Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2019 i Birds and Blooms Extra

This time of year, birds are paired up, settled into nesting sites, and busy raising young families. Instead of visiting seed feeders, doting parents are on the hunt for protein-packed insects to fuel their growing fledglings. During the time when there’s less interest in backyard offerings, some bird-watchers take a break from feeding—you can find out whether that’s necessary in “Summer Switch-Up” on page 8. I keep my feeders up all summer, but I admit to being lax on refilling them because I know the birds have enough to eat. Feeder traffic may be slow, but there’s still plenty to see in the yard—like caterpillars! We show you the most bizarre of the bunch in “Crazy Cool Caterpillars” on page 32. Find out where in North America each one lives,…

Backyard feeders offer a food source for neighborhood birds when wild pickings are scarce, especially in winter. Birds could get by in any season without your offerings, no doubt, but it’s clear they enjoy the sunflower seed buffets. During the summer months, however, when bugs and plants are prevalent, many wonder: Should I be feeding the birds? The short answer is that it’s perfectly fine to feed birds year-round, with proper care. Warm temperatures lead to an increase in infectious diseases. When wildlife (say birds eating at feeders) come together in close proximity, the spread of disease is more likely. Summer heat can cause seed and suet to spoil or become moldy much quicker, especially if your feeders are in the sun. Research shows that feeding in summer may have…

Hostas add more than just a welcome splash of color to shade gardens, offering super low maintenance and major wildlife benefits. It can be challenging to incorporate the big, leafy, shade-loving perennial into a landscape. Help maximize your hosta’s potential with these tips. 1. Group Similar Varieties Try to cluster multiple specimens of the same cultivar for a put-together look. By massing them together, you give them more visual weight so they don’t end up looking like an afterthought. 2. Make a Focal Point A hosta that’s big enough can be a solitary focal point and an exception to the clustering rule. Surround it with plenty of companions to create a stage for the plant. A solid-colored hosta makes a more natural-looking partner for other plants. 3. Always Use Variegation…

ANCIENT WONDERS Dragonflies are some of the oldest animals on the planet, with fossils dating back more than 300 million years! Nearly 2,500 different kinds of dragonflies are found all over the world, in colors from purples to bronzes that often shimmer or look metallic. They lay their eggs and hunt around water, so consider installing a pond to attract them to your backyard.…

True or False? A. ONLY TWO NORTH AMERICAN birds have western in their names. B. WESTERN AND EASTERN meadowlarks look nearly identical. C. LAZULI BUNTINGS, found in the western half of the U.S., frequently visit feeders for millet, thistle and sunflower seeds. answers on the bottom!…

ASK OUR EXPERTS Whether it’s mystery plants, gardening dilemmas or peculiar bird behavior, our experts can help! Send your burning questions to the pros: birdsandblooms .com/submit Try it On National Avocado Day, July 31, stick three toothpicks into a washed pit, suspend it in a glass, broad end down and half covered with water, and see how long it takes to sprout! Grow Linda Barnes of New London, Ohio, was thrilled when her living stone plant bloomed. Let this beautiful flower inspire you to try new plants. GET AWAY See hummingbirds like Lucifer, broad-tailed, Allen’s, black-chinned and more at the Davis Mountains Hummingbird Celebration in Fort Davis, Texas, Aug. 22-25. EXPLORE Head to the nearest park—July is the best time to practice butterfly ID skills.…

SUMMER MENU Add variety to your offerings as the seasons change. Summer favorites include oranges for orioles, mealworms for bluebirds and sugar water for hummingbirds. HOT-WEATHER HABITS Fill your feeders halfway in summer, so the food is less likely to go bad and won’t go to waste. Once the seed or suet has spoiled, toss it. “We feed the birds year-round, however, we have to pay close attention that other critters aren’t getting at the food, especially deer! Patrick Hogan TEMPERANCE, MICHIGAN…

Budding Artist Celebrate one of the most important figures in birding with this “Little Naturalists” book. John James Audubon Painted Birds uses delightful illustrations to show his love of birds and art. $9 at amazon.com Bug Buff Play trivia, cut out and wear an insect mask, peek at a bug cafe menu and learn why pollinators are important with Bees, Bugs & Butterflies . $17 at amazon.com Future Gardener Teach kids or grandkids about the joy of gardening with this interactive board book. It’s full of simple projects to try at home. $9 at barnesandnoble.com Little Explorer Join a little boy in A Backyard Birding Adventure and discover the wonders of your own garden. Download the free app to your phone or tablet and listen to the birds in the…

