Dear ##firstname[Friend]##,

Here at Birds & Blooms, we love photography—and we know most of our readers do too! Matt Clark is one photographer who has always enjoyed nature photography. Last March, after four months of shivering, Matt decided he wanted to celebrate the beauty and tenacity of nature and share it with others.

A few short weeks later, bloomingdaily.com was born and Matt dedicated himself to one challenge: photographing 365 flowers in a single year! Read about his journey here.

You can read other great photography stories each month in our FREE Best of Birds & Blooms Photography e-newsletter. Enjoy!

Danielle Calkins
Birds & Blooms

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• READ ON TO DISCOVER...
• Find us on Facebook
• Bird of the Month
• Best of Glad You Asked
• Project of the Month
• FREE Wallpaper

Are you on Facebook? Our staff is constantly sharing interesting bird and garden stories. Learn about giveaways, new products and more!

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Bird of the Month: Mallard

The mallard has to be America's favorite duck. After all, mallard chicks will easily win your heart!

Learn how to attract the Mallard to your yard, and listen to their song.

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Best of Glad You Asked

Keep Rabbits Out
We're having a problem with rabbits crawling under our fence. Do you have any hints to keep them out? —J. Biberstine, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Melinda: Sometimes with rabbits, a double barrier works best. Install an additional section of hardware cloth or rabbit fence, overlapping the bottom of your existing fence.

Make sure your second section of fencing is tight to the ground or, better yet, several inches below the soil. To install, use an edger or sharp spade to dig a trench at the base of your fence. Set the hardware cloth or narrow mesh rabbit fence into the trench and backfill with soil. Water to help the soil quickly settle, making sure there are no gaps where these critters can sneak in.

Sparrow Invasion
Is there a birdseed that house sparrows won't eat? I use mixed birdseed, and the sparrows eat it all and scare away the other birds. —Mrs. John Wheeler, Rigby, Idaho

George: Sparrows love most of the ingredients in wild birdseed mixes. The solution is to offer seeds that sparrows don't like, such as niger (thistle), safflower and sunflower in the shell (although some house sparrows are able to crack sunflower shells). Also, sparrows usually can't feed from tube feeders without perches. Unfortunately, the same is true for more desirable birds like northern cardinals.

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Project of the Month: Sapling Arbor

Here’s a great project to work on over the cold winter weekends. This sapling arbor is ambitious, but you can just build one of the sides (see step 4) for a great-looking trellis.

Here’s how to handle some of the trickier parts!

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FREE Wallpaper

Download great wallpaper for your computer, like this photo of daffodils, which are sure to brighten even your coldest days!

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