Something special is happening in the yard, and you reach for the camera only to find there’s no remaining memory. So, you quickly delete a few old photos, rush back to the window…and sadly discover the moment has passed.
Has that ever happened to you? I use a digital camera because I’m old-school, you might say, and haven’t yet activated the cell phone. Mea culpa.
But I learned my lesson the last time I tried to catch a fleeting moment. So, I regularly go through the camera’s photos and delete most that already have been stored on the computer. When one of those special moments happens, I’m prepared! (Oh, you thought I was going to say that I had finally activated the cell phone? Some day.)
Two days after a low-ranking tornado and hailstorm blew through Elkin on 4/28/2023, a couple of strange birds showed up at the feeders. They looked like a cross between a cardinal and a towhee. Bold beak, about the same size (8″ long), black with sharply contrasting white patches on the wings, and a bright red bib. Never saw them before.
70+ mph winds gusting to ?? blew this canopy with 200 lbs. of cinderblocks, some still attached, 40′ from its original location.
A Delightful Visit
The triangular red patch is diagnostic for a mature male of this species. It’s the rose-breasted grosbeak (French gros = large), or Pheucticus ludovicianus. No surprise, rose-breasted grosbeaks are related to cardinals in the family Cardinalidae, and also to buntings.
The female is less colorful, resembling a female purple finch but 2″ larger. Her eyebrow stripe (supercilium) is white, her plumage is predominantly rich brown with white bars, and she has a spotted buff-colored chest. Male grosbeaks have a white bill, while the female’s is dull pink.
Two colorful males visited the feeders, apparently unaccompanied by females. Their song resembles that of a robin and the callnote is a sharp pink.
Aiming through the kitchen window, I took a few pictures of these beautiful birds. They hopped from one feeder to the other and to the ground, and sometimes flew into the high branches of a tall oak tree near the edge of the woods. After 15 minutes, they left.
I wonder if the high winds from the storm might have pushed them off course. Regardless, their presence in my garden provided one of the most delightful surprises this bird watcher has ever seen.
Where Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks Live
Their paths of migration in spring and autumn take them through the southeast quadrant of the U.S. Migration routes extend west from Montana to central Texas. After overwintering in Mexico, the Caribbean islands, and northwestern South America, they fly north through this part of North Carolina around early May.
These grosbeaks settle in their summer breeding grounds around deciduous forest edges and suburbs. Their summer range includes the Mid-Atlantic region and New England, west to the Dakotas and as far south as southern Missouri. They also travel farther north to the area around the Great Lakes, along the U.S./Canada border, and into central Canada.
According to the maps, rose-breasted grosbeaks might breed as far as Wilkes County in NC, where I live. The birds are more commonly spotted during the breeding season, however, farther north and in the higher elevations of a narrow strip of habitation extending through the Appalachian Mountains as far south as northern Georgia.
These birds often visit feeding stations as they migrate and throughout the year. Sunflower and safflower seeds, raw peanuts, and clean water might attract them to your garden. They also eat insects, so not spraying pesticides—but letting nature “happen”—might give you that photo op you’ve been hoping for.
Feeding and Breeding Habits of the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Rose-breasted grosbeaks feed on a wide assortment of insects and plant parts. In one study of dead birds, their stomach contents comprised 52% invertebrates (mostly beetles, also caterpillars, grubs, sawflies, bees, moths, ants, snails, and spiders), 20% wild fruits, 16% weed seeds, 6% cultivated plants, and 6% tree buds and flowers. They can catch insects in flight and occasionally sample nectar. For their young, these grosbeaks provide mostly protein-rich insects.
Both male and female rose-breasted grosbeaks select the nest site, usually located in an elevated position in tree crotches or tall shrubs. They prefer nesting and feeding near openings in a woodland.
The nest is a rather flimsy collection of twigs, leaves, roots, and animal hair. These birds lay between 1 and 5 eggs, with 3-4 being the average. Eggs are pale bluish green with reddish brown spots. Although the female does most of the nest-building and incubation, the male does participate and also helps feed the chicks. Chicks hatch after 11-14 days, fledge after 9-13 days, and gain their independence at 3 weeks of age. They have 1, sometimes 2, broods in a season.
Rose-breasted grosbeaks live an average of about 7 years in the wild. In captivity, they’ve been documented to live as long as 24 years.
They don’t winter in the piedmont of North Carolina but will again pass through the area in autumn on their way to southern lowlands and foothills. I hope to catch them on their return route to their winter grounds—with better camera shots, of course.
Two male rose-breasted grosbeaks searching for sunflower seeds.
After reading Part 1 of “Plant Trees to Transform Your Landscape”, you’ve located the best spot where a tree will shade the house from brutal summer sun. Recommendations and practices presented here are based on climate and soil in the eastern part of the United States, where I live and garden, but the basic principles apply everywhere.
If your main objectives are shade, attracting wildlife, and less grass to mow, include masses of shrubs and perennials in the landscape plan as well. This article concentrates on planting trees, the dominant features in the landscape.
Native Plants vs. the Non-Natives
The choices offered in garden centers can be narrowed down to native species and non-native, or exotic, species. Within each of those groups are the original species and the cultivars (cultivated varieties). Developed by plant breeders, cultivars exhibit more ornamental or desirable—or just different—characteristics than the species.
‘Red Filigree Lace’, a delicate cultivar of Japanese maple.
Non-native plants originated in a different country or perhaps only a few hundred miles away. If the plant doesn’t occur naturally in your geographic region, it’s non-native, although some gardeners restrict use of the term to plants evolving in another country.
There are many beautiful plants, exotic to our shores, which we’ve enjoyed in our gardens. Japanese snowbell (Styrax japonica), Stewartia pseudocamellia, and the dizzying assortment of Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) are just too hard to pass up. You can compromise, if you wish, by including both natives and exotics.
To most garden center visitors, none of this matters. We buy plants that solve problems and look pretty in our yards. But, to explain the relevance of native species, I’d like to expand the subject.
The Benefits of Native Species
First, native plants require less pampering to get them established.
Species that evolved locally can tolerate fluctuations in weather patterns. Temperature extremes, rainfall, humidity, soil types, altitude, wind patterns, and local fauna shaped today’s ecosystems.
Second, gardeners concerned about local pollinators choose plants that foster bees, butterflies, and other animals that pollinate farm crops and wild vegetation.
Every third bite of food we consume is attributable to pollinators. But, you might make the case that since most crops are alien to this country, it shouldn’t matter whether we use native or non-native trees. But we need to consider what larval insects consume, and that’s foliage and other plant parts. Thousands of species—not just bees—pollinate our farms, orchards, fields, and forests.
Egg-laying female moths and butterflies, beetles, and other insects are very selective and seek the natives they evolved with to supply sustenance for the following generation.
Incidentally, honey bees are not native to this part of the world. They will, however, forage from plants grown here, many of which are related to the plants they evolved with.
Making a Case For Single Flowers
Amaryllis with yellow pollen and white stigma.
Double amaryllis with no anthers or stigma.
Flowers attract pollinators, which reap the harvest of nectar and pollen. But many double- and triple-petaled flowers have lost their nectaries, stigmas, and/or pollen-tipped stamens. Photos above clearly illustrate the loss of reproductive parts in a double amaryllis cultivar. If these hybridized doubles and triples have lost the ability to reproduce sexually, they can’t make seeds. They must instead be propagated asexually, or vegetatively, by cuttings, division, grafts, or tissue culture.
The anthers, supported by filaments, bear the pollen; the male portion of the flower, collectively, is called the stamen. Female parts comprise the stigma, supported by the style, and the ovary, with its ovules, deeper within the receptacle; the female portion is called the pistil.
