Southern Gardeners ~ gardening locally, sharing globally

As Spring begins to wake up the sleepy earth, the first jewels of the season arrive to drink from the deep, rich, early blooming flowers. The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds zip through the yard in a flash making you almost unsure that you’ve actually seen one! The male goldfinches shed their drab winter gear for their bright sunny summer suits as they flirt with the air flaunting their new look. The air is alive with the special sounds of Spring Peepers and courting birds. A lone butterfly skims across the loropetulum only to be joined by three others. And we smile with contentment at the new sights and smells of Spring after the quiet Winter. For the moment, we can lose the distraction of life long enough to remember how miraculous this time of year can be. We can enjoy the newness of the air and ground. How can you encourage this awakening of Spring to visit your yard in its full glory? Plant, plant, PLANT!

The first step is to do a little research during the long Winter. Set up several bird feeders outside of your favorite window and make a little seating area with a pair of binoculars resting nearby. Get a good bird identification guide (I prefer Field Guide to Birds Eastern Region by Donald and Lillian Stokes) to identify your soon to be visiting feathered friends. I recommend putting out a black oil sunflower seed feeder, a nyger thistle seed feeder, and a suet feeder as well as a shallow birdbath. Then, you sit. Grab a nice cup of hot coffee and relax, ready to watch your visitors. Keep a notepad nearby to write down all the different types of birds that you see so that later you can research their favorite foods. Some birds are insect eaters and some seed eaters or nectar drinkers and even others are fruit eaters (checking the beak is the key-more on that another time). Variation in your garden is the key to attracting a variety of visitors.

My garden is filled with a little dabble of everything. I have heavy nectar producers, heavy protein filled seed producers, and fruit/berry producers. The insects-well they come with the territory! Check out a native plant guide from your extension office or your local library to see which native plants will provide the most for the wild creatures. Remember to look closely at what types of light and water you have in your yard so that your new native plants (and in turn the birds and butterflies) will flourish. Remember to check your bloom times as well. Early Spring nectar producers are as important as first frost bloomers. Plants that hold their seeds indefinitely are also a necessity for birds like the goldfinch and even the large songbirds. Nothing cheers me more than a Cardinal sitting on the dried sunflowers in the dead of winter having his natural feast. I do feed my birds all year. I like to draw them to the feeders for easier observation and photographic opportunities, but they still take full advantage of the natural plantings as well. That’s handy if I forget to fill the feeders! Remember in your garden plantings to also include trees and shrubs and vine tangles for nesting spots and host plants for butterflies. The joy that the birds and butterflies bring to me is something I can’t possibly describe. Give it a try! See how fast you fall in love!!!

 Print This Post

Share This: