home sectionhome section
Placing a bird feeder in your backyard attracts a wide variety of wildlife. Not only are songbirds attracted to these free meals, but also raccoons, squirrels, rabbits and other small animals that feed on the seed dropped by the birds. However, such a concentration of small animals can attract unwanted visitors as well, such as hawks that feed on small prey. You can frighten the hawks away from the bird feeder.
It is not only the flowers, buds and fruits of certain bushes that help attract wild birds to your wild woodland gardens; some species use shrubs as a source of shelter and as a home for their nests. According to The Morton Arboretum, by selecting and planting a variety of bushes, you can provide food for the birds of your area during each of the four seasons. This increases your chances of having a large variety of birds visiting your gardens for your bird watching pleasure.
When you think about ways to attract birds, your thoughts might lean toward trees, birdhouses and bird feeders, but vines are just as important in attracting birds because they provide food, shelter and nesting spots. In general, vines that are native to your location are among the best because birds are used to using their native resources. You're also better off if you plant a variety of vines rather than limiting yourself to one species.
Your sweet and juicy strawberries ripening in the garden may attract more than just your eager attention. Birds can present a serious challenge if they discover your strawberry patch. Feeding birds learn their surroundings and they may nest near a strawberry patch, waiting for the berries to ripen. When you need to protect your fruit, keep birds from eating strawberries by using several different scare and barrier methods. The key to successful bird control lies in using a continually changing approach.
If you have a home garden or a farm, you probably have many unwelcome winged visitors. This can be a huge headache in the flowering or harvest season, as the birds are likely to attack the flowers or newly ripened fruits -- or, in some cases, even before they ripen. Follow a few different methods to ensure that your garden or farm is safe from these winged intruders.
Voles and ground squirrels are two common lawn pests that dig up the yard and ruin a garden. While both creatures eat bulbs and some types of plants, voles dig holes through the lawn and garden. Squirrels are less damaging but can still attack plant bulbs, compelling you to remove both the squirrels and voles effectively. Luckily, the same removal and repellent techniques will work on both pests.
Daffodils, though a lovely addition to spring gardens, are toxic to animals, including voles, and are not damaged by them. Voles and other animals may eat both the bulbs, foliage and flowers of other spring bulbs, however, and gardeners resort to a number of methods to keep their gardens safe. If your daffodils are decreasing, the problem may lie with insect pests.
If you've ever felt the frustration of watching birds eat the sunflowers, fruits or vegetables in your garden, you've probably thought about making a scarecrow. While they may seem like an old-fashioned idea, they are actually fairly effective in scaring off crows, blue jays and other birds that might take a bite out of your plantings. Even if you don't have a garden, a scarecrow can provide a fun, decorative element to your front lawn or porch.
Tomato plants are a common vegetable grown in home gardens that are susceptible to damage by pests and predators. When fruited, birds become one of the most common predators of the tender and juicy fruit. Birds can destroy an entire tomato crop.
To attract birds to your shrubs, trees and vines, you may need to combine your landscaping with other plants and features to make your yard generally more attractive to them. Birds tend to favor sites where they have nearby cover, and the more of the birds' needs you can meet within your space, the more likely birds are to visit and stay. If you want to attract a particular bird species to your yard, research the preferences and needs of that bird and provide as many features as possible to fulfill those requirements. For example, hummingbirds are attracted to flowering…
If you have limited space in your garden, there are vegetables you can grow that do not require as much room as others, leaving you with the ability to plant many different kinds rather than just a few. A 16-by-8-foot garden is a manageable size and will produce plenty of food for a family of four.
Creating an inviting area for native wildlife allows you to observe nature at work and provides a safe harbor for animal and birds. How you arrange your yard or garden depends primarily on the type of wildlife you wish to attract. Choices range from butterflies and tiny hummingbirds flitting from flower to flower to graceful deer grazing at the edge of your property. Each requires its own elements, but some elements that you can easily incorporate into nearly any landscape attract a wide range of wildlife.