Not all dense flower heads are pollinator wastelands, though. Species in the Asteraceae family, for example, have flowers that normally look full. This family includes all the composites, such as aster, coneflower, daisy, dandelion, rudbeckia, and sunflower. Their dense inflorescences are composed of small florets arranged in a head, called a capitulum. But the original species also have the necessary reproductive parts. The composites are one of the most successful groups of plants and are found on every continent except Antarctica.
At a local garden center last year, I watched bumble bees that were quick to land on thickly-petaled hybrid red coneflowers (Echinacea). They were equally hasty in their departure! The bees stayed on the red flowers for a fraction of a second, while they lingered on the less frilly flowers of other cultivars, mining several florets in each flower for their treasure.
Pollinators waste precious energy visiting barren double-flowered hybrids. True, not all doubles lack nectar and pollen. For the pollinators’ sake, though, select more species or varieties with simple flowers. Natural selection favors plants that set seed, of course, which is why most native plants have simpler flowers.
Photos below show examples of single-flowering cultivars. If you see a boss of stamens and pistils in the flowers, those plants can probably supply pollen and nectar to the pollinators. This is a fine point, granted, but one that is critically important to populations of pollinators, given the preponderance of double-flowering hybrids at garden centers.
Bumble bee on perennial aster.
Pollinator on fruit tree.
Purple coneflower (Echinacea) with bumble bee.
Third, planting a multitude of native species helps secure the future of threatened or endangered insects and animals.
In many regions, songbird populations have declined by half due to human intervention. Some have disappeared entirely. Trees and shrubs that provide shelter, nesting sites, berries or seeds, and which host insects, can help bring back the birds. Abundant biodiversity is a valid protection against the domino collapse of interdependent species.
Civilization has claimed much of the insects’ natural environments, so each of us can play a small part in rebuilding habitats. Annual butterfly counts show drastic declines. Monarch butterflies, in particular, now have less territory available in Mexico, a major overwintering site, than in the past, when they migrated by the millions.
Maintaining brush piles for overwintering insects and animals will help repopulate your landscape early in the season. Hauling those materials off to the recycling center, however, is sure death for the insects tucked inside. Fewer insects = fewer birds and other animals.
Fourth, incorporating native plants into the landscape helps keep the entire food chain intact.
A green anole basking in morning sun.
Insects feeding on plants become food for frogs, lizards, birds, and mammals. They, in turn, become food for snakes, hawks, foxes, and other predators. In many ecosystems, insects native to the region are the foundation on which the entire food chain is based.
A rich diversity of plant material supports an enormous number of insect and animal species. Left undisturbed, populations find a balance among themselves. On the other hand, life in monoculture, such as a lawn, is sparse. Unfortunately, countless urban and suburban neighborhoods have become dead zones with all their natural vegetation bulldozed to the ground.
As we spray, mow, burn, or build in natural environments, species will continue their rapid decline. Certainly, we need places to live and work, but we can also “give back” by planting for wildlife instead of continually killing it off.
Check with your state’s native plant society,native plant finders, BeeCity USA, and the local agricultural extension service for information. In addition to these sources, find a knowledgeable salesperson at the garden center for practical advice and sources of plant material. Garden shows might feature vendors specializing in native plants as this branch of horticulture grows.
Native Species and Nativars
Red fall color in a native white oak tree.
Plant breeders have brought to the marketplace many cultivars of our native species. These nativars might have purple or red foliage instead of green, or double flowers instead of single. Perhaps they mature at a shorter height than the original species, making them a better fit for small properties.
Garden centers often stock varieties of native species, although those selling native plants might also stock the original species. By a comfortable margin, though, most of the trees and shrubs in U.S. garden centers are cultivars of non-native species. Many originated in Asia, a treasure trove of tempting horticultural novelties.
Red Leaves and Wildlife
Red fall color and flower buds on native flowering dogwood.
Many trees develop red or burgundy fall foliage. Species native to the eastern U.S. with red fall foliage include sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), red maple (Acer rubrum), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red oaks (Quercus rubra, Q. coccinea), and white oak (Quercus alba).
Red- or purple-leaved cultivars sporting this color all summer are in high demand at garden centers. But if the point of planting trees and shrubs is for wildlife, we want to be sure the plants we choose will attract them. Each plant species has a particular menu of chemical compounds in their tissues that either attract or repel insects and animals. Organisms evolved a tolerance for these compounds…or they didn’t!
Purple and red leaves often repel insects due to their high levels of anthocyanins, the red pigments in the foliage. So, that defeats the purpose, doesn’t it? Not necessarily; these trees might have had green leaves that hosted insects before leaves turned red. Or insects simply tolerate the red pigments.
Oak trees support huge numbers of insects, birds, and mammals at various times during the year. This one genus, Quercus, hosts hundreds of species of moths and butterflies, although they often turn red in the fall.
Before planting a cultivar that stays red all season, though, find out if insects, such as mature caterpillars, will eat the leaves. This indicates that it could host insects for their entire life cycle. If all the larvae are tiny, however, when some larger individuals are expected, most might have crawled off to greener pastures.
If bees spend time working a flower and don’t fly off immediately after landing, that plant could be a good choice. Similarly, holes in the leaves indicate that the plant can host insects. Resources at the local university’s entomology department or botanical garden might have information that could help you choose plants that support wildlife.
The Untold Story
I’ve been packing the past couple of weeks, preparing to move to a rural location in northern North Carolina. I took a break from the work and sat on the deck, listening to the birds and insects.
One of those sounds was the hum of an approaching ruby-throated hummingbird, the only species summering in this area. Four feet away, and less than 4″ long, this tiny bird landed on a twig of the potted native dogwood tree, sitting right next to me. He then hovered near the flower buds (photo, above, with last year’s fall color), and I could see his tongue working the buds, one after another. These buds are tightly closed, yet he found something worth gathering, despite the presence of other flowers nearby.
Within a minute, another hummingbird arrived for the same reason, apparently. The two tiny birds fought for feeding rights, and the second one flew away after some impressive aerial maneuvering among the twigs. The first hummingbird continued searching for hidden sustenance held inside those buds. I’ve never seen this behavior.
My point is this: there’s much about the natural world that remains unobserved—a mystery to us—perhaps lending more credibility to the importance of using native plants in our gardens. (This section added 10/6/21.)
Deciduous Trees For the Eastern U.S.
Here’s a partial list of native and non-native trees that support wildlife. Large deciduous shrubs can substitute for trees in smaller spaces. Many other species might suit your purpose, so visit a few nurseries to see what’s available.
Most trees are sold in large plastic nursery pots, although you might also see freshly dug trees with their roots wrapped in burlap (“b&b”, or balled and burlapped).
American hop hornbeam (Ostrya)
basswood (Tilia)
birch (Betula)
black gum (Nyssa)
Carolina silverbell (Halesia)
chaste tree (Vitex)
cherry and plum (Prunus)
crabapple (Malus)
crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia)
dogwood (Cornus)
franklin tree (Franklinia)
fringe tree (Chionanthus)
hornbeam (Carpinus)
magnolia (Magnolia)
maple (Acer)
oak (Quercus)
poplar, cottonwood (Populus)
redbud (Cercis)
serviceberry (Amelanchier)
sourwood (Oxydendrum)
willow (Salix)
winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
witch hazel (Hamamelis)
Native red maple can have yellow, orange, or red fall color.
Most of the trees listed above have small- or medium-sized species or varieties. Compare suitability of native and non-native species within the genus. The familiar weeping willow, for example, is non-native and quite messy in the landscape. But smaller native willows behave better and host a large number of moths and butterflies.
Research disease resistance, flowers for pollinators, fruits for animals, sun or shade preferences, and soil types. Consider planting species that drop excessive amounts of fruit, acorns, or seedpods farther from the house and paved surfaces.
Also look into the tree’s habit of growth. A specimen with horizontal branches softens the strong vertical lines of a house. Pay close attention to utility poles and wires. Don’t plant trees near them that the utility company will butcher in future years.
Trees with invasive surface roots should be reserved for areas far from structures, pipes, and vegetable gardens. Find out from your town how close to the street or the property line you’re permitted to plant trees. Don’t forget to call 8-1-1 to locate underground utilities before digging.
Chionanthus, the fringe tree (photo, below), is a beautiful bloomer for gardens. This multi-stem plant has 2 species commonly available (C. virginicus, C. retusus), one native and the other from Asia. Male plants have larger flowers, but females set deep blue fruits for birds. The plants, however, are rarely sexed at the nursery.
Fringe tree.
The Hollies
Gardeners have used hollies in gardens for centuries. We can choose among deciduous and evergreen species.
The hollies (Ilex spp.) are another genus of primarily dioecious (Latin for “two houses”) plants that fruit on female plants. They ordinarily require a male plant, or pollenizer, to set fruit, although holly pollenizers (the males) themselves do not set fruit. Modern breeding techniques have yielded several cultivars that can make berries without pollination.
Ask your nursery salesperson for specifics regarding the need for pollenizers and how close they should be planted to female hollies. Choose the male hollies carefully; they must be closely related to the female holly and bloom at the same time. Incidentally, holly flowers are often nicely fragrant, and the bees love them! Just don’t shear them off after the buds have formed. Pruning should be minimal if you want flowers and fruits. And bees.
The Curious Case of Crape Myrtle
The Imperial moth.
Lagerstroemia indica is an extremely popular landscape tree or shrub in USDA zones 7-9. Crape myrtle, from China and Korea, was first introduced to the southeastern U.S. over 200 years ago. Adapting readily to our hot, humid summers and sometimes drought, it blooms for months despite the adversity.
What makes this non-native plant peculiar is a native moth’s preference for its leaves even when offered a multitude of its local favorites. Last year, I raised caterpillars of the huge Imperial moth. They went for the crape myrtle every time, ignoring all the others. Unless female moths instinctively target this species to host their young, the caterpillars will not likely eat these trees to the bone any time soon.
Several songbirds, including American goldfinches and juncos, feed on the seedpods.
Evergreens
You might prefer an evergreen specimen instead of a tree that drops its leaves in autumn. Look into arborvitae, chamaecyparis, hemlock, certain holly species, juniper, pine, rhododendron, spruce, and yew. Consider the shade evergreens will cast in winter, and whether sunlight might be blocked from entering windows or melting ice on the driveway.
Although not all evergreens are native to this part of the country, they make suitable nesting places and provide shelter in inclement weather. A dense border of evergreens can block fierce winter wind for a considerable distance downwind.
Soon after moving into the Maryland house in the 1980’s, I planted a chamaecyparis with deep green whorled foliage. Although it was supposed to get only 6′ tall according to the nursery, it grew to about 20′, when it was cut down by the people who bought the house from me. I left it in the front yard because birds raised a few families among its evergreen branches every year. And it looked gorgeous in the snow.
Chamaecyparis on the right, after 2010 blizzard. Sourwood on the left.
Good Looks
If you’re landscaping purely for aesthetics, plant a tree with characteristics that appeal to you. It’s your property, after all. Besides, all trees provide cover and nesting opportunities, even if they’re passed up by caterpillars.
Perhaps elsewhere you could grow perennials that offer food to wildlife. Planting a bed of milkweeds among the shrubs, for example, will help the monarch butterflies (photo, below).
While you might not consider insects important in your landscape, and, in fact, have invested considerable time and expense eradicating them, they are primary links in the food chain. A healthy landscape hosts a complex assortment of insects and animals. And with the rate at which natural habitats are losing out to development, it’s no wonder we see fewer ladybugs, butterflies, and songbirds in our neighborhoods.
Creating welcoming landscapes provides resting places for migrating birds. But they need natural corridors all along their path in order to find food and perching opportunities. We can help by planting at least part of our property with them in mind—every one of us! Provide food, water, and trees to rest in, and you might catch a glimpse of a bird you’ve never seen before.
I urge you to adopt a new attitude toward welcoming wildlife. You don’t need 10 acres to make a difference. A well-planted fraction of an acre will encourage many kinds of insects and animals to reside there. If you let them eat your plants and the sprayer hasn’t been used once this year, well done!
Monarch butterfly on milkweed.
Before Planting Trees
Let’s imagine a 2-story house and an appropriately proportional medium-sized tree. Your landscape plan calls for locating this tree off the southwest corner in the front of the house.
To prevent branches from rubbing against the siding in the future, you’ll want to plant the tree far enough from the house. Divide the mature spread of the tree by 2. Because plants tend to grow larger than the dimensions printed on the label, add a few feet to the measurement. So, a tree with a mature spread of 25-30′ should be planted 15′ or more from the corner.
While that little tree might look lonely out there, it will grow. Maybe that’s the extent of your garden project this fall. Or perhaps you’d like to develop a full garden on that side of the house with an underplanting of shrubs, perennials, and ground covers.
Walking a pathway through the garden to the side yard will feel like a walk through a park. This is a good solution where space is limited between your house and the neighbor’s. Consider your neighbor, though, and don’t plant too close to the property line. Perhaps the two of you could create an appealing garden that fills the space between both houses.
But first, it’s soil prep…please turn to page 2…
Headings:
Page 1: Are You Ready To Plant Trees?, Native Plants vs. the Non-Natives (The Benefits of Native Species, Native Species and Nativars, Red Leaves and Wildlife, The Untold Story), Deciduous Trees For the Eastern U.S. (The Hollies, The Curious Case of Crape Myrtle, Evergreens), Good Looks, and Before Planting Trees
Page 2: Soil Preparation For Trees (Slope, Outline the Bed, Heavy Clay, “How Deep?”, Adding Amendments, Organic Matter, and Time To Plant Trees (Trees In Pots, B&B Trees, Backfill, Edge, Mulch, And Water)
Early spring offerings at the garden center where I worked for a few years.
Early Spring Activities
This is my favorite time of the year…when winter transitions into spring. In this USDA zone 7b location, in southern North Carolina, warm spring weather might alternate with cold rainy days, but the trend, at least, is going in the right direction.
Give the gardens some time to dry somewhat before working in the soil. Walking on wet soil will collapse the minute air tunnels that help the soil drain. We’ve had so much rain through the winter that gardening activities might best be limited to growing plants in pots for now.
For the Birds
Yesterday, after working on the potted plants outdoors, I sat for a few minutes just to listen to the songbirds calling to each other. Cardinals, goldfinches, Carolina wrens, chipping sparrows, tufted titmice, and robins are communicating with their mates or looking for new ones. A delightful soundtrack!
In early spring of last year, a pair of wrens built their nest in an empty 6″ pot (photos, below), sitting on a plant stand. This location is under an overhang and faces south, creating a warm microclimate. The deer netting stopped raccoons from climbing the stand, but it didn’t deter the birds.
The wrens and nuthatches, in particular, normally come to the feeders only a few feet away from where I pot up plants. Unfortunately, the wrens abandoned the nest after laying eggs, even though they were comfortable having me around. It appeared that a snake must have scared them off. Occasional disappointments are par for the course in the natural world. The eggs were cold when I found them and wouldn’t have hatched.
The wrens are now investigating the pots stored under the potting table, so I moved one to the plant stand.
The wrens collected moss, dry leaves, pine needles.
Building the nest.
Keeping the eggs warm.
The abandoned nest and a snake skin.
Replanting the Wire Hanging Basket
The Basket and the Liner
A 16″ wire hanging basket has hung on the shepherd’s hook in the front garden for 5 or 6 years. It’s planted with a few perennials and a rotating cast of colorful characters. For fall through mid-spring, I add pansies and violas, and then replace them with heat tolerant annuals for the summer.
This time, instead of buying another coco liner that the birds will instantly pick to shreds, I used a large fabric pot that had been idly hanging around the shed for years. After planting and installing it on the hook, I wrapped the completed basket with deer netting to prevent the kind of damage they can do.
The heavy synthetic material was cut and shaped, and the excess was later trimmed to just above the rim. The material is similar to landscape fabric, but sturdier. So, I wasn’t concerned about the liner slumping through the wires. Nor am I concerned that the birds would steal it! Water will drain through without taking any soil with it. It doesn’t look bad, after smoothing the sides. In fact, I now prefer it over coco liner!
More Options
So, maybe you have something that can be repurposed to use in your wire baskets. A couple of layers of porous landscape fabric or heavy burlap probably would work as well. I was prepared to tie black deer netting inside the basket to support the liner, but it wasn’t needed.
When planting wire baskets, I always add a layer of plastic inside the liner to help slow evaporation. It also delays decomposition when using a coco liner. Poke several holes in the lower third of the plastic to allow for drainage. But keeping the lowest 1″ to 1 1/2″ intact will provide a small reservoir of water for thirsty plants on a hot summer day.
Add Some Color For Early Spring Plantings
On one of my daytrips to northern North Carolina last autumn, I bought a few packs of pansies and violas from Beautiful Earth Garden Shop on NC 704 in Lawsonville, North Carolina. (Phone 336 593-1083; call for hours.) Well, I never got around to planting them, so they overwintered on the covered porch. Rabbits helped themselves to the flowers as they opened. But the plants look fine, and it was time to give them a proper home.
Help wanted!
I replaced about 1/3 of the soil in the basket with fresh potting soil. The new soil contains a fair amount of peat moss, which provides the acidity these plants need. The pansies and violas will fill the spaces between the existing heuchera, variegated pachysandra, and acorus.
Golden creeping jenny (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’) replaces the English ivy that the deer yanked out of the pot. Chartreuse foliage spreads wherever it wants and will trail over the sides. These existing perennials already have started growing during this early spring weather. Creeping jenny spreads rapidly in moist soil, so take care if you prefer not letting it escape to the garden.
I’ll enjoy this arrangement until warm weather settles in, and when summer annuals will be planted in all new potting soil. Violas and pansies die in hot temperatures but can be grown again in late summer/autumn. In this climate, they’ll survive the winter and flower most of that time.
Trimming old growth.
All planted and trimmed.
I like this fabric pot as a liner.
The same basket, 3 weeks after planting.
And Edibles for Early Spring
Spinach ‘Monstrueux de Viroflay’
Last year’s spinach ‘Monstrueux de Viroflay’.
Also called ‘Monster of Viroflay’, this is my favorite spinach to grow in pots. A few plants sown last fall remain in a 14″ wide bowl (6″ deep), so I added more seeds and some fresh potting soil around them. The seeds are 4 years old, so they might germinate…but they might not (…they didn’t).
Spinach, lettuce, and other greens are among the easiest crops to grow from seed, either in pots or in the garden. All seeded pots outside must be covered with deer netting to protect them from perpetually hungry chipmunks, mice, birds, and squirrels.
Oxalates and Kidney Stones
This spinach, a French heirloom dating back to 1866, has huge leaves and a milder flavor than the smaller-leaved varieties. It also has lower levels of oxalates, which, for some, are a concern. If you get kidney stones, ask your doctor, and also ask about kidney pH levels.
A diet high in animal proteins tends to lead to an acidic (or low) pH. On the other hand, those consuming a primarily plant-based diet have higher (more alkaline) pH levels. People with acidic systems are more likely to develop kidney stones.
We’re all different, of course. And to further complicate matters, our bodies make oxalates, some absorb more than others, and certain gut bacteria consume them!
Broccoli
This year, I bought a variety called ‘Lieutenant’. It was the only one the garden center had. The label says “few side shoots”, which is a disadvantage since those smaller side shoots can prolong the harvest for weeks or months. But I’ll try it. I planted 4 of them in a 20″ wide pot, in soil well enriched with composted manure.
As broccoli grows, I’ll harvest a lower leaf now and then to add to soup or a stir-fry. Super nutritious.
(***Update***: Although I’ve grown broccoli twice a year in these pots for a few years, this crop of ‘Lieutenant’ was rather disappointing. May 2021)
Lettuce
Lettuce ‘Red Sails’.
I planted a few ‘Red Sails’ from the cell pack into a 12″ wide pot. This red and green leaf lettuce is more heat tolerant than many and should keep producing for quite a long time. Even so, lettuce prefers cool weather and can be planted in late winter in southeastern U.S. Red-leaved lettuces have more beneficial antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, than green lettuces.
Pick the outer leaves and let the center of the plant continue growing. When it turns bitter or goes to flower, that’s the end of lettuce in the garden until the weather cools again in autumn. Regularly fertilizing all greens with fish emulsion or some other high nitrogen product provides nutrients for steady growth.
Sharp-tipped pine cones and deer netting discourage animals from burying seeds from the bird feeder.
Strawberries For Early Spring Planting
Strawberry ‘Ozark Beauty’.
In bloom, 3 weeks later.
The garden center also had strawberry plants, which looked very healthy. I planted all 4 ‘Ozark Beauty’ plants in a 12″ pot. Yes, that is tight. There’s limited space where I currently live, so this is just a fun experiment. Later, a larger garden will be planted with lots of berries and other perennial edibles.
When transplanting strawberries, be sure to keep the crown at or slightly above the soil surface (photo, above), not buried. Before long, big ripe berries will join me for breakfast, even though the first few weeks of flowers should be removed. This is another plant that will need to be netted. Everyone wants ripe strawberries.
***Update***: I harvested about 15 yummy strawberries this season. The first few were delicious and large, followed by smaller berries. It’s recommended to remove all flowers during the early weeks, but, for this pot, I just let them grow…and set fruit. June 2021
No, these did not grow on the potted plant.
* * * * * * * * *
I need a good-sized pot to grow snap peas on a trellis, and another for dinosaur kale. Maybe I’ll find them under the potting table, before they’re claimed by our local wrens.
This is just the beginning. There are so many cool season crops, from seeds or transplants, that can be grown in containers. Ask your local agricultural extension agent for early spring recommendations tailored to your climate.
Fall weather has debuted in most regions of the northern temperate zone. And frost has kissed the peaks of the higher elevations in western North Carolina. But, before you gather the tools, the leaf bags, and the kids for the fall cleanup, consider being a little less tidy this year. I’ll explain how to do this when constructing a few brush piles in the garden.
“What? Why?” you might ask. Sure, the gardens always look neat and orderly after the fall cleanup, while the plants remain dormant and bare. But at what cost?
While cooling weather invigorates, it also sends signals to local wildlife that they must prepare for winter, or they will perish. Food and water for those remaining active, shelter from the elements, and protection from predators will become life-or-death issues for these organisms over the coming months.
Plants benefit from a layer of organic matter on the ground below them. It insulates their root systems from severe cold and holds moisture in the soil. A covering over the soil also prevents topsoil from blowing away. As the material decomposes, plants absorb valuable nutrients. This natural mulch also provides nutrients for earthworms and soil microbes, which contribute to the biological health of the soil. “I’m with you so far, Mother Nature.”
“Okay, so I’ll mulch the gardens.” Well…that’s better than nothing, but it’s not quite the same.
And Here’s Why:
This caterpillar mimics a dogwood twig.
In each region, thousands of species of beneficial spiders, insects, and other animals rely on that garden debris over the harsh winter months. It protects them from temperature extremes, icy storms, and desiccation. It protects them from certain death, which is inevitable when that debris is hauled off to the recycling center.
Imagine how many butterfly chrysalises or praying mantis eggs will be carted off to their doom. Or the enormous number of native bees seeking refuge inside and among dead plant stems.
And what’s the buzzword of the decade in gardening circles around the world? Right: Pollinators! But are we doing them a favor by removing them and the debris they’re sheltering in? We are not.
What We Can Do About It
Dormant insects remaining on the property, protected in brush piles all winter, will restock the garden in the spring. Otherwise, the landscape is pretty lifeless, until bees, beetles, butterflies, and moths gradually move back to your garden months later. But there won’t be nearly as many of them if so many were removed with the fall cleanup.
Begin construction of new brush piles by mid- to late summer. Caterpillars crawling around will find them suitable resting places and pupate among the twigs for a long winter nap. Some insects overwinter as adults, briefly emerging on warm winter days to feed. Leaving the shelters in place all year, however, is the best option, and one which benefits many insects and animals.
Consider letting nature behave closer to the way it was intended, the way it evolved over time. Who doesn’t want more butterflies and birds flying around the garden? This complex web of life in your own neighborhood will improve as a result. More insects to pollinate the vegetables, fruit trees, and natural stands of vegetation. And more food for frogs and baby birds. More beauty, more interest, more life!
Brush Piles For the Birds
Carolina wren, a tiny bird with a mighty voice.
Birds (including wrens, cardinals, juncos, thrashers, robins, sparrows, mourning doves, and towhees) often forage close to the ground. All my life, I’ve been fascinated by birds and by all of nature. We’ve watched them search through leaf litter and brush piles for worms, seeds, insects, and other sources of food. They also will find materials for nest-building activities in late winter and spring.
Some birds seek shelter among the piles of twigs when storms blow in. And they’re handy places to hide when predatory hawks are spotted overhead. Wrens are particularly active around these structures, so you might want to construct one within view of the house.
Any Other Benefits?
There are ecological benefits of keeping in place the biomass produced on your property. Considering the “carbon footprint”, nature’s mulch is an improvement on bringing in bagged mulch that had to be processed and transported to your retailer and then to your home.
Truth be told, though, I often used mulch in gardens that I installed for customers. But I also planted a variety of evergreen and deciduous material, flowering plants, and ground covers. These gardens hosted a rich assortment of indigenous insects and animals, even after the fall cleanup.
And, of course, you won’t need as many of those yard bags often seen lining residential curbsides. Imagine the savings in resources by making brush piles on your property: plastic bags, paper bags, and time, gasoline, and money spent picking up mulch or paying the town to recycle garden debris. Recycling is better than the landfill, but not removing debris from the property is even better.
Another bonus is the compost that gathers under the pile as organic materials break down. Scoop it out and use it in the vegetable garden or in potted plants. Replenish with leaves and twigs as the material reduces to compost. You might want to start a separate compost pile for leaves, weeds, twigs, and kitchen vegetable scraps and eggshells. Or simply bury the kitchen scraps in a hole in the garden. If earthworms are active, they’ll consume it within a week or two.
It’s entertaining, for many of us, to watch the birds on a cold winter day. Provide a source of clean water and a bird feeder to attract them to your yard.
Undisturbed environments provide habitat for overwintering insects and animals.
“But what will the neighbors say?”
I realize this requires a leap of tradition to implement. One suggestion is to edge the beds and to keep grass neatly mown. Plant up a few colorful pots for the summer and winter seasons. This will indicate that the gardener living there does care about her property and that her brush piles are intentional. Maybe the neighbors will take a cue and do likewise; mention the pollinators! And the carbon footprint!
If space permits, keep a few brush piles in the back yard, out of public view. If you have space only in the front, perhaps you can hide your Pollinator Palace behind some shrubs.
Suburban Life
Now, if you have a homeowner’s association to deal with, you can keep the front yard looking presentable and still be ecologically correct. Even in the city, constructing attractive twig sculptures as “garden art” can serve several purposes at the same time. I’ve seen twigs and leaves molded into animal shapes and simple mounds.
During the fall cleanup, rake or use a mulching mower and direct the chopped leaves under the trees and shrubs and into flower gardens. Smaller pieces of material decompose faster and are less conspicuous. Then place a 1″-2″ layer of shredded hardwood mulch or pine bark nuggets over the chopped leaves. Nice and tidy. Earthworms will feast on those leafy bits while the worms are still active, and insects will hide in the debris.
Move fallen twigs and dead stems to the piles out of view. If you’re absolutely overwhelmed with too much material, choose which parts will go to the recycling center. But if you notice a mantis egg case or butterfly chrysalises, cut those parts of the stems and add them to your brush pile or tuck them among the shrubs.
Replacing Grass with Mixed Plantings
Making brush piles is a natural part of the fall cleanup in rural areas. But many of us live where expansive lawns, trees, and HOA’s predominate. By adding shrub borders and undergrowth, though, more birds, mammals, and insects will make your garden their home.
A verdant, layered landscape naturally provides more opportunities for insects and animals to find food and shelter.This kind of environment supports the rich biodiversity that is becoming increasingly rare as suburbs gobble up more territory. We can help by providing conditions that attract wildlife: food and water, shelter, and places to raise offspring. For starters, let the dandelions bloom! If you see a large area of clover, mow around it and let the honey bees collect nectar and pollen. And, of course, avoid using pesticides in the landscape.
Replacing grass with trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs, and annuals gives me the greatest satisfaction. And, no, it doesn’t have to look like “a jungle out there”. Well-designed and diversified borders are very attractive, and they bring biological activity within view. They also add to the property value!
Being connected to nature is an innate need that benefits us psychologically. And shrub borders afford a measure of privacy in communities where houses line up with little space in between.
You’ll enjoy seasonal blooms, dazzling fall color, winter structure, and the promise of spring in delicately unfolding leaves. While we enjoy the beauty of the garden, the wildlife will have found a welcoming home for generations to come.
Brush Piles: Basic Construction
There’s no formula for building these brush piles. Frankly, anything will work. Make it large enough, though. Several feet on each side will do, and 2′ or 3′ tall to begin with. Smaller lodgings will function well enough for pupating insects.
If you have the space, however, construct something more substantial. A large twiggy brush pile in the old Maryland garden discouraged deer from jumping over the fence in that location. And all kinds of animals found food and shelter there.
Removing all the dead stems and leaves during the fall cleanup severely reduces populations of these little critters. Advancing up the food chain, fewer caterpillars and beetles means less food for larger insects, frogs, and birds…which means less food for snakes, bigger birds, and foxes. So, that means less life overall in the garden.
Several habitats around a spacious yard are better than one big brush pile. Think of a little caterpillar roaming around, looking for a place to pupate in late summer. Close, in his case, is better than far.
Caterpillars are in a race against time when looking for their winter homes. As masters of camouflage, chrysalises often look like dead leaves or sticks, blending in with the surroundings. But caterpillars traveling a greater distance have a higher risk of being consumed by predators.
