Gardening for the Birds
a natural bird feeder
Feeding the birds especially in winter can be more than just putting out a bird feeder. Many birds feed from plants you may already have amongst your perennials, cutting garden or trees via their berries, seeds, or insects they may host.
Working to grow natural bird food indirectly supports the entire food web by starting with plants, and helps support the native ecology in your own yard.
Here are some of our favorite plant suggestions to get you started!
Perennials include— rudbeckia, echinacea, monarda, solidago, asclepias, eupatorium, heliopsis, any of the asters, pennesetum, sorghastrum, panicum grass, schizachryum, andropogon, and other native grasses.
Shrubs with fall berries— malus, sambucus, myrica, amelanchier, serviceberry, button bush, spice bush, winterberry, black willow, any of the native dogwood or viburnums- their berries persist but also provide cover from predators which is important.
Trees— any native tree, such as oaks, maple, beech, apple, willow, cherry and birch.
To learn more, visit these great sites:
Articles, Books, and Videos by Doug Tallamy
