Dear ##firstname[Friend]##,

I recently moved from the city to eight acres in the country. Wow! What an adjustment! In my new backyard, I’ve got apple and plum trees and a lot of weeds that I’ve never seen before.

So that’s what’s going on in my neck of the woods. Now, come chat about the happenings in your backyard with me and the rest of the Birds & Blooms online community.

Kirsten Sweet
Birds & Blooms

##\keycode.PSCopyHTML##

• READ ON TO DISCOVER...
• 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? Join us on Facebook today for interesting bird and garden stories and exclusive updates!

top

Bird of the Month: Scarlet Tanager

Scarlet tanagers are a bright red color, but they fly under the radar and prefer to stick around forest canopies.

Learn how to attract scarlet tanagers to your yard, and listen to their song.

top

Best of Glad You Asked

Help With a Backyard Pond
Our backyard pond is unsightly, as it's been overrun by slime. Is there anything we can do to get rid of the algae that's safe for water plants and fish? —Dena Bickhardt, Morgan, Minnesota

Melinda: Keeping balance in your pond is as important as balance in your life.

For example, make sure your pump is sufficient to handle all the water in your pond. It should circulate half the total volume of water each hour. The filter should also be rated to handle your size pond. Using the right-size equipment will reduce much of your maintenance chores.

Also try growing floating plants so that 30 to 50 percent of the water surface is covered. This limits the light reaching the algae and discourages its growth.

Monitor your management techniques. Too much fertilizer, too many fish producing lots of nitrogen-rich waste and plant debris can get things out of balance. Don't overfertilize your plants or over feed the fish; this leads to excess nitrogen in the water, and that means more algae. If your fish population has grown, adopt a few out. Most pond experts recommend keeping no more than 1 inch of fish per 10 gallons of water or 1 inch of fish per square feet of the surface area of your pond. This helps keep your pond in balance and algal growth to a minimum.

Lastly, you can remove the algae by hand and install a barley-straw natural filter. These float in the pond and help filter the water, decreasing algal growth.

Feeding Hummingbirds
When should I start and stop feeding hummingbirds?

George: Early May is a good time to hang up your hummingbird feeders. In the South, migratory hummingbirds begin tapping sugar-water feeders in backyards in early April. Don't be in a hurry to take them down in fall. There's a myth that if you leave your sugar-water feeders up, then the hummingbirds won't migrate. This isn't true. Don't be afraid to leave your feeders up through migration season. This way, you'll catch any late travelers as they fly through your area.

top

Project of the Month

Let your imagination take off...copper wire and beads give this fun project wings. Make your own dragonflies today!

top

FREE Wallpaper

Download great wallpaper for your computer, like this photo of a bird on a seed head by Dick Cronberg.

top

Talk to Us!

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

top