How to Make a Bird-Friendly Wreath for Spring

Use fresh birdseed that is free of molds.

Birds emerging from a winter-long migration need food for sustinance. Hang a seed wreath that is almost fully edible except for the ribbon from a tree in your yard. Attract the hungry birds of spring to your garden for an abundance of feathered friends. Use a spring-themed tube pan, such as one shaped like an oval for an egg-inspired wreath for Easter. Include birdseed on the wreath that attracts a variety of birds that are native to your area.

Things You'll Need

• Fluted tube pan
• Plastic wrap
• 1/2 oz. clear gelatin
• 2 cups water
• Sauce pan
• 2 to 4 cups birdseed
• Spray cooking oil
• Large flat spoon
• 4-inch-wide pastel fabric ribbon

Instructions

1. Cover the inside bottom, sides and around the tube of a fluted tube pan with plastic wrap. Hang the plastic wrap around the sides and over the inner tube by 3 inches.

2. Mix 1/2 ounces of clear gelatin with 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer on medium heat. Stir the mixture until the gelatin is dissolved.

3. Remove the gelatin from the heat. Allow it to cool for five minutes to prevent the liquid from melting the plastic wrap. Pour the mixture in the lined pan.

4. Add 2 to 4 cups of birdseed around the mold; depending on the size of your pan you may need to use all of the seed. Stir the birdseed slowly into the gelatin as you add the seeds, so the gelatin coats as many seeds as possible. Fill the mold until the seed is within 1 inch of the top.

5. Lift and tap the filled pan on the counter to remove any air pockets. Spray the backside of a large flat spoon with cooking oil. Press the coated spoon over the top of the birdseed in the mold to smooth the surface.

6. Chill the birdseed-filled pan in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the wreath by lifting the outer and inner sides of the overhanging plastic wrap. Flip the wreath over and remove the plastic wrap.

7. Cut a 24-inch length of pastel fabric ribbon that is 4 inches wide. Loop the ribbon through the wreath and tie the ends of the ribbon in a knotted bow around the object fro which you are hanging the wreath.