Greetings from Birds & Blooms magazine! We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, which includes one really hungry hummingbird, some money-saving garden tips, a truly dandy spring salad and more. Read on and you'll discover...

> Handout for a Hummer
> Garden Grows Wildflowers and More
> "Kid Binoculars" Help Budding Birders
> Green Thumb Saves Green
> Location Is Everything
> Can't Beat 'Em? Eat 'Em!
> What Was That Bird?

Handout for a Hummer

SPRING was cold and wet in Ontario, putting Dorothy C. of Milton 2 or 3 weeks behind schedule on her gardening. "Feeling restless one day, I decided to try to plant my impatiens and petunias," she says. "I had just finished with one planter when I spotted something flying toward me. I stood absolutely still and watched in amazement as a hummingbird came right to the planter, went around to all the plants, then came to feed from a pot of impatiens I was still holding in my hand!

"It was early May, and we didn't realize that the hummingbirds had already come this far north. They were obviously very hungry since the flowers were not yet blooming, so my husband, Dave, quickly got out the hummingbird feeder."

Naturally, Dorothy was delighted...but clearly that hungry hummer was just as happy to see her!

Garden Grows Wildflowers and More

A WILDFLOWER garden in her yard includes trilliums, jack-in-the-pulpit, wild columbine and more, says Coral B. of Portage, Michigan.

"One May, a patch of trilliums began to disappear. At first, I thought they were being eaten by a woodchuck I'd spotted. But then I noticed dainty hoof prints--it had to be a small doe. A few more trilliums came up...but as soon as a blossom opened, it disappeared. Only telltale hoof marks nearby remained.

"Hoping to save the remaining blooms, I put a small piece of fence around the cluster of plants and placed twigs across the top. A few days later, I discovered deer tracks and saw the twigs had been pushed aside. The doe had eaten all but three or four of the trilliums."

One day a neighbor phoned Coral to say he'd spotted the doe in her garden and wanted to get a picture. With camera in hand, he got to within 10 feet of the whitetail before she spooked.

"The neighbor motioned me to come over, and there, among our lilies of the valley, we found a fawn curled up. We were both overwhelmed by its gentle beauty--finding it there was like a wonderful gift. The neighbor quietly took a few pictures, then we left the fawn to its mother. Early the next morning, they were gone."

Although the doe had eaten most of her trilliums, Coral didn't mind--seeing the fawn was a special sign of spring.
 

"Kid Binoculars" Help Budding Birders

FINDING something while looking through a pair of binoculars is definitely a learned skill. It's even more difficult for children, who may get discouraged easily if they're unable to find a bird or other object. According to Gary D. of Nampa, Idaho, "kiddy binoculars" are easy and fun to make and can help kids learn how to use real binoculars. "My grandson Dillon loves them," he adds.

All you need to make a pair is two toilet paper rolls, some string and duct tape or Con-Tact paper. Just wrap each roll with the tape or Con-Tact paper and tape them together. Punch a hole in the same end of each roll, cut a piece of string long enough to go over the child's head, then thread the ends through the hole in each roll and tie a big knot inside. That's all there is to it.

"With these make-believe binoculars, kids can successfully learn how to spot an object through a narrower field of vision," Gary explains. "After they get the hang of it, they'll be ready to graduate to real binoculars." Kids are never too young to learn, he adds. Make these binoculars for them and give them a chance to acquire a skill while they play!

Green Thumb Saves Green

WHEN Lauren P. of Bayport, New York says she has a "green thumb", she's not only talking about how she gets her beautiful garden to bloom. She's also referring to her knack for saving money at the same time. Here are some of Lauren's penny-pinching tips to help put a little more green in your garden and pocketbook:

Location Is Everything

TWO SUMMERS AGO, a young nephew made a birdhouse for Debra S. of North Collins, New York. "I was especially proud of it, and so was he," Debra recalls. "We found the perfect place to hang it--a small clearing that's visible from our home.

"We really didn't expect any birds to nest in the birdhouse, because it was painted blue and the opening was rather large. But one morning, my husband spotted an unusual yellow-breasted bird flying in and out of the clearing. We looked in our bird book and learned it was a great crested flycatcher. We were thrilled at this discovery, and even more so when we saw a female also flying around the clearing. We soon realized that they'd built a nest in the birdhouse!

"Trying not to disturb the pair, we monitored them regularly through binoculars and took photos from a distance. Before we knew it, there were two babies in the nest. My nephew was proud as a peacock and very excited to watch them and listen to the babies chirp."
 

Can't Beat 'Em? Eat 'Em!

THERE'S no surer sign of spring than a yard full of bright yellow dandelions. And there's no dandier place to appreciate this worthy weed than in your kitchen. "I think of dandelions as nature's 'good-deed weeds' because they're remarkably nutritious," reports Frances G. of Weston, Connecticut, who shares her recipe for Dandelion Salad below.

"This refreshing dish can be served for brunch, lunch or even breakfast," Frances adds. "Dandelions give you more vitamin C than tomatoes, more vitamin A than carrots and just as much iron as spinach."

Dandelion leaves are most tender and flavorful in early spring, before the first flower buds appear. The blossoms also have their sweetest flavor when picked early in the season. Young buds can be boiled and buttered, pickled or even sauteed. If your yard is dandelion-free, consider cultivating horticultural varieties that are even more tender, leafy and mildly flavored. Here are some other dandy hints:

NEARLY 650 species of North American birds are depicted in detailed full-color illustrations in North American Wildlife: Birds. This book from the folks at Reader's Digest includes lots of authoritative, easy-to-scan information on "telltale" identification features, behavior patterns, habitat, range and more. Double-indexed (common and scientific names) for easy lookup. Soft cover, 216 pages. Measures 5-1/4" x 7-1/4".

To order North American Wildlife: Birds from Country Store On-line, click here.

This email was sent to: $$email$$

If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can sign up for yourself. Click here.

TO CANCEL your newsletter at any time, click here.

TO UPDATE your e-mail address and other information, click here.

HAVING PROBLEMS linking to our Web site? If clicking a link in this newsletter doesn't work, you can simply highlight and copy the link, then paste it into your browser's target address field.

Birds & Blooms magazine brings beautiful backyards from across America into your living room--through vivid, full-color photos. It's like a friendly "chat" over the back fence with your bird-and flower-loving neighbors. 

To subscribe on-line, visit http://www.birdsandblooms.com/rd.asp?id=317

**********

Copyright 2004 Reiman Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Birds & Blooms, 5400 S. 60th Street, P.O. Box 991, Greendale WI 53129-0991
1-800/344-6913