The gulf fritillary’s chrysalis (photo, above) is difficult to detect on plants that are dying down in autumn. Unfortunately, this one pupated on the door frame, and ended up as dinner for a local lizard.
The Process
Oak leaves keep a more open, airy structure.
First, lay down a bed of fallen leaves. Then pile large branches on the leaves, and add twigs, and more leaves on top. Add some perennial stems from the front yard, and the frosted zinnias and seedy marigolds. Simple!
Add more branches, leaves, and twigs through the season. The shelter doesn’t need to be airtight. Insects and animals will find nooks and crannies to hide in. Adding a layer of evergreen boughs on top and on the windward side will help keep the pile dry for the inhabitants inside.
Keep some openings large enough for birds to enter when they need shelter from a predator. Chipmunks, mice, toads, and reptiles also will enjoy your efforts. Some are likely to hibernate in the soil under the brush pile.
The old potting soil from the summer pots can be used in the gardens, where organic components will continue to break down and improve the soil. Or place it on the windy side of the shelter.
Perennials In Place, Then To the Brush Piles
Purple coneflower (Echinacea) with bumble bee.
Pollinators on goldenrod (Solidago).
Two varieties of tickseed (Coreopsis).
Sedum seedheads.
If possible, let the herbaceous perennials, such as black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta, R. fulgida), coneflower (Echinacea), tickseed (Coreopsis), goldenrod (Solidago), asters, and ornamental grasses remain in place as they go dormant. Bees and other pollinators will busily collect pollen and nectar as long as the flowers produce it. Birds will pick at the seedheads in autumn and winter.
Insects that fed on plants during the summer will shelter or lay eggs on or near them for next year’s generation. A good time to cut back the dead plant stems is in late winter or early spring, just before new growth begins. If you must remove the stems earlier, add them to the brush piles. But leaving the dead plants standing in place distributes the habitats—and the sheltering wildlife—throughout the property.
A green anole basking in morning sun, NC.
Insect on Itea virginica.
An Attitude Adjustment
While the fall cleanup has been the normal practice for generations of homeowners, the consequences include diminished populations of wildlife.Most of the plants that feed us and animal life require insects to pollinate them. Disposing overwintering insects in enormous bags for curbside pickup, however, eliminates huge numbers of beneficial organisms.
And then we wonder why there aren’t as many fireflies and ladybugs, moths and butterflies, frogs, lizards, and birds as there were in generations past.
Fewer caterpillars and beetles will support fewer toads and birds. It’s as simple as that. Bird populations in several types of ecosystems are disappearing at an astonishingly rapid rate. Loss of habitat is part of the cause, but we can start to reverse that trend by simply adopting a fresh attitude toward wildlife. Appreciate it. Encourage it. Nurture it. Where you live.
Watch Douglas W. Tallamy’s videos or pick up a copy of his book, Bringing Nature Home, for inspiration and lists of plants that attract wildlife. Also, there are loads of pictures of insects, and a strong emphasis on using native plants. On the back cover:
“…Douglas Tallamy presents a powerful and compelling illustration of how the choices we make as gardeners can profoundly impact the diversity of life in our yards, towns and on our planet.”
Around the corner, white daffodils bloomed incredibly early—on New Year’s Day! A neighbor’s hellebore, or Lenten rose, was in full flower at the same time, and the local cherry trees (photo, above) have been covered in pink for weeks starting in January. Forsythias are beginning to flower, and the bulbs are coming up thick and healthy after all this rain.
Daffodils in February, Cane Creek Park, Waxhaw NC.
At some point in the early months of the year, seasonal signals indicate the coming of warmer weather to this USDA zone 7b (borderline 8a) area. Flowers popped open this morning that weren’t there yesterday. The grass is greener. Songbirds are more vocal than they were last month. And on blueberries and other shrubs, leaf and flower buds are plumping up, preparing to push those bud scales aside. Mother Nature puts on quite a show in spring, my favorite season.
Maybe there are other indicators that you look for in your landscape. First snake sighting? Migrating birds flying north? Moths flitting around the porch light at night?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (the National Weather Service) predicts a greater chance for above normal temperatures over the next 3 months (spring, 2020). This prediction is for the southwest U.S., across the south, and partway up the Atlantic coast. Northern Alaska has a high probability of higher than normal temperatures. Check NOAA’s map for your region’s long-term temperature and precipitation forecasts.
Wood hyacinth, Hyacinthoides hispanica, in January.
Punxsutawney Phil
A woodchuck.
This year, Punxsutawney Phil, the prognosticating rodent, concurred with NOAA’s forecast, calling for an early spring. Phil would be wise to check with NOAA every year before making his Groundhog Day predictions; his accuracy is below 40%. And there are only 2 possibilities: shadow, no shadow!
This tradition, celebrated in the United States and Canada, dates back to 1887, and is a fun, although not terribly accurate, test that helps build anticipation for spring.
Phil is one of several groundhogs, or woodchucks, around the country called upon to presage the coming weather. After being awakened at dawn on February 2, if he does not cast a shadow, the tradition dictates, spring will come early. The alternative is six more weeks of winter. Well…six weeks from Groundhog Day falls in mid-March. So, mid-March (“six more weeks of winter”) and early spring, as I see it, are the same thing. I guess you’d have to define “early”.
What? Snow?!
Squirrel takes all.
For a couple of hours on Saturday, I was mesmerized by a wet snow. We haven’t had any snow here this winter, and I just love to watch it. I also have to go outside and feel it. Then a beautiful Cooper’s hawk came for a visit. The question is…would he swoop down for one of the birds at our back yard bird feeder?
Earlier, I put outside a spoonful of peanut butter, suet, more seed, and whatever we had collected in the “bird cup”. This container sits on the kitchen counter, and is where we put crumbs, withered blueberries, strawberry tops, older peanuts, and anything else that might interest the birds. These morsels go into the box (photo, right) near the bird feeder, and the birds share this bounty with squirrels and various marauders in the night.
I didn’t cover the emerging bulbs to protect them from snow. Daffodils, hyacinths, and wood hyacinths get through this time of the year just fine with no help from me.
The Birds are Changing Their Tune
A male northern cardinal.
The local birds recently have been singing in what I call “the key of procreation”. When the birds change their tune, spring isn’t far behind. There’s something almost magical about birdsong at this time of the year. I love to hear it.
Northern cardinals, Carolina wrens, tufted titmice…they all have spring calls that are distinctly different from chirps and melodies sung later. These calls help unite young breeding pairs and reunite mated partners after a separation.
The hawk showed up, though, and everything suddenly went very quiet. He sat in the trees for two hours, his plumage camouflaged by the browns and grays of tree trunks and branches. But he did not make an attempt to catch lunch on the fly.
There are plenty of hiding places for the birds, and they were aware of the hawk’s presence. Birds warn each other of this kind of threat by issuing alarm chirps.
Daffodils and Deer
Some of the yellow daffodils on the berm are beginning to bloom, although recent wind (a tornado, actually) laid them nearly flat to the ground. I planted these bulbs several years ago, and it’s always a pleasure to see their green shoots emerge in January or February. But this winter, they began rising in late December.
Deer resting among the untouched daffodils.
Deer regularly pass by them as they travel the berm, but they never eat them. All parts of daffodils are poisonous to warm-blooded animals. But bees and other pollinators looking for pollen and nectar when not much is available appreciate the early blooming bulbs, brassicas, and fruit trees.
The bulbs’ foliage is the only ground-level greenery in that area for now. It’s a small thrill to see these bulbs thriving up there, and a bigger one watching the deer walk around them! (***Update***: Several deer rested all morning on the berm, among the blooming daffodils. They sniffed but didn’t eat the flowers. Feb. 14, 2020.)
