For the love of birds in your backyard habitat

Ah, fall. A glorious patchwork of vibrant colors splashed like a sunset across landscapes. I'm a fall junkie. Love the changing leaves, hearty soups, fall bounty and harvest celebrations. Plus, it's a great time to plant before old man winter visits.

When planning your landscape, consider plants that provide habitats for birds and other wildlife that are integral players in the delicate ecosystem. 

The National Audubon Society suggests planting native plants that provide nuts, seeds, fruit and nectar.  Browse the site for shrubs, grasses, vines and trees that provide shelter and food sources for specific birds along with great tips and resources you and your family can enjoy together.

Chickadees, cardinals and finches love seeds found in coneflowers, asters, grasses, fir and maple. 

Yellow-rumped warblers and bluebirds will flock to fruit-bearing shrubs like elderberry, blueberry and pokeberry and hummingbirds hover for nectar around columbine, lobelia, Bee Balm and the new Bloomtastic! butterfly bushes Lavender Veil and Purple Splendor. 

Majestic trees like walnut, hickory, chestnut and oak provide shelter and nuts for nuthatches and more.

Prepare your garden now and you can have spectacular year round color and beauty and a perfect habitat for wildlife.

                                                 

Let us know your favorite birds and what you've planted to attract them to your backyard habitat

Lynne
Garden Media Group

photos: landscapes: American Beauties Native Plants; Bloomtastic! Buddleia Lavender Veil; Nuthatch: WikiCommons

Summer drought may signal fall color in northeast

The summer drought has been devastating for many gardeners.

In the northeast, the summer was blisteringly hot; the milder temperatures a welcome relief. According to an article in Science Daily, along with crisp fall air, those of us living in the northeast may be in for a blast of spectacular fall color.


The dry conditions we've encountered this summer along with a recent number of cool nights could spell a colorful fall. The article explains how fall leaf color is affected by the amount of rainfall an area gets, the number of sunny days, and cooler night temperatures. Reminds me a bit of Mickey Mouse, as the Sorcerer's Apprentice, stirring up a magic potion in a cauldron. Chemistry of sorts.

This morning, after a night of rain, I was greeted by a mix of bright yellow and orangey tone leaves splattered haphazardly on my windshield. Too early? I mused. Apparently, not.

Although it's still summer, school buses are chugging down the roads, and for many, school's already in session. Football practice is in full swing and mums are packed tightly in neat rows in front of supermarkets.

But for me, the right of passage from summer to fall is always the changing of the leaves. With the splash of color greeting me today as I walked to my car, I guess it's time to say good-bye to summer, hello to fall.

So, for the weeks we endured of temperatures that hovered near 100 degrees without rain, and plants that were lost to the drought, the promise of dazzling fall color is Mother Nature strutting her stuff, and perhaps making amends.

Send us your favorite fall color images and we'll post the best!

~Lynne
Garden Media Group
photo credit: Wikipedia Commons