Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2020 i Birds and Blooms Extra

I have bird envy. The cedar waxwing is one of my favorite fliers, and it has been since before I ever picked up a pair of binoculars. I love the waxwing’s bold markings—black eye mask, bright yellow tail and shiny brown feathers. Although I have crabapples and cotoneasters along with other mature trees and shrubs on my tiny city lot, I’ve never spotted a waxwing in my yard. So when I saw Patty Weik’s spectacular photo of a cedar waxwing at her crabapple tree on p. 19 in “Winter Wonderland,” I couldn’t help but think, I wish! I’m also crossing my fingers in hopes that at least one of the seven nomadic finches in “Finding Finches” on p. 26 will stop by this winter. These species fly where the food…

One of winter’s most underrated joys is watching through a kitchen window as downy woodpeckers flit from suet feeders to nearby trees. Affectionately called downies, these woodpeckers might easily be mistaken for a nuthatch clinging acrobatically to the side of a feeder, or a peppy chickadee, with its bold black-and-white coloring. Look for a bird slightly smaller than a robin with a white belly and back, black wings with white spots, and white facial stripes against a mostly black head. Males and females can be told apart by a red marking on the back of the male’s head. Downies reside in most of the United States and Canada, with the exception of the far north and the driest zones in the Southwest. Near the Pacific coast, some birds are muddled-looking—their…

Winter doldrums got you down? Get your hands dirty with your pals and banish those blues! Succulents are a fine choice for an off-season planting party. They come in dozens of shapes, colors and textures, are super low maintenance, and grow well indoors and out. Here is how to plan your next fabulous succulent soiree. A FEW WEEKS BEFORE… Keep the party intimate by inviting no more than six friends. Search online for succulent-themed invites, and send them out three weeks prior. Look for fun decorations such as succulent plates and napkins, and buy or make themed paper garlands. If you have extra time, consider using washable wineglass markers to adorn glasses with phrases like “You had me at aloe,” “I am a succa for wine” or “I’ll never desert…

An ice storm in northwestern Illinois brought incredible beauty, and I saw cedar waxwings in my crabapple tree for the first time. It was too cold to step outside, so I opened my garage door to take pictures. Patty Weik FREEPORT, ILLINOIS I met up with a birding friend who took me to a nature area. One of the first birds we saw was this gorgeous golden-crowned kinglet. They are fun to watch, but they’re fast! Laura Frazier KEARNEYSVILLE, WEST VIRGINIA I was fortunate to come across this red-tailed hawk in a tree over the parking lot of my local nature center in Fountain, Colorado, where it patiently posed for me. David Kaley COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO It was sensational to see sandhill cranes on a snow-covered lake during the winter!…

I watched this queen butterfly hatch from its chrysalis. What a perfect color combination with my yellow hibiscus! Loradel Herringshaw LAKE CITY, FLORIDA We love when our Mexican sunflower blooms, because our butterfly population is best then—especially the queens. Janet Christensen ORACLE, ARIZONA I saw this beautiful queen butterfly on a bush when my husband and I traveled to the Mojave Desert. I love the contrast between its rusty color and the yellow chaparral plant. Deborah Saldana OAK HILLS, CALIFORNIA…

True or False? A. GEESE AND SWANS are usually larger than ducks, but they are still classified in the same family. B. DABBLING DUCKS tip up to feed on aquatic plants and find food underwater. C. MALLARDS are the most common ducks in North America, but they are also found in Asia and Europe. answers on the bottom!…

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PREP Decide which plants you’re going to start indoors, and gather up the necessary materials—pots, lights and planting mix. Find our favorite products on p. 18. Read Indulge in a copy of The Best of Birds & Blooms 2020, featuring our most-loved stories and photos. Order yours now at birdsandblooms .com/20BN . Grow Dana Pease found a new favorite flower! She says this Winter Magic hellebore thrives during the cold months in Enola, Pennsylvania. GET AWAY Head to Chico, California, for the 21st annual Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway Jan. 22-26. Highlights include field trips, workshops, an auction and an art show. FOLLOW Join us on Facebook to see our Photo of the Day! facebook.com/birdsblooms…

LOOK-ALIKES Hairy woodpeckers (left) have the same coloration but are larger than downies (right). A practiced eye can tell them apart by the size of their beaks, too. The hairy’s beak is almost as long as its head, while downies’ beaks are shorter, comparatively. “Feed downies year-round! There’s nothing cuter than baby woodpeckers learning to come to the feeder in spring.”Boni Trombetta WEST CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA STUFF WE LOVE Duncraft’s Double Woodpecker Suet Feeder offers two cages for twice the fun. Made from recycled plastic, it’s a breeze to clean. $40 at duncraft.com…