If deer have eaten every one of your cherished tulips, you’ll have greater success with daffodils.
The Edibles
Miniature broccoli ‘Aspabroc’.
We had a very mild winter. True—it’s not over. But I covered the broccoli, the kale, and the green onions on only a few nights. Although these plants can tolerate temperatures into the teens, I prefer to protect them below 25°F. This keeps their foliage in great shape. And the green onions would be very difficult to pull from frozen soil!
The microclimate created by the corner between the house and the shed keeps the deck a few degrees warmer than out in the open. Maybe there’s a sunny corner where you can tuck in a few pots of winter greens. Or you might be able to dig a small garden next to a south-facing brick wall.
It won’t be long before you’ll see small pots of hardy cool season greens showing up at the garden center. You can get a head start and plant seeds indoors now for many of these plants.
Mustard greens from last year’s spring garden volunteered in the front garden by mid-summer. The Italian parsley is growing large, and, recently, I picked a few substantial stems of ‘Aspabroc’ miniature broccoli for dinner. The ‘Arcadia’ broccoli heads were harvested in December, but side shoots will provide additional harvests for the next 2 or 3 months. Broccoli leaves are edible, too, and highly nutritious.
Frequent heavy rainstorms washed away much of the soil’s fertility, so I fertilized the pots a few times through the winter. Without it, the broccoli heads would have been much smaller and the greens…well, less green. When the temperatures were more moderate, I used SeaPlus (seaweed and fish emulsion). In cooler soil, though, when microorganisms aren’t active, a soluble synthetic fertilizer works better. Microbes break down the nutrients in organic fertilizers and make them available to plant roots, but they’re dormant in cold soil.
Side shoots forming on broccoli ‘Arcadia’.
Mustard greens ‘Florida Broadleaf’.
Dinosaur (‘Lacinato’ or ‘Toscano’) kale.
Green onions, with a few more sets to be planted.
A Few Simple Chores In the Garden
As you make your rounds through the garden, note the chores that need to be done. Maybe the mulch needs a refresh by simply turning it over with a garden rake. Are chickweed and other winter-germinating weeds about to go to seed? Don’t let them! Just one seedpod can turn into dozens of weeds next year.
Yellowed leaves caused by shade.
A thick blanket of last year’s fallen leaves will block light from the daffodils and hyacinths emerging from the ground. Although the shaded spears look yellowed now, they’ll quickly green up when exposed to sunlight. Take some of the leaves to the compost pile, or to the brush pile where insects and other animals find refuge in inclement weather.
Have you noticed the first bulbs emerging from your lasagna pot (photo, above)? Be sure to water them if they’ve been under cover, and give them sunlight to green up etiolated foliage. Gardeners in colder climates still need to protect the pots from alternate freezing and thawing, which could kill the bulbs. Their roots don’t have the benefit of insulation provided by the mass of soil around them, as do bulbs planted in the garden.
Potted green onions.
Iberis with flower buds.
Astilbe sprouting in a pot.
‘Kopper Kettle’ Itoh peony.
Bridal Veil spirea.
‘Monstrueux de Viroflay’ spinach seedlings.
Even though it’s still chilly, these stirrings in our gardens point to nature’s own impatience to get the show on the road. So, bundle up, and take the kids, the dog, or your thermos to the garden. For me, the thought of going out in the cold is worse than actually being there. Besides, if you stay indoors, you could miss the first act!
Whose heart is not warmed by the sight of brilliant red cardinals feasting at backyard feeders? Add a fresh snowfall and the birds’ familiar calls as they defend their territory, and you’ve got some delightful moments on a cold winter day. I almost wrote a “dreary winter day”, but living close to nature precludes this dismal perception; every day is a lovely day.
This commonly seen favorite songbird normally remains in the area, both winter and summer, as long as food is plentiful. Now doesn’t that just lift your spirits!
A male northern cardinal.
Where Cardinals Live
Other species of cardinals live in Central and South America, and there are many subspecies within their range. This article is about the northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, whose name derives from the red vestments worn by Catholic cardinals.
Cardinals are abundant throughout most of the United States: in the area from the Atlantic coast west to eastern Montana and eastern New Mexico, including all of Texas and parts of the deep southwest. They also live in Mexico, but not commonly in higher elevations.
Fortunately, the cardinal’s population has remained stable while the numbers of many other songbirds have decreased dramatically. Some songbirds no longer live in areas where they used to be abundant.
Female and male cardinals.
The cardinal’s range, in fact, has expanded northward, to include areas in Canada north and east of the Great Lakes. Although the cardinal has been seen in Canada for many years, it’s only since about 1980 that proof of nesting activity has taken place there. The prevalence of well-stocked feeders is considered the primary explanation for this expansion.
Border regions close to their usual ranges see cardinals settling into those areas. They’re not yet commonly found in those border regions, but populations are increasing.
Habitat
Part of the cardinal’s success lies in the species’ adaptability to various environments. They reside in woodlands, shrubby thickets, swamps, and forest edges and clearings. Northern cardinals in the desert southwest live near streams and washes, in tall brushy growth and mesquite groves.
City parks and suburban residential gardens often host these beautiful birds, as long as it’s fairly quiet. They retreat to the security of thick undergrowth if disturbed but will return soon afterward. Cardinals are usually the first to arrive and the last to leave the backyard bird feeders. When I rise, before it’s light, inevitably it is the cardinal that comes first to the feeder, unless the opossum is having a late night out.
Northern cardinal and wren on back fence.
Plant a Garden for the Birds
You can encourage birds and other wildlife to make your property their home. Contact the local Audubon Society or other birding experts and find out which plants attract birds. One option is to have a landscape plan drawn up, incorporating features that will bring in the wildlife.
The garden depicted in the blueprint below shows the hardscape for a water garden I planted in the 1990’s: paths, stonework, pond, footbridges, and the underground wiring and plumbing. This new garden replaced all the lawn on the slope with a series of 5 waterfalls and a 35′ pond, stone steps, and layered plantings all around. Over time, my clients asked me to expand the gardens and remove more lawn, incorporating plants that offered berries, seeds, perches, and protection for birds.
The year-round availability of water attracted all sorts of wildlife, including dragonflies, frogs and toads, turtles, songbirds and birds of prey, and snakes. Occasionally, the owners added inexpensive feeder goldfish, after the great blue herons had picked off the ones that couldn’t hide fast enough.
Plant a lush landscape—less grass to mow!—that provides food, water, shelter, and nesting options. Include trees (small ones if your space is limited), evergreen and deciduous shrubs, and flowers that produce edible seeds or berries. Trees planted where they can shade the house and windows from hot afternoon sun will lower your energy bills.
Native Plants
Native plant species attract insects and offer food for birds and much of the rest of the food chain. Caterpillars will eat the leaves, and that’s a good thing. Resist the temptation to spray the “bugs”, which will feed many kinds of birds, lizards, and frogs. Although adult cardinals consume primarily seeds and fruits, they feed mostly insects to their nestlings. Pesticides will harm not only the insects but also the birds and other animals that feed on them.
Group together several trees and shrubs in the landscape. Birds prefer density of growth rather than a tree here and a couple of shrubs over there. If they can quickly retreat to dense undergrowth, they’ll feel more secure in your garden.
Walk through a local botanical garden and note the native species you might be able to use in your garden. Observe how the taller species are underplanted with masses of shrubs and perennials, giving a layered and full appearance. Keep these principles in mind when landscaping your property.
State Bird
This beloved bird has achieved state bird status in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina (Mother’s favorite!), Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. In some areas, they’re called “redbirds”.
