Birdfeeding: Friends of a Feather Flock Together

Hooray for flowers!

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So far I have snowdrops, winter aconite, crocuses, miniature irises, and the first of the daffodils blooming. :D

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Congrats on the birds and on the flowers starting! My mom's bulbs have just started sending up leaves... we've had such regular snowstorms they seem a bit delayed this year - often she has the first daffodils by my birthday (the 11th), but not this year! But on the bright side, basically all the bulbs she planted are sprouting. :)

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It's good to hear that the bulbs are sprouting. I had to rake the leaves off mine in February.

... I can remember when it started snowing in November, and we didn't see the ground again until March, aside from patches if there was a brief thaw in January.

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I was going to plant Phlox this year and sunflowers. I was going to wait until April because that's what Farmer's almanac suggests for those.

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Those sound like excellent choices.

Phlox is a great flower for sun to shade.

Sunflower is one where you really need to think about why you want to grow it. Seeds? Some varieties have big seeds and others much smaller. Color or cut flowers? Many vivid modern varieties are available and most of them produce little or no pollen. Privacy screen? Many tall varieties are available, but watch out for dwarf ones. Roots or xeriscaping? Sunchokes come in tall or dwarf varieties, produce edible tubers, and give zero fucks about drought. If you want them to set seeds for birds, then you need to plant a variety of genetic types, so choose multiple cultivars or try to find a landrace. Attract insects and birds? Look for heirloom, open-pollinated, or landrace varieties that produce plenty of pollen and thus set seeds well.

Last year I planted several packets of assorted sunflowers, and got a measly two plants, albeit gorgeous Autumn Beauty ones. This year I'm trying some different ones, including a pug-ugly Zuni landrace with huge heads. I'm curious whether the landrace will sprout better.

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Weather patterns have definitely noticeably changed. March has always statistically been our snowiest month, but typically February would be fairly dry. Not for the last couple years! (Moisture is good, but it's still coming at weird times.)

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Here it's gone from Zone 5b to 6a just in my lifetime, and I noticed the shift years before even the Arbor Day Foundation changed their maps, let alone the government.

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Oo much to think about. I got a packet of sunflower seeds for free when I purchased something else, so I'll have to look at the label. Last year I didn't plant any flowers and I was sad about that - I want to attract insects and birds.

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>> Oo much to think about. I got a packet of sunflower seeds for free when I purchased something else, so I'll have to look at the label.<<

Then you have nothing to lose by planting them. Think about what you want and consider picking up another cultivar or two if the type you got isn't exactly what you want. Like I said, many modern cultivars are bred for color and cut flowers, with little to offer wildlife. But there are others.

>> Last year I didn't plant any flowers and I was sad about that <<

Bummer.

>> I want to attract insects and birds.<<

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/books/article/top-10-plants-to-attract-songbirds

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/home-lifestyle/gardening/g40631616/flowers-that-attract-hummingbirds/

https://www.groworganic.com/blogs/articles/the-best-flowers-and-plants-to-attract-beneficial-insects-to-your-garden

https://www.ruralsprout.com/bee-butterfly-plants/

For maximum variety with minimum fuss, you can buy mixed packets for specific conditions (e.g. sun, shade, clay soil, sandy soil), target audience (e.g. butterflies, songbirds), or locale (wildflowers by region). Native plants are the most attractive to wildlife and least maintenance once established.

https://www.americanmeadows.com/wildflower-seeds/wildflower-mix

https://www.wildseedfarms.com/collections/regional-wildflower-mixes/

https://www.naturesseed.com/wildflower-seed/

Interestingly, some of my most popular plants aren't wildflowers, although those are favorites too. I always see tons of insects when my garlic chives and sedum bloom, and the marigolds kept blooming well into fall thus attracted late-flying butterflies. In spring the bees start on crocus -- I saw bumblebees the other day.

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It's distressing how much has changed and how quickly.

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Yes, and people aren't even slowing down the rate of damage. >_<

While I can't do anything about that, I can make my yard an oasis for wildlife, which might just help some species survive. It's better than nothing.

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Good idea about the mixed packets. I almost bought some of those last year for the backyard but I didn't want the chickens to get into them. The chickens are in a coop this year instead of taking over the whole yard, so I'll buy more flowers. My lavender bush and rose bush in the front yard had a lot of bees buzzing around it last year, so I'm excited for those to make a comeback.

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>> Good idea about the mixed packets. I almost bought some of those last year for the backyard but I didn't want the chickens to get into them. The chickens are in a coop this year instead of taking over the whole yard, so I'll buy more flowers. <<

Sensible.

Most yard trimmings can be tossed in as chicken forage, if you're out weeding or whatever. Also if you hand-pick pest insects, the chickens will happily dispose of them for you.

>> My lavender bush and rose bush in the front yard had a lot of bees buzzing around it last year, so I'm excited for those to make a comeback.<<

Many herbs and most plants in the rose family are highly attractive to insects. The mint family is a favorite with bees, but you might want to keep that in a pot so it doesn't spread.

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Making the difference that you can - even if it's small - is at least doing something! It might make the difference for some species' survival.

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I also belong to Grand Prairie Friends, which now owns over a thousand acres of wildlife refuge. The biggest contiguous patch is not far from here, mostly forest near a lake and river, which I think is a big contributor to the return of bald eagles in this area. I've seen several this spring! They have a bat support program too. Here I see lots of bats in summer.

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That is excellent!

I'm glad that there are a few areas around here that have put up bat houses and things. I'm always glad when we get to see bats on summer evenings.

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They have this really cool fake tree bark for bat houses. It has a backing of hardware cloth for the bats to grip on the inside, and a layer of recycled plastic that looks like bark. You can wrap it around a pole and it mimics the loose bark of a dying tree. Apparently these are quite popular with bats.

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Ooh, that sounds really cool! I haven't seen that style, but I imagine it's just perfect for them!

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Here is one example of the fake bark:
https://copperheadconsulting.com/brandenbark

Some bat houses also have natural bark finish:
https://www.amazon.com/Outer-Trails-Bark-House-Chamber/dp/B08LDXC982?th=1

https://www.bestnest.com/bestnest/bat-houses.asp

Around here, bats are probably roosting under actual loose tree bark or inside hollow trees.

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