Dear ##firstname[Friend]##,

Do you want to chat and share with people who live in your area? We recently added new regional groups to our online community. There, you can chat with other birders and gardeners about backyard birds, gardens or things to do and places to visit. Find your region and get started!

Kirsten Sweet
Birds & Blooms

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• Find us on Facebook
• Bird of the Month
• Best of Glad You Asked
• Project of the Month
• FREE Wallpaper
• Talk to Us!

Are you on Facebook? Become our fan today! You’ll get interesting bird and garden stories and giveaway and contest information.

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Bird of the Month: Yellow Warbler

The yellow warbler has one of the sweetest songs of all birds in North America

Learn how to attract yellow warblers to your yard, and listen to their song.

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Best of Glad You Asked

Shade Suggestions
Can you recommend shrubs and flowers that will grow under the shade of our large oak trees? I don’t want to plant anything that will interfere with the trees’ root system.
–Nina Gilman, Forestville, California

Melinda: Lack of light and moisture are the key challenges facing plants under large trees. Look for varieties that tolerate dry shade and are hardy in your area. As you’ve indicated, it’s important to avoid excess digging and water under your trees. This will damage the lovely oaks you’re trying to enhance.

For your western garden, consider planting shrubs like manzanita, Darwin blueberry, rockrose, bush anemone, grevillea, wild lilac (Ceanothus) silk tassel, mahonia, oleander, plumbago, currant and germander.

Some ground covers that should work well in your area include rosemary, wild strawberry, Australian fuchsia and cotoneaster.

Santa Barbara daisy, California wood fern, bergenia, coral bells, evening primrose, daylily, sedum, thyme and California fuchsia are a few hardy perennials worth trying.    

Attracting Owls
I’d like to build nest boxes to attract owls to my yard. Can you give me some advice?
–Tracy Howell, Burleson, Texas

George: Although most owls don’t nest in birdhouses or tree cavities, the most common owls in North American backyards—screech-owls—will nest in birdhouses. Both the eastern and western species will readily use wood duck houses, which you can make at home or purchase at a birding supply store. These houses have an elliptical entrance hole, 4 inches wide and 3 inches tall.

Mount the house 20 to 30 feet above the ground on a tree trunk, facing your house. Then watch the box for a screech-owl to appear—they often sit in entrance near sunset.

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Project of the Month

Ready to get crafty? Attract birds in style with this simple do-it-yourself birdbath. It might look difficult and expensive, but it's really quite easy and cheap to make.

 

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FREE Wallpaper

Download great wallpaper for your computer, like this stunning photo by Judy Kennamer.

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Talk to Us!

We are looking for budget tips for our new section “For Less”. Send us your best budget idea and photos by using Submit Your Story form. If we use it in the magazine, we’ll pay you $25!

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