Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2022 i Birds and Blooms Extra

My husband and I were lucky enough to move into a new home recently. We spent winter getting settled inside, and now it’s time for the fun part—creating an inviting space for both people and wildlife outside. I’m a firm believer that you always have a reason to hold a backyard party. Whether you’re celebrating something silly, such as National Hamburger Day (it’s on May 28, if you’re wondering), or you are getting to know your neighbors, the patio is a place where everyone seems instantly at home. To take my outdoor entertaining space to the next level, I’m going to plant a special raised-bed beverage garden next to the back door. To grow your own cocktail, mocktail or herbal tea garden, flip to page 12 and read “Garden Party.”…

1 English lavender LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA, ZONES 5 TO 8 Bring in the bees and butterflies with this lovely and fragrant perennial bloomer. Plenty of sun and well-draining, slightly alkaline soil help it thrive all summer. Its sweet floral notes complement berries, pears and citrus flavors when used sparingly either in a simple syrup or as a fresh mix-in. Add it to: Martinis, lavender-sage slings, gin sours, hot or iced tea, lemonade, or seltzer. Or infuse it into vodka. 2 Lemon verbena ALOYSIA CITRIODORA, ZONES 8 TO 10 OR ANNUAL With its bright citrus taste and spear-shaped leaves, this sun-loving perennial needs rich and well-draining soil. Growing to 4 feet tall, its leaves can be harvested by cutting the entire stem. Clusters of white or purple flowers delight beneficial…

Daylily BOTANIC NAME Hemerocallis . FOLIAGE AND HABIT Tall, thin leaves are often folded and resemble ornamental grass. BLOOMS Plants can produce over 200 blooms per season. Each flower lasts only one day. SIZE 1 to 4 feet tall. GROWTH Clumps of stems emerge from the plant base. True lilies BOTANIC NAME Lilium . FOLIAGE AND HABIT Short, narrow leaves radiate from the plant’s main stem. BLOOMS The long-lasting blooms usually have six petals and make great cut flowers. SIZE 1 to 6 feet tall. GROWTH Stiff stems grow from white or yellow scaly bulbs. BENEFITS OF BOTH Lilies and daylilies have a few common perks. They both come in a rainbow of colors, can easily be divided and replanted to fill out your garden, and require very little maintenance…

For a big splash of color that lasts for months, you can’t beat annual flowers. But beauty is only the beginning. Once the blooms of graceful cosmos, cheerful sunflowers, dramatic dark-leaved amaranths, bold zinnias and other easy-to-grow annuals start to fade, the real fun begins. That’s when they bring in the birds! Even the best feeder foods often take a backseat to flower seeds. And watching a flock of goldfinches forage naturally among your plants is even more entertaining than seeing them on a tube feeder. That’s true for the dozens of bird species that avidly eat the seeds of annuals, whether it’s northern cardinals snapping up gomphrena, towhees carefully taking tithonia, or native sparrows and juncos energetically scratching beneath the marigolds. Backyard Entertainment Wildlife biologist Terry W. Johnson of…

Apileated woodpecker and brown thrasher were wondering who gets first dibs when Daniel Brewer of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, snapped this photo in his backyard. SHARE YOUR CAPTION Your funny caption for this bird scene could appear in the next issue. Share your clever idea at birdsandblooms.com/caption. LAST ISSUE’S WINNING CAPTION“This diet is for the birds—I still can’t see my toes!”SUBMITTED BY DINAH SCHMIDT VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA SHARE YOUR BEST FUNNY NATURE PHOTOS! Follow the Submission Guidelines on page 57.…

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 48. 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, 2022, and ends on June 10, 2022. 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: customercare@birdsandblooms.com…

Fireside Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius, Zones 3 to 7 Bring striking sights to any landscape year-round with a mildew-resistant cultivar of native ninebark. Pinkish white bloom clusters appear in spring and red fruits show up in fall. But the constantly changing foliage is the true wow factor. Attracts: Light needs: Full sun. Size: 5 to 7 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide. Grown for: Use within mixed borders, as an informal hedge or as a privacy plant. Foliage: Red leaves mature to reddish purple until fall, when they transform to dark purple. Similar cultivars: Ginger Wine, Little Devil and Amber Jubilee. WILDLIFE BENEFITS This ninebark pulls double duty in spring with delicate flowers that attract butterflies, while birds such as finches and sparrows nest among the foliage.…

Succulents have been popular houseplants for years, and for good reason. They are easy to care for and come in a wide range of colors, shapes and sizes. Here are eight ways to let them shine outside. 1. DECORATE A FENCE Top a fence or wall with planter boxes and let succulents such as burro’s tail or string of pearls trail downward to soften the structure and add visual interest. 2. MAKE A MOSAIC With so much variety, succulents are ready to be mixed and matched into any design or pattern. Combine different types to create a mosaic. Be creative with your plants and arrangements. Geometric and abstract designs both look great. You can also throw in cactuses (which prefer the same growing conditions) for extra texture. 3. ARRANGE A…

Prothonotary warblers are one of my all-time favorite birds, and I was so excited to find a breeding pair along the Wisconsin River last year. I took a photo of the male delivering food to the babies inside the nest. I could hear their excited chirps inside the tree cavity, but it wasn’t until I got home and checked the photo more closely that I realized you could see four hungry mouths inside the tree. It was such an amazing birding experience! Andy Raupp MONTELLO, WISCONSIN I took this photo of a yellow warbler singing its heart out when I started doing wildlife photography. Boy, you really need a lot of patience to get photos of some of these birds, but it was an awesome experience that spring. I used…

Backyard regulars, such as cardinals and finches, love to dine on seeds. But warblers, cherished arrivals in the spring, tend to avoid feeders. “Most warblers are insectivorous and won’t eat seeds,” says Emma Greig, project leader for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch. “Many warbler species glean insects from treetops and dense foliage, so they aren’t interested in an exposed feeder.” Noteworthy Visitors Some exceptions exist, though. “Fortunately, a few species are brave enough to visit suet feeders,” says Emma. She notes that the yellow-throated warbler is a special visitor in the Southeast. Its distinctive black, gray and white coloring, combined with a vivid sunny chin, makes this bird a real treat to spot. Yellow-rumped warblers also have splashes of yellow, but they’re mainly at the side of the…

Q My Jackmanii clematis stopped blooming after I moved it. What happened? Patty Byers WHITEWOOD, SOUTH DAKOTA Melinda: New and recently transplanted plantings often fail to bloom the first few years in their new location. During this time, the plant directs its energy to form an established root system. This is good for the plant’s health and longevity, but can delay flowering. If buds did form but soon disappeared, birds may be plucking them off the plant. Earwigs are a common pest on clematis and many other plants. They typically feed at night, creating holes in leaves and flower petals. But they are also predatory, helping manage unwanted insects. Q What is this pollinator-friendly plant? Linda Taylor WACO, TEXAS Melinda: The fragrant white flowers of this native shrub, called buttonbush…

I took this photo of a red-spotted purple butterfly at Kellys Run Nature Preserve in Holtwood, Pennsylvania. It’s one of my favorite places to hike. I used a Tokina macro lens on a Nikon D5200 camera. Nevin Shrom PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA Discovering a new variety of butterfly in your garden is really exciting. This red-spotted purple butterfly looked gorgeous fluttering around our blooming purple coneflowers. Mike Brickl DOUSMAN, WISCONSIN CATERPILLAR The brown, green and white caterpillars have humps on their backs and hornlike appendages.…