"Mockingbird" is a term applied to 14 of 32 species of the family Mimidae. The birds are highly maneuverable due to the design of their tails and wings. The birds live across North America and don't migrate. Mockingbird songs mimic those of other birds, but may include any sounds the birds hear and remember from their environment. The birds' songs also include their own phrases. The northern mockingbird is particularly valued for its song. Male birds will sometimes sing after dark or even all night during the full moon or on brightly moonlit nights.
When you're toiling away in your garden on a warm spring day, a toad may be a startling surprise amongst your irises or English ivy. Your flower gardens provide an ideal environment for the shade-loving amphibians, and the relationship between toads and your garden is reciprocal. Before you begin investigating ways to shoo away the toads, consider the benefits that toads bring to your flower beds.
Voles are small rodents, also known as field mice, that are known to gnaw and eat away at bulbs, often damaging or killing the plants in the process. While daffodil bulbs are bitter and taste bad to voles, if they are desperate enough, they may just eat your daffodil bulbs anyway. Several prevention methods exist to effectively control and stop the voles from eating daffodil bulbs and other underground root structures.
Voles are small, mouse-like rodents that feed on plant material. Unlike moles, which feed on the insects under the flower bed, voles commonly consume flower bulbs or the roots of perennial flowers. A large community of voles can destroy a flower bed. Trapping and exclusion are the most effective methods of eliminating an infestation of voles.
Kaffir lime (Citrus hystrix) is a slow growing tree native to Southeast Asia. Its leaves are popular in Thai cooking. In the United States, kaffir lime trees are often quarantined and trade is restricted.
The southern shield fern is one of more than 10,000 known species of ferns. Ferns have natural defenses against many insect pests but are susceptible to snails and slugs, which can do significant damage to the plants if left unchecked.
Deer can be a major pest, even in residential areas. They find a wide variety of garden plants and fruit trees to be appealing targets for browsing and are not deterred by electric fences. A fence made of fishing line can keep them from feasting on your plants. Deer are colorblind, and running into an unexpected and unseen object makes them wary. If they encounter fishing line around your yard or garden, they will avoid entering.
Although they are beautiful animals, deer can be a real nuisance, ruining gardens, rose bushes and even trees. Naturally, deer like to graze upon a free garden buffet, but they will also rub against trees, which can cause long-term damage. All you really want to do is to scare off the deer to protect your garden or trees, and one effective method is to use fishing line.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, birdwatching is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the U.S., second only to gardening. Feeding birds benefits them as a whole, providing a food source during winter months. Birds that are fed by humans can be at higher risk of disease, but this can be avoided if care is taken during feeding.
Birds are a gardener's allies, taking great bites out of the worm population and reducing insect crop damage. Although a few bird species become pests themselves by stripping your garden crops, most birds only take an occasional bite of your cultivated fruits or vegetables. Unless and until the damage reaches intolerable levels, the University of Arizona experts recommend that you view the visits as enjoyable wildlife-watching opportunities.
Perennial gardens contain plants and flowers that live longer than a year. Plant perennials once and leave them to flower and grow year after year. Many perennials will attract birds and butterflies both during the on and off seasons.
Roses, widely considered beautiful and appreciated for their fragrance, have been used to symbolize a range of emotions, including love, friendship and mourning. From among many varieties of roses—miniature, old garden, climbing and shrub—stylish bouquets may be created. While many rose gardeners use conventional, chemical-based insecticides to protect their roses from natural enemies, others prefer insecticides made from natural ingredients—to ensure not only safer growing conditions for the flower, but for people, wildlife and the general environment.
Busch Gardens has grown from a small bird sanctuary that entertained brewery tourists in the 1960's to a multi-park amusement entity that entertains over 25 million visitors annually to its parks. Started by the Anheuser-Busch brewery, the amusement company has thrived against competition from Disney World and expanded to include the SeaWorld parks.
