shelter," Stutchbury says.
More than a garden
By making your yard a haven for visiting wildlife, not only will you help out bird and butterfly populations in need of a place to live, but you'll also create a nature habitat that will provide endless enjoyment and educational value for everyone who visits your yard. Just pick the right plants and provide a little shelter, and let the birds and butterflies do the rest.
Make your garden the most gorgeous on the block with pretty patio decor.
Looking for more great garden-planning advice? Visit our sister site, Styleathome.com for 10 principles for creating the garden of your dreams.
Page 2 of 2
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