Q All of the monarch caterpillars on my milkweed have suddenly disappeared. What happened to them? Carol Lineberry CUMMING, GEORGIA Kenn and Kimberly: There are a number of potential answers to this CSI (caterpillar scene investigation). Since they feed on toxic milkweed, monarch caterpillars don’t have many predators, so it’s unlikely that something ate all the caterpillars in a short time. Depending on how large the caterpillars were at the time of their disappearance, it’s possible that they left the milkweed and went off to pupate—they may crawl many yards away before they climb to some overhanging support to form the chrysalis. It’s also possible that they simply crawled off to find a fresh, new plant. Q Can you identify this butterfly that visited my eggplant? Frank Zimmerman CLIFTON, NEW…

100  Modern tomatoes grow up to 100 times larger than the tiny ones first cultivated by people in the Andes region of South America thousands of years ago. 1550 Around 1550, Italians were the first Europeans to grow and cook with tomatoes. They were grown in other parts of Europe soon after, but usually as a showpiece and not food. 30 Americans eat about 30 pounds of tomatoes a year, much canned or in sauces. Second only to potatoes as most popular vegetable, it also beats apples, the top fruit. 8.6 The world’s heaviest tomato weighed in at a whopping 8.6 pounds, around the same size as a newborn baby. It was grown by Dan Sutherland in 2016. 2.2 A cup of raw tomatoes has over 2.2 grams of fiber. They are…

Garden Phlox Phlox paniculata , Zones 4 to 8 Native to the rich thickets of the eastern states, garden phlox is equally at home in most of the U.S. Densely packed flowers pop up later in the growing season, usually around July and stay until early fall. This phlox is susceptible to mildew, but look for cultivars that are slightly more resistant. Attracts:  Light needs: Prefers full sun, but also grows in part shade. Size: 2 to 4 feet tall, and spreads nearly as wide. Grown for: Fragrant and showy white to dark purple flowers. Foliage: Long, pointed leaves. Cultivars to try: Candy Twist boasts fun, contrasting stripes, and Mother of Pearl wows with overlapping blush pink blooms.…

1 Petunia PETUNIA , ANNUAL This heat-loving annual produces trumpet-shaped blooms well into fall with a little TLC. Coax more color from the plant by pinching off the seedpods and removing dead, faded flowers. With enough sun and water, petunias will keep blooming until the first hard freeze. Why we love it: Flowers come in almost every color, and some even bring their own contrast with bicolored blooms. 2 Impatiens IMPATIENS , ANNUAL No wonder impatiens are a mainstay in shade gardens, where color can be tough to come by. Keep them well-watered and fed, and they’ll reward you with nonstop blooms. With so many cultivars available, you’re sure to find a variety that piques your fancy. Why we love it: These beauties are self-cleaning, meaning they drop…

When I lived in the Midwest, I saw yellow-headed blackbirds only on rare occasions. After moving to Colorado, I was thrilled to find several nesting pairs at the lake just down the road from my house. Now I watch them every spring and summer. Wolfe Repass BROOMFIELD, COLORADO This leucistic Anna’s is one of the most beautiful hummingbirds I have ever photographed. It was feeding on giant buffet-size flowers at the University of California’s Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden. The handsome bird is without pigmentation in its feathers, giving it the cool snowy look. Elijah Gildea REDDING, CALIFORNIA Near my parent’s home in northern Pennsylvania is an open field where a lot of elderberry plants grow. The berries attract many types of birds, especially in summer. Last year alone,…

A black swallowtail sipped nectar from a clover plant at the edge of a pond. I love the colors in this photo, along with the crisp image. It was a beautiful day to watch nature unfold. Nancy Melton CAMDEN, TENNESSEE The color contrast in this photo is pretty intense. I love how the bold black swallowtail rested with its wings open on the pink clematis bloom. This butterfly felt special to me because it was one of the first I spotted that spring. Linda Carissimi SIMSBURY, CONNECTICUT I had hoped to watch the entire metamorphosis process unfold, but this black swallowtail caterpillar suddenly disappeared from my parsley plant. I’m assuming that a bird got a good meal instead! Kathleen Potter TWIN PEAKS, CALIFORNIA DID YOU KNOW? A black swallowtail spends…