The kaffir lime tree is a dark green, fragrant citrus tree native to Southeast Asia. Cooks who specialize in Thai cuisine value the kaffir lime’s unusual double leaves as a seasoning rather than the plant’s small, lumpy fruit. Although the kaffir lime is generally favored as a hearty backyard shrub or potted patio plant, it is vulnerable to some of the same bacteria, fungi and insects that cause problems for other citrus trees.
Best known for their ability to "mock" or imitate the sounds of other birds and wildlife, Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) (many-tongued mimic) are often called the "American Nightingale". Their lovely song is a delightful sound that echos through marshes, forests and open woodlands. There are 17 different species of mockingbirds, however most are tropical and only found in warm, humid climates. In the United States, the Northern Mockingbird is frequently found along the eastern seaboard, although they are sighted in almost every state.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, more and more of birds' natural habitat is being converted to private land, making it all the more important to provide a habitat that birds can visit. When you create a bird garden, you create not only a place for birds, you also create an opportunity to introduce your children to birds and nature.
Fat balls are also known as suet balls. They are bird treats made of pure fat, with a few extra ingredients mixed in. Fat provides a great source of food and energy for birds, and is especially important for birds in cold climates during the winter months, when other food is scarce. When you mix other ingredients in with the fat, such as peanut butter, oatmeal and raisins, you are providing a nutritious meal packed with protein, carbs and fat for your feathered friends.
Birds seem to find their way into vegetable gardens throughout the growing season. They come seeking a variety of resources, some beneficial to the garden and some not so good. Understand the role of birds in the garden to better cope with their presence.
Birds are beautiful creatures that are fun to watch and feed. Unfortunately, some birds are also very fond of the fruits and vegetables that we plant in our gardens. While a bird grabbing a berry or pecking a tomato here or there usually isn't detrimental, birds can sometimes get a little too used to the offerings from our gardens. There are many known methods for keeping birds out of gardens. However, birds are creatures of habit and easily become accustomed to our methods. One method alone won't work, but a combination of several that changes throughout the season should keep…
Birds can be beautiful, but not when they are feasting on the bounty of your garden. Keep more of the yield from your work, without harming the avian community by applying one or more of these humane methods. They have the additional benefits of being relatively inexpensive and very friendly to the environment.
Bird netting is a lightweight net that sits over your garden to protect the plants from birds. Installing nets is an easy way to protect your berries and other edible plants. Bird netting is fairly inexpensive and easy to install, and with proper care, your nets will last for years. Commercial growers often use large posts to net entire fields of crops, but home gardeners can simply drape the netting over plants.
For centuries, scarecrows have been used successfully to frighten crows and other birds away from crops and gardens. Scarecrows work because they are made in the image of one of bird's biggest enemies: the human being. When a bird suddenly sees a "person" standing in a field or garden, it will head in the opposite direction.
Attracting birds to a garden simply requires providing food in the form of berry bushes, and nesting opportunities with bird boxes, trees or shrubs. Encourage birds to thrive in a garden, making sure to garden organically to promote invertebrates and soil organisms, with tips from a professional horticulturist in this free video on gardening for wildlife.
Lady Bird Johnson (1912-2007 juggled many tasks in her life. She was a businesswoman, philanthropist and journalist. She is best remembered for her efforts to make America a more beautiful nation. She campaigned for legislation to restrict the billboards, junkyards and trash cluttering the nation's highways. Her husband, President Lyndon Baines Johnson, once gave her 50 pens to sign 50 different conservation bills. Lady Bird is responsible for millions of flowers beautifying inner cities and rural towns. These easy tips bring Lady Bird's lively spirit to your garden.
Birds can add movement and interest to any garden space. Learn how to pick and add garden bird houses in this free garden decoration video.
Birdhouses in the garden are not only decorative, but if you pick wisely they can be functional too. They will add charm and style to your yard and provide protection from those nasty bugs that love to devour your veggies.
When your garden is flourishing and it’s time to harvest, you aren't the only one excited about eating the fruits and vegetables. Chances are that the birds have also enjoyed your hard work. If you don’t want to put up a scarecrow, there is a new and inexpensive way to scare off these feathered freeloaders, using fishing line.
