Leafcutter bee on native sunflower. Photo courtesy of Lisa Mason
By Linda McDonnell, CSU Extension – Denver Master Gardener since 2013
If the recent headlines about the serious decline in the bird and insect populations make you want to crawl under a blanket and hide, consider attending ecologist Doug Tallamy’s free virtual talk on December 1st at 5pm MT. Sponsored by the Coalition for Endangered Species, the webinar will explore Dr. Tallamy’s research on the decreasing insect and bird populations and most importantly, what each of us can do to work towards a solution. Register in advance here.
A highly respected advocate for restoring native habitats, Dr. Tallamy is the author of the New York Times best seller Nature’s Best Hope, a professor at the University of Delaware, a sought-after speaker, and the co-founder of Homegrown National Park.
Hope you’ll attend. Blankets optional.
This webinar is approved for Denver County Master Gardener educational credit.
Posted onMarch 28, 2022|Comments Off on Gardening…It’s for the Birds!
By Lori Williams, CSU Extension – Denver Master Gardener since 2016
Robins are frequently spotted in Denver. Photo: Pixabay.com
“By creating a garden for birds 365 days a year, I accidentally created a 365 day garden”, said The New York Times writer and longtime gardener Margaret Roach. That got my attention! A 365-day garden and more bird activity? Yes, please.
Whether floating through neighborhood yards or migrating cross country, birds seek refuge, water, and nourishment throughout the year. With nature in mind, we can design spaces where birds can thrive safely, relax, raise their young, and become our visitors and backyard companions.
In Denver, Black-capped Chickadees, Chipping and Vesper Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, and House Finches are common, especially in yards with feeders. Other visitors include Robins, Crows, and Northern Flickers which really like scratching for worms and the larvae of bugs and wasps, and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds which love to buzz trumpet-shaped flowers and sugar-water feeders.
Creating a food zone within a garden is key to attracting birds. The yard is the most natural and beneficial bird feeder available to them (and other pollinators) and its all uniquely disguised as flowering and fruiting gorgeousness, shade, sun, and seasonal changes that gardeners also get to enjoy all year long, too!
Bugs are very high on the scale of ‘things’ birds like to eat. When you’ve got delicious bugs, the birds will be there to enjoy them! Beneficial insects are important on many levels, explains CSU Emeritus Professor of Entomology, Whitney Cranshaw.
Please take the time to identify bugs you are inclined to squish, spray, or eliminate. Finding out if the bug we’re giving the hairy eyeball necessitates drastic action or is merely weird looking but harmless is important. Birds return to spaces that contain their preferred delicacies. Insects of choice include grubs, crickets, beetles, aphids, grasshoppers, moths, flies, ants, and worms.
Exceptional resource for every gardener. Photo: Lori Williams
Plants that hold their fruit, seeds and berries through winter provide birds a vital food source during winter months and reward us with winter interest as well.
Water is the easiest and most essential factor for backyard birds. Most birds do not benefit from snow crystals as a water source during winter. The energy required to keep their body temp stable can’t compete with the temperature of the ingested snow.
As birds look for water daily, de-icers in birdbaths and water trays are tremendously helpful during snow days and/or consecutive days of below freezing temps.
Rocks or bricks next to water sources provide perching and a little solar warmth for them and make those watering venues more attractive.
Like bird feeders, water trays and birdbaths need regular cleaning to keep birds healthy – wear gloves during this chore for your health, too.
No de-icer but it’s close to the back door for filling daily. Photo: Lori Williams
Shelter
Seriously Zen advice about bird habitat is to just let things ‘go’ a bit. A decaying tree trunk or small brush pile for cavity nesters, withered and wilted perennials equal nesting material, and a dense thicket or hedge accommodates escape-cover and summer shade.
Edges of gardens where different ‘scapes’ meet (short perennials against a sturdy shrub next to a grapevine or deciduous tree) are very beneficial to insect populations and therefore to birds.
Edge gardens invite bugs, bees, and birds in urban Denver and at Windsor Castle. Photos: Lori Williams
Birds appreciate protection from the wind and weather: grapevines on the trellis all winter, a thorny barberry in the corner, and a robust conifer abound with sheltered respite. Also a good spot for tracking whose turn it is in the birdbath!
Organic, IPM, PHC Gardening
Each year, herbicide use, climate change, and habitat loss are impacting the bird population. Organic gardening lends itself to healthy bird activity as less chemicals simply equal more living things. The more organically you garden, the more delicious bugs you will have to entice birds. Following Integrated Pest Management and Plant Health Care practices help gardeners to plan wisely, thoughtfully maintain landscapes, and address concerns with the best intent for flora and fauna.
Every tree and plant we place, every plant we let go to seed or don’t whisk away during fall cleanup, and every Buggy McBugbug we don’t spray makes a difference to our feathered friends regarding seasonal habitat and year-round food sources.
When bugs and advantageous plants are plentiful, birds are too! Seeing their acrobatics and hearing their songs are highlights of the landscape throughout Colorado’s seasons. 365 days, please!
Denver Gardeners 