##\keycode.boilerplatetext## To see an on-line version of this newsletter, copy this link and paste it into your web browser: http://www.reimanpub.com/shared/pages/onlineemail.aspx?codelocal=Newsletters/BNB/2009/02/newsletter-online.html&firstname=##firstname##&emailaddress=##emailaddress##&refurl=##keycode## If you would like to change or edit your email preferences, please visit your Personal Preferences page. https://www.reimanpub.com/registration2/Login.asp?Newsletter=BNB&pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BIRDS & BLOOMS Newsletter - February 2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear ##firstname##, We’re in the midst of planning our big Hummingbird Special Issue for June/July, and we need your advice. Take our quick Hummingbird Survey to help us decide what we will feature! http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228SU8753QJ&pmcode=##keycode## Read on to discover... >> Bird of the Month >> Garden of the Month >> Best of Glad You Asked >> Project of the Month >> FREE Wallpaper ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bird of the Month: House Wren ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With warmer days ahead, house wrens will soon extend their ranges north throughout most of the country. Want to attract one of these friendly fliers to your yard? You can if you know the right kind of birdhouse to build! Learn the right birdhouse dimensions for the house wren and listen to its song by visiting our 50 Most Wanted Birds section. http://www.birdsandblooms.com/House-Wren/detail.aspx?pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Garden of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Betsy Moll Lancaster raises dozens of monarchs in her backyard garden every year. You can learn a few of her secrets, too. Start bringing more of these orange and black gems into your yard! http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Gardening-for-butterflies/detail.aspx?pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Best of Glad You Asked ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Color Change We’re trying to figure out why my neighbor’s peonies changed color. After she moved her red-blooming peonies to a new location, the next season, some had red flowers, while others were pink. My pink peonies are about 100 feet away. Did they cross-pollinate? -—Vic Hagenah, Ramsey, Minnesota  Melinda: Cross-pollination only affects the characteristics on the offspring of plants. Since your neighbor’s “parent” plants are exhibiting change, we need to look at other possibilities like mutations, viruses or environmental factors. Make sure the plants’ new location is sunny and has well-draining soil. This should keep the peonies healthy and flowering. Then wait to see what blossoms the next spring. Temporary stresses may have caused the color change. Escape Plan Ever since we spotted a hawk in the neighborhood, the bird activity around our feeders has declined. How can I protect songbirds from this hawk so they’ll return to our backyard? -—Frank Cox, Midwest City, Oklahoma  George: There are two hawks that are common in backyards across America—the larger Cooper’s hawk and the sharp-shinned hawk. They look almost identical, except for a slight difference in size, and the Cooper’s has a slightly rounded tail. Both prey on feeder birds. Since state and federal laws protect all hawks, there is no legal way to get rid of them. However, one solution is to provide sufficient natural cover near your feeders. You can create quick cover without waiting for plants to grow by using a discarded Christmas tree or a small brush pile. This will give the songbirds a place to escape danger, and your birds should return to eat at your feeders even if a hawk is present. Subscribers can access our Glad You Asked database with hundreds of questions and answers from George and Melinda. http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Experts/Backyard-Bird-Watcher.aspx?pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sweet Travel Savings and Luggage for You! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##firstname[Friend]##, reserve any of World Wide Country Tours’ fun-filled 2009 vacations by February 28, 2009, and you’ll save $50--and get a FREE carry-on bag! See the details: http://www.countrytours.com/Indexes/index_SpecialOffers.asp?pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Project of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Build the bluebirds in your area a place to call their own with our simple plants for a bluebird house. Click here to get the plans. Start building... http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Bluebird-House/detail.aspx?pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FREE Wallpaper ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Download amazing wallpaper for your computer, like this amazing photo of bleeding hearts by Shelley Atkinson. Take a look at our collection. http://www.birdsandblooms.com/wallpaper-photos.aspx?pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Featured Item from Country Store ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Super Gro Tomato Boosters http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-CS-Site/default/Search-Show?q=31803&refurl=I4022&refurl=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Where's Webster? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Win a garden kit from Agromin! Search for Webster in the “Birds” section this month. Start looking >> http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Where-s-Webster--/detail.aspx?pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##\keycode.sidebartext## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BIRDS: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/birds.aspx?pmcode=##keycode## BLOOMS: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/blooms.aspx?pmcode=##keycode## BUTTERFLIES: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/butterflies.aspx?pmcode=##keycode## PHOTOS: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/photos.aspx?pmcode=##keycode## CONTESTS: http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Contests.aspx?pmcode=##keycode## COMMUNITY: http://bbs.reimanpub.com/bulletinboard.asp?view=head&headnum=3&pmcode=##keycode## SHOP: http://www.countrystorecatalog.com?pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This email was sent to: ##emailaddress## HAVE A FRIEND who enjoys bird-watching, bird feeding or backyard gardening? Feel free to forward this newsletter! If this newsletter was forwarded to you, please use this link to sign up for yourself. https://www.reimanpub.com/registration2/NewsletterSignup.asp?OptID=1&pmcode=##keycode## If you do not want to receive further editions of this newsletter, please use this link to unsubscribe. https://www.reimanpub.com/registration2/NewsletterUnsubscribe.asp?email=##emailaddress##&pmcode=##keycode##&OptID=1 If you would like to change or edit your email preferences, please visit your Personal Preferences page. https://www.reimanpub.com/registration2/Login.asp?Newsletter=BNB&pmcode=##keycode## To learn more about Reiman Media Group's use of personal information, please read our Privacy Policy. http://www.reimanpub.com/PrivacyPolicy.asp?pmcode=##keycode## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright 2009 Reiman Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. 5400 S. 60th St., P.O. Box 991, Greendale WI 53129-0991 1-800/344-6913