Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2018 i Birds and Blooms Extra

It was cold and rainy the morning of our company’s annual spring bird walk. Four of my bravest co-workers and I pulled the hoods of our rain jackets up and strolled into Lake Park, a local hot spot with walking paths that overlook deep tree-filled gullies along Milwaukee’s lakefront. It was late May—the best time to see the colorful migrating warblers that stop in our area for some rest and a few quick meals. Through the raindrops, we saw yellow, chestnut-sided and magnolia warblers, among other species. We trudged through puddles for about an hour until I admitted defeat with chattering teeth: “Guys, I don’t know how much longer I can stay out here.” The hour was a lucky one, though, because we spotted these fast-flying, flashy warblers in their…

Hang a few birdhouses in your backyard and get ready for a rewarding adventure as you witness the awe-inspiring life cycle of birds. When birds nest on your property and raise their young, it’s so gratifying. “It’s the ultimate standard of success,” said Robyn Bailey, project leader of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch program. “And it brings a greater diversity of birds to your backyard.” Here are a few tips to get you started. Choose the right house. Tailor the house to the bird you want to attract. If you’re hoping for a nesting songbird, buy a standard nest box with a 11/2-inch entrance hole, commonly called a bluebird box. Birdhouses with a smaller hole, about an inch in diameter, are ideal for chickadees and wrens. The needs of…

1 Dolce Fresca is an All-America Selections award winner that produces compact, 15-inch-tall plants with dense growth and flavorful leaves. Perfect for pots or gardens, it makes wonderful pesto. 2 Pesto Perpetuo is an unusual basil with small white-and-green variegated leaves and a tall, narrow form. This plant doesn’t produce flowers but instead continues to pump out fresh foliage until the first frost. 3 Nufar is an outstanding cultivar of sweet basil with large, bright green leaves packed with classic flavor. The plants grow up to 2 feet tall and are resistant to Fusarium wilt, a common basil disease.…

Thrillers tall plants with an upright growing habit Fillers mounded-habit plants that fill space between the thriller and spiller Spillers plants with a trailing habit that spill over the sides of the pot Place thriller Angelface Perfectly Pink summer snapdragon in the back for height. Insert filler Sweet Caroline Light Green sweet potato vine in front of the thriller. Add spiller Supertunia Picasso in Purple petunia closest to the pot’s edge so blooms can flow over. MAKE IT! This stunning container combo from Proven Winners was created in a 14-inch pot. It includes one summer snapdragon, two sweet potato vines and two petunias. When placed in full or part sun, the plants will thrive from summer into fall. Use a potting mix that includes soil conditioners like vermiculite, peat moss…

MARK IT DOWN Celebrate this festival’s 20th anniversary. Taking place on Mount Desert Island, home of Acadia National Park, the Acadia Birding Festival runs from May 31 to June 3. Festival participants can choose from many amazing tour experiences, whether by van, ferry or canoe. Remember to bring binoculars so you can easily find warblers, puffins, peregrine falcons, woodpeckers and more. Check out acadiabirdingfestival.com for more info. 1 Peregrine falcons nest on Champlain Mountain and nearby cliffs, so make sure to stop by the Precipice Trail parking area during the summer to get a peek at these majestic birds. Weather permitting, park rangers or volunteers often stand by with viewing scopes. 2 If you visit in the fall, try hawk-watching on the Cadillac Mountain North Ridge trail. Check the Ranger…

CELEBRATE Make nature even more fun for the kiddos in your life by creating an outdoor search for them on National Scavenger Hunt Day, May 24. Experiment  Grow something new this year, like one of Burpee’s Take 2 Combos that produce both slicer and cherry tomatoes. (Kirsten grew one last year and loved it!) Get away  The Mariposa (California) Butterfly Festival is May 5-6. A 5k run, a parade and the release of 5,000 butterflies are popular events. mariposabutterflyfestival.net GIVE Surprise the moms in your life with Birds & Blooms magazine. Order and pay for a gift subscription online and give a second one for free! birdsandblooms.com/give2gifts SHARE  Send us your best spring bird photos: birdsandblooms.com/submit…

1 Blue cardinal flower LOBELIA SIPHILITICA , ZONES 4 TO 9 Spires of beautiful blue flowers appear in mid- to late summer. It blooms later and tends to live longer than the red cardinal flower, a relative. Give this sun-loving perennial a bit of shade if your summers are very hot, and plant it in the wettest part of your rain garden. Why we love it: It attracts native bees, bumblebees, birds and hummingbirds. Plus it’s deer-resistant! 2 Buttonbush CEPHALANTHUS OCCIDENTALIS, ZONES 4 TO 9 Add fragrance and seasonal beauty to sunny rain gardens with this native shrub. Butterflies, hummingbirds and bees are sure to stop by the aromatic flowers in early summer. Later, round fruits replace the flowers and persist into winter. Why we love it: With new compact…

Sip and Dip Ideal for small spaces, this hanging birdbath has a nonslip perch for birds to stop for a quick drink or enjoy a soak. Get the “Drink N Bathe Waterer” at duncraft.com for $25. Bee Trio Garden guests, both bird and human alike, will fall in love with this handmade mosaic birdbath. Place the wide saucer on a flat surface, such as a patio, porch or an overturned flower pot. Buy one at josarauk.etsy.com for $65. Hang in There! Treat yourself to a front-row seat when you hang this stoneware birdbath near any window and watch backyard birds enjoy a refreshing dip. You can order one at uncommongoods.com for $45. Sun Savvy This bubbling brass-leaf birdbath is powered by the sun thanks to a solar panel attachment. Plus,…

