Learn The Benefits Of Adding These Valuable Plants To Your Landscape.
THE EFFORT TO GROW NATIVES IS WORTH IT.
These beauties improve the environment in so many ways because they’ve evolved over time with the birds, bees and animals that depend on them. Natives are attractive, remove impurities from the air, release oxygen, and help manage stormwater, reducing the risk of flooding. Their deep roots create pathways for rainwater to move through the soil instead of running off into streets, and they filter out contaminants in the water before it returns to groundwater sources.
It’s worthwhile—and easy—to work natives into your current landscape. No matter the size of your garden, patio, balcony or window box, natives fit in anywhere.
MAKE THE SWITCH
Starting slowly is often the key to long-term success. Look for ways to easily add local plants to existing beds and containers. Fill voids or replace struggling greenery with a native tree, shrub or perennial suited to the growing conditions and decorative needs of your garden. Or dedicate an entire section to natives. Organize in masses or small clusters for the greatest visual impact. Group the plants in a way that allows winged visitors to gather food more efficiently.
This story is from the February/March 2019 edition of Birds & Blooms.
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This story is from the February/March 2019 edition of Birds & Blooms.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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Sense or Nonsense? - Why some birds can taste and smell - but others can't
Does a porcelain berry taste like a blueberry to a gray catbird? Does a block of lard smell like frying bacon to a northern flicker? The short answer is no. While some avian species do have a well-adapted sense of taste or smell, they can't distinguish between flavors and odors the way humans can. They're not picking up every ingredient in the suet you put out, says José Ramírez-Garofalo, an ornithology researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the director of Freshkills Biological Station in Staten Island, New York.
Maple Mania - Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Food-Focused and Fierce - Meet Canada jays and learn why they eat almost anything they can find
Even if you haven't heard of Canada jays, you've heard of their relatives. Members of the corvid family, they belong to the same group as American crows, blackbilled magpies, and jays including blue, Steller's and scrub. "Unlike many of the other jays, a Canada jay doesn't have a crest of any kind; it just has a rounded head," says Dale Gentry, director of conservation for Audubon Upper Mississippi River.In 2018, the Canada jay's name was changed from gray jay, but Dale thinks the former adjective was fitting. "Most of its body is shades of gray with some white," he says. "There are different subspecies that have different physical traits, but most of them have some lighter coloring on their foreheads, upper breasts and throats, each with a darker streak that starts at each eye and goes back."
IN GOOD COMPANY
BIRDS OF A FEATHER MAY FLOCK TOGETHER, but what about other collectives of critters-and what do you call them when they do?
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Red-Hot Plants
Scarlet-hued berries add a pop of color to any garden
