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Birds
Birds are beautiful, fascinating creatures. They have been a medium for art, song  and literature for centuries. Even non bird watchers are captivated by the beauty and grace of a hawk or an eagle. Who hasn’t looked out of the window and watched a Red Robin catch worms or felt a sense of calm when listening to the calls and songs of local birds.
People across the country are becoming more aware of nature and the impact of everyday life on our Bird population. An ever increasing number of people are finding ways to attract local and migratory Birds to their communities and even to their own backyards. The National Wildlife Federation, many National and local foundations, companies and Universities provide detailed information on how this can be done.
Attracting Birds to your Backyard.
The easiest way is to provide them with a little food. Start with a Bird feeder or Bird bath. A Bird bath should just provide a little water in a shallow rough textured container.
If you plan to feed the Birds in your area you should do a little research to find out what species are in your area and what they like to eat. Then decide how often you want to feed them. Some people feed their Birds year round and find someone to maintain their Bird feeder when they are away on vacation. Other people only supply food during the seasons when their natural supply is not adequate.
If you really want to attract Birds to your Backyard you can plant flowers,
shrubs, trees and bushes that provide them with food and nesting supplies. Again you would need to determine which species of Birds you want in your yard and which ones you do not want and plant accordingly.
For example;
Hummingbirds like Standing Cypress, Nasturtiums and Bottlebrush.
Chickadees and other Songbirds like Mulberries and Honeysuckle.
Red Cardinals like White Ash, American Elm and Blackberries.
Blue Birds like insects best but eat fruits and berries in the winter.
Butterflies and Bees in your Backyard.
Butterflies are so delicate and beautifully colored they attract every ones attention.
To bring them to your yard you need to provide plants that serve the needs of all their life stages. Therefore they will need a place to lay eggs, food for the larva or caterpillar and a place to form a chrysalis or cocoon and nectar for the adult Butterfly.
Some plants Butterflies are particularly fond of include;
Bougainvillea, Wild Peach, Daylily and Coral Honeysuckle.
Bees are very important for the pollination of many plants and flowers. It has been estimated that around 30 percent of the food produced in North America is pollinated by Bees.
Typically we think of Honeybees as the most common pollinator but Bumblebees are chiefly responsible for pollinating red clover, alfalfa, field beans, peas, runner beans, tomatoes and in some areas cotton, raspberries, sunflowers, strawberries and currants.
Bird Ornaments.
Glass Blowers in Germany have used Birds as a medium for their Ornament molds for Centuries. Birds represented the coming of the much warmer months of spring and summer and their beauty and melodies gave them the ideas and encouragement they needed to create the beautiful Ornaments and Gifts they produced.
Bird Ornament Collectors love the vibrant colors of the Magnificent Peacock Ornaments. There are even Miniature Bird Assortments with 6 beautiful small glass Birds or an assortment of 3 Winter Birds.
Read about our other Christmas Decorations Ideas.
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