DIRT PUDDING CUPS Takes: 20 min. • Makes: 10 servings 2 cups cold 2% milk 1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) instant chocolate pudding mix 1 carton (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed 1 pkg. (14.3 oz.) Oreo cookies Sugar gum succulents, chocolate rocks and edible paper butterflies, optional In a medium bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Pulse cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs form or until desired texture is reached. Divide a third of the cookie crumbs and half of the pudding mixture among 10 dessert cups; repeat layers. Top with remaining crumbs. If desired, top with sugar gum succulents, chocolate rocks and edible paper butterflies.…

WINGSPAN 21/2 to 4 inches. DISTINCTIVE MARKINGS Underwings resemble a monarch’s, with white outlines on black hindwing veins and dark borders featuring white dots. Orange forewings have white specks. HABITAT Open, sunny areas with flowers, including fields, deserts, roadsides and pastures. HOST PLANT Milkweed or milkweed vines. NECTAR FAVORITES Adults sip from many flowers, including fogfruit and shepherd’s needle. QUIRKY QUALITY Several adult queens may gather on the same plant to roost overnight, although there’s no obvious reason why.…

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 November issue, we hid it on page 7. 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 Dec. 4, 2019, and ends on Feb. 4, 2020. Visit birdsandblooms. com/contests for official rules. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes sponsored by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC.…

3 Three types of vultures live in the United States—the turkey vulture, black vulture and California condor (which is a vulture, despite not having that term in its name). Turkey vultures, named for their bald heads and general resemblance to turkeys, are the most abundant of the trio. They’re found from southern Canada to southernmost South America. 10 It’s best to stay on a turkey vulture’s good side. If distressed or annoyed, this bird vomits its food up to 10 feet away in a tactic that deters predators, helping the bird and its young survive. 4 Black vultures don’t sing, chirp or call like other birds, since they lack a vocal organ. Instead, they communicate in four other ways—hissing, yapping, grunting and cooing. 90 It takes around 90 days for…

Witch Hazel Hamamelis spp., Zones 3 to 9 Witch hazel is the bright light at the end of winter’s dark tunnel. Spring-flowering types explode with fragrant spiderlike flowers in yellow, copper or red as early as January. These deciduous shrubs are undemanding and tough, with stunning fall foliage and winter flowers. Attracts: Light needs: Full sun to part shade. Size: 15 to 20 feet high and wide. Grown for: Showy, fragrant flowers that provide colorful winter interest. Foliage: Gray-green leaves turn yellow-orange in cool weather. Cultivars to try: Common witch hazel blooms in fall; Chinese and Japanese flower in late winter. BIRD BENEFITS Birds snack on witch hazel seeds, which look like small brown capsules, in early spring. Some fliers also use the shrub for nesting or shelter from predators.…

1 Kalanchoe KALANCHOE BLOSSFELDIANA , ZONES 10 TO 12 Kalanchoe (pronounced “ka-lun-KOH-ee”) is a short-day plant, meaning it blossoms in late winter after experiencing 6 to 11 weeks of long nights with about 14 to 16 hours of complete darkness. Why we love it: Kalanchoe’s clustered florets last for months with very little care. You’ll often find them for sale in your grocery store’s floral section when they’re in season. 2 Hoya HOYA SPP., ZONES 10 TO 12 Hoyas have thick, pliable leaves that inspire its common name, wax plant. It’s considered one of the easiest of the indoor plants to care for, needing only bright indirect light and infrequent watering. Why we love it: The foliage is attractive, but the clusters of sweetly fragrant flowers really set…

My bucket list includes an eagle yacht cruise at Land Between the Lakes and Barren River, a sandhill crane stopover site. They are both in Kentucky, where I live—how can I pass them up? Leslie Mann RADCLIFF, KENTUCKY Ramsey Canyon Preserve in Hereford, Arizona, during hummingbird migration . Cindy Vincelette CROCKETT, TEXAS The Platte River region in Nebraska for sandhill crane migration. Donna Clements AMARILLO, TEXAS My dream is to go birding in Ecuador and Colombia because they have the greatest variety of hummingbirds, including the long-tailed sylph! Linda McDonald ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA I’m an Ohio resident, but I’ve never been to Magee Marsh for The Biggest Week in American Birding festival. My plan is to go in 2020. Pat Hammons SWANTON, OHIO My bucket list birding destination is Costa…