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Grow a Garden for Birds |
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Bohemian waxwings on crabapple branches. |
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Plant
Some Trees |
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Evergreens
provide birds with shelter and add winter interest to the garden.
Pines, no matter the variety, are popular with nearly all birds.
Their soft needles provide protection from the wind and their
cones supply much-needed food for species such as crossbills,
chickadees, goldfinches and towhees. Pines are favorable nesting
sites for grackles, blue jays and tanagers.
Cedars, junipers, spruces and hemlocks also provide shelter
and produce seeds that are useful food sources. Hang a few birdhouses
for nesting birds.
Berry-producing trees are always popular with birds. The European
mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) and Russian olive (Elaeagnus
angustifolia) are good food sources. These and other deciduous
trees also provide materials for nesting. The paper birch (Betula
papyrifera) is ideal in a bird-friendly garden; the thin
catkins are both ornamental and a source of bird food. The fruit
of the red jade crabapple (Malus 'Red Jade') can be a
good food source for birds, usually after repeated freezing
and thawing has softened it. Many cultivars of this tree also
provide tasty bird treats. |
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Other Articles from this Issue |
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