Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2024 i Birds and Blooms Extra

More than 10 years ago, I was studying a stack of homemade warbler flashcards while on a road trip to a bird festival in northern Ohio. I was with two Birds & Blooms editors, and we weren’t feeling 100 percent confident in our warbler-identification skills as we headed to The Biggest Week in American Birding, which takes place in an area known as the “warbler capital of the world.” So we thought printing grainy photos from the internet and gluing them onto classic index cards would help prep us for the more than 20 warbler species that might show up in the region—and it did! I made the trip to Ohio many times after that and brought at least two other editors with me over the years, and before each…

1 Beverly Sills ZONES 4 TO 9 Pale coral pink petals and a light apricot beard have earned Beverly Sills numerous awards for its beauty. This fast-growing, elongated bearded iris reaches a mature height of 32 to 38 inches. It produces profuse mid-season blooms and may possibly rebloom in some areas. Why we love it: The tall, erect stems make it an ideal cut flower, and its lanky semievergreen leaves provide height in the garden even when it isn’t blooming. 2 Center Line ZONES 4 TO 9 From a distance, Center Line appears to be a pale pink iris with ruffled petals, but a closer look reveals stunning details: The petals have dark red-purple veins, and the beard is a bold orange hue. The flowers also have a light fragrance.…

My husband was washing the car when he heard the buzzy sound of a blue-winged warbler feasting on insects in a nearby flowering tree. I was thrilled to learn about our visitor and enjoyed its striking color and acrobatics while photographing him. Dianne Rose LAKE ZURICH, IL During spring migration season, I went to Kettle Pond in Madison, Wisconsin, hoping the flowering trees around the pond would attract warblers migrating through the area. I shot a photo of this Cape May warbler with a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with a Sigma 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 lens, and I love that I caught it with a tiny spider in its beak! Janice Selfridge VERONA, WI This photogenic Nashville warbler posed perfectly for me as I was bird-watching during migration. Trisha Snider…

Sugar Crystal Double Tulip Tulipa, Zones 3 to 8 If you’re looking for head-turning tulip power, this plant’s double baby pink blooms are it. Look closely at the tulip’s feathery petal edges—they almost appear to have a silver tint to them. Like all tulips, Sugar Crystal likes to be in well-draining soil. Light needs: Full sun to part shade. Size: 12 to 16 inches tall. Grown for: Gorgeous, textured blooms ideal for cut-flower arrangements. Bloom time: Mid to late spring. Foliage: Light green and upright. Care tips: Keep deer away by following instructions on deer deterrents or repellents. FALL PLANTING GUIDE Plan ahead for next spring by purchasing these bulbs in time for fall. Plant them at least 6 inches deep and spaced about 6 inches apart.…

MOST NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS wait until spring or summer to belt their tunes, but there are some exceptions. Pacific wrens and northern mockingbirds in certain regions are two examples of birds that sometimes start warming up in late January or early February. 200 NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS can memorize up to a whopping 200 different bird songs—and can imitate other sounds ranging from sirens to dogs barking. 50% It’s estimated that more than HALF OF THE WORLD’S BIRD SPECIES are songbirds. WHEN LISTENING to bird songs, try to note the following: the tone (is it more rich or faint?), the tempo (does it speed up or slow down?) and pitch (do the notes go higher or lower?). CLEVER BIRDERS have memorized specific bird songs by passing down mnemonic hints. A few popular…

Q How should I prune climbing roses so they spread out more evenly? Jennifer Broadstreet Hess MARION, KS Melinda: In early spring before growth begins, remove any dead, diseased or damaged canes to ground level. For climbing roses that bloom only once per year, wait until after they flower to do any additional pruning. Then remove any weak or old canes, leaving four to five healthy and vigorous stems intact. Cut back any side branches that will flower next year, leaving four or five sets of leaves. For climbing roses that bloom several times a season, do all the pruning in early spring before growth begins. Take all but three or four of the most vigorous canes to ground level. Then cut back the side branches, leaving four buds. Regularly…

Seven years ago, an exclusive nationwide committee of appointed senior ornithologists made a rare move—migrating the yellow-breasted chat from the warbler family into its own family based on genetic and physical characteristics. Finding Its Family Long known scientifically as Icteria virens, the yellow-breasted chat is now alone in a new family, Icteriidae. According to David Wiedenfeld, senior conservation scientist at the American Bird Conservancy, before that, “People thought they were really weird warblers. The vocalizations and some of their behaviors are different from any other warbler.” Importantly, they are also bigger than warblers. They’re Back The yellow-breasted chat’s numbers declined by about 32% between the mid-1960s and the late 2010s. But today, the bird is a low concern for conservation. Some states at the northern edge of the birds’ range,…

Phlox BOTANIC NAME Phlox spp. ZONES 3 or 4 to 9, depending on variety. SIZE 6 inches to 4 feet tall, depending on variety. BLOOMS Tight bunches of five-petaled flowers that come in almost every color. LEAVES Some varieties have hairy leaves, while others are smooth. Lance-shaped leaves that grow opposite each other in pairs on the stem. HOT TIP Deadheading spent flowers encourages more blooms. Dame’s rocket BOTANIC NAME Hesperis matronalis. ZONES 3 to 9. SIZE 3 feet to 4 feet tall. BLOOMS Four-petaled pink, purple or white clustered flowers. LEAVES Lance-shaped leaves that grow singly on alternating sides of the stem. Leaves are smooth. MANAGEMENT To control its spread, remove dame’s rocket before it seeds. It is a biennial that will have only foliage the first year, and…

In the late 1980s, I carved out space for my first vegetable garden from a 1-foot-wide strip of soil between my patio and a fence. I did my best to squeeze some green beans and a few tomato plants into that little space. Today, dozens of mini vegetable varieties are on the market, allowing me to squeeze even more into a small space. WHAT ARE MINI VEGETABLES? Mini vegetables are also referred to as dwarf or compact vegetables. According to Josh Kirschenbaum of PanAmerican Seed, no parameters are set for what defines a dwarf vegetable, but they are notably smaller than a standard-size plant and can perform well in a pot. Like full-size vegetable plants, dwarf or mini types usually require full sun. When they’re grown in containers, these plants…

From late May to early October, a wide variety of pollinators—bumblebees, native mason bees, over 10 wasp species, flower flies and, of course, butterflies—visit the small flower beds in our yard that we planted just for their benefit. Skippers are often overlooked in the butterfly family, including the fiery skipper pictured here. Randy Streufert LORTON, VA It wasn’t difficult to take this photo of a female fiery skipper, as numerous skippers and other butterflies took advantage of flowers at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky. Ellen Ingram MEMPHIS, TN CATERPILLAR Initially greenish before morphing into brown with a long, darker stripe down its back and several fainter stripes. A large, almost black head area is quite noticeable. Fiery skipper WINGSPAN 1 to 1 1/2 inches. MARKINGS Females…

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 get a one-year subscription to Birds & Blooms. In the March issue, we hid it on page 26. 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 24, 2024, and ends on June 18, 2024. 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…