WINNER, WINNER! In a vote hosted by the Arbor Day Foundation, the oak was crowned the national tree of the U.S. It got 101,000 votes; the redwood came in second with 81,000. Congress made it official in 2004. 100 Acorns feed more than 100 wildlife species, such as deer, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, blue jays and wood ducks. 10 TOP NATIVE OAKS FOR BUTTERFLIES Black ( Quercus velutina ) Bur ( Q. macrocarpa ) Chinkapin ( Q. muehlenbergii ) Gambel ( Q. gambelii ) Live ( Q. virginiana ) Pin ( Q. palustris ) Plateau live ( Q. fusiformis ) Southern red ( Q. falcata ) White ( Q. alba ) Willow ( Q. phellos ) A PLACE TO CALL HOME We spotted a hummingbird nest in one of our…

Observe bird behaviors and remember that there is always something new to learn. Get involved with citizen science projects like Project FeederWatch. Also, share your interest with others, especially young people. Karen Holmes COOPER, MAINE Start with an open platform feeder full of black oil sunflower seed. Nathan Lembke BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS Invest in a nice field guide. Use it to check geographic locations to be sure the bird you’re seeing is in your area. Record the date you spotted the bird beside its name in your book. Linda Gaff HUNTERTOWN, INDIANA Buy the best binoculars your budget will allow. You’ll have them for years, so make sure they’re not too heavy and you feel comfortable carrying them. Jannetta Tibbs ALBANY, OREGON Get connected! Find your local Audubon Society chapter. They…

Find the Hummingbird In each issue, we hide a hummingbird like the one above left. Enter to win at birdsandblooms.com/contests if you find it. Winners receive a one-year subscription to Birds & Blooms . In the March issue, we hid it on page 12. HIDDEN OBJECT GUIDELINES No purchase necessary to enter to win. Purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes is open to legal residents age 18 years or older of the U.S., its territories and possessions, or of Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec). Sweepstakes begins on April 11, 2018, and ends on June 5, 2018. Visit birdsandblooms.com/contests for official rules. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes sponsored by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC. Contact Us! CUSTOMER CARE For subscriptions, renewals, gifts, payments, account info and inquiries: Email:…

Hawthorn Crataegus species, Zones 3 to 9 Commonly used as a border plant in backyard landscapes, hawthorn is a wildlife haven that feeds nectar-seeking butterflies in spring and hungry songbirds in autumn. And hawthorns are host plants for larva of many butterflies, including white admiral and gray hairstreak. Attracts: Light needs: Full sun. Size: 20 to 45 feet tall. Grown for: Seasonal interest. Foliage: Burgundy to orange autumn color. Popular species: Washington ( C. phaenopyrum ) thrives in much of the U.S.; Crusader cockspur ( C. crus-galli inermis ) is thornless; black ( C. douglassii ) features edible fruits. BIRD BENEFITS Many hawthorn tree varieties have thorns, which are a blessing for nesting or roosting birds seeking shelter from predators. However, humans beware!…

Basil is one of the most popular culinary herbs around, thanks to its spicy-sweet leaves and the way it adds a flavorful zing to pastas, sandwiches and sauces. But this leafy herb can be tricky to grow. It needs plenty of sunshine, well-draining soil and regular harvesting in order to thrive. Follow these seven basil-growing tips for garden success. • Grow what you need. Before you fill your garden beds with basil, think about how you’re planning to use it. If you just want some fresh basil on hand when you need it, two to three plants should be enough. Home cooks who want to whip up flavorful pesto or dry leaves for winter pastas, sauces, soups and stews will need to grow at least six to eight plants. • Start with…

In the past, I had only a couple of oriole visitors for a short time. But last year I put out plenty of oranges and grape jelly, and I saw up to six orioles each day at my feeder. They sure do like the oranges! Diana Wolfe MACY, INDIANA This gray catbird visited our yard last spring, and it always chose to perch at the top of the white spruce tree. I took this photo on a cool morning, so when it fluffed its feathers, it became even more attractive than usual. B.J. Lanich WAUSAUKEE, WISCONSIN A few years ago, some new, feathered neighbors moved into my orange tree. It wasn’t until the female hummingbird finished her nest that I spotted her. I put up a feeder and started taking…

Q Spring migration brings colorful birds to central Indiana. Last year, I put out grape jelly for the orioles, but after two weeks, they were gone. What type of nesting habitat do they prefer? Dave Douglass ROCHESTER, INDIANA Kenn and Kimberly: When colorful birds stop to visit during spring migration, we always wish more of them would stick around for summer, but we can work on improving backyard habitats for them. Baltimore orioles like to place their nests in tall, leafy trees, such as cottonwoods, elms, sycamores and maples. If you add one of those trees to your landscape, it will take a few years to mature, so in the meantime, entice orioles to stay longer by putting out fresh oranges sliced in half. Hummingbird feeders (with one part sugar…

89,105 The Tournament of Roses has hosted the “Grandaddy of Them All”—the Rose Bowl Game—since 1902. The Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California seats 89,105 attendees eager to watch the most popular college football game of the year. 1937 In Maryland, the University of Baltimore Bee (now named Eubie) has buzzed around campus sporting events since 1937! 1922 Although its mascot is a blue and white foxlike animal called Sycamore Sam, Indiana State University has used the team name Sycamores since 1922. 1 Oregon’s Portland Thorns were the first women’s team to be affiliated with a Major League Soccer franchise. In five seasons, they’ve won the National Women’s Soccer League title twice. 3 Syracuse University has had three mascots in its history. First was the Saltine Warrior, then a…