Headings
Page 1: Welcome the Northern Cardinals, Where Cardinals Live, Habitat, Plant a Garden for the Birds (Native Plants), and State Bird
Page 2: The Cardinal’s Diet (The Problem with Seed Husks), Live Cam (links), The Yellow Northern Cardinal, Water, Growing Sunflowers, Nesting Cardinals (Sexual Dimorphism, Courtship, Longevity, The Nest and Eggs), Predators, and Bird Watching
There’s been considerable excitement, lately, around the old basil plants on the deck. Flashy yellow American goldfinches have been flitting around the plants, landing near the tops of 4′ tall stems.
Normally, I would have cut the stems to prevent flowering, but the herb has had basil downy mildew. So I just let it go, curious to see who would show up. What a pleasant surprise to see the goldfinches move in for a feast of seeds!
Before the seedpods ripened, though, ruby-throated hummingbirds came for the white flowers’ sweet nectar. Almost like clockwork, these tiny marvels stopped by for their daily visits late in the afternoon.
Recently, I moved the big pot of basil to a sunnier place less than 10′ away. But the hummingbirds continued looking for the flowers in the old location. They hovered for a few seconds, and then flew away. The birds repeated this pattern for a few days until they rediscovered their treasure.
Memories From Childhood
Sparrows.
We’ve been feeding birds all our lives, through the generations. I vividly remember my grandmother feeding the sparrows outside her kitchen door, and can recall the fevered chirps as they jockeyed for position and pleaded for more.
When my parents were dating, my mother’s green parrot bit right through my father’s fingernail.
Growing up, we always had a caged canary singing in the kitchen. And his name was always Tammy.
Before and after our own children were born, we kept various tiny chirpy finches, pairs of parakeets, and, for 20 years, a cockatiel named Narcissus. Narcissus was a rescue, and like my mother’s parrot 80 years ago, he never really warmed up to anyone else. For me, though—kisses, conversations, and a few bars of “We’re In the Army Now”. He sat on my shoulder, chuckling in my ear, between flights to the window for a peek outside.
Yes, we have an affinity for birds. Whether it’s bread crumbs, suet, pieces of fruit, peanut butter/seed pinecones, or bird seed from a bag…and water…our birds can count on us.
To The Rescue!
While growing up in Oradell, New Jersey, I often took in nestlings that fell from the neighbors’ trees. First I tried placing them back into their nests. At times there was nothing I could do; they were beyond help. And who knows? Maybe the parents pushed small or sickly birds out of the nests so they could concentrate on raising the rest of the brood.
Although not all the rescued chicks survived, I did my best to raise them to independence. Today, there are several organizations nationwide which will take orphaned animals.
Cedar Waxwings
Cedar waxwing.
One year, I raised a beautiful cedar waxwing, which returned year after year, coming much closer than the rest of the flock. They fed on insects and berries, timing their migratory visits to coincide with the harvests.
Decades later, I occasionally witnessed a rare moment in the Rockville, Maryland back yard. A flock of perhaps 50 cedar waxwings gathered around and hovered over the small goldfish pond, chattering and dipping their beaks into the water. After only a few minutes of this hasty business, they were gone, off to warmer climes!
If I hadn’t peered out the kitchen window at just the right time, I would have missed it. We lived in that house for about 30 years, but I saw this activity only 3 or 4 times.
American Goldfinches
Migrations
The American goldfinch (Spinus tristus) spends its summer breeding season from North Carolina to Washington state, and north to parts of Canada. Its winter range shifts farther south, across the United States, except for the coldest regions of the northern states, and to parts of Mexico.
Populations will remain near stocked feeders in northern parts of their range if temperatures are above 0°F. Many migratory birds will hang around for the winter, and not head for warmer habitats, if food is readily and consistently available.
This sociable little finch travels in flocks, often in association with pine siskins and common redpolls. Peak migration seasons are mid-fall and early spring.
Its flight pattern is an undulating wave. The bird flaps its wings a few times, and then glides. It often chirps during flight while it flaps its wings, and is silent when gliding.
The American goldfinch is the state bird in New Jersey, Iowa, and Washington.
Habitat
American goldfinches are common in weedy fields, meadows, floodplains, and in open woods. They’re found among shrubbery, along roadsides, and around suburban residential properties. All season, they seek semi-open areas, trees, and dense evergreens for shelter and nesting.
The National Audubon Society reports that songbird populations are declining in most areas around the country. Habitat loss, the use of harsh chemicals, exotics displacing native species…these are some of the factors that take their toll. One practice that would help all seed-eaters is simply letting plants remain in the garden after they’ve gone to seed.
Median Strips
When traveling several hundred miles north a couple of months ago, I noticed that miles and miles of the median strips, in Virginia and Pennsylvania, had been allowed to go “natural”. There were mature stands of wild “weeds” including milkweed, Queen Anne’s lace (wild carrot), goldenrod, ironweed, chicory, black-eyed Susan, grasses, and various asters. And, there were lots of moths and butterflies, including monarchs, and American goldfinches, of course, feeding on the seeds.
It was quite a shock to see this about-face in management style. Where mowers and machines previously had kept the near-sterile ground cover at a mere inch or two, these long stretches boasted complex systems of flowers and seedheads, saplings, and greenery in various stages of development...in other words, life!
Although this style of landscaping won’t appeal to everyone, I was happy to see nature catch a break. Maybe it’s time to adopt a new attitude…one that takes into consideration all organisms within an ecological system, seen and unseen. It’s time to look beyond aestheticism, and incorporate principles of sustainability if we’re ever to see a decline in population loss and extinction.
Food Sources
Perennials
A smorgasbord for goldfinches: pink coneflower, orange sunflower, blue globe thistle, white yarrow.
American goldfinches forage in flocks, except while breeding. They prefer habitats we consider weedy, feeding on many plants in the Asteraceae family, or the composites. That includes native perennials such as:
globe thistle (Echinops)
flodman’s thistle (Cirsium flodmanii)
field thistle (C. discolor)
cobweb thistle (C. occidentale)
wayleaf thistle (C. undulatum). Thistle is their first choice. Check with your cooperative extension service to see if any of these native American species are considered invasive in your region.
goldenrod (Solidago)
ragweed (Ambrosia). This one, not goldenrod, causes late season hay fever.
purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
New England asters (Symphiotrichum [formerly Aster] novae-angliae)
cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum)
Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium, formerly Eupatorium)
yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.)
Thistle and European goldfinches.
More Perennials
bee balm (Monarda)
anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). A patch of lemon balm grew outside the kitchen window when I lived in Maryland. In late summer, I let it go to seed for the American goldfinch. These agile acrobats grasped the 2′ stems, bobbing up and down while feeding on the seeds. American goldfinches apparently enjoy several plants in this family (Lamiaceae)—the balms, hyssop, basil, catnip, sage…
Goldfinches also feed on young twig bark, maple sap, and tree leaf buds.
Deadheading your plants—removing the aging seedpods—results in a tidier garden, but one that is devoid of goldfinches. So, if you enjoy watching these sprightly birds, allow at least some of your plants to go to seed. Other insects and animals also will benefit from a more casual approach to gardening.
A flock of goldfinches feeding on salvia seeds.
Annuals
Zinnia angustifolia, the Star series.
Annuals that goldfinches feed on include zinnia, cosmos, daisies, salvia, marigold, poppies, and black-oil sunflowers. The American goldfinches are granivores, feeding almost exclusively on seeds. Consumption of insects is more accidental than it is intentional.
If you have an abundance of zinnia, cosmos, or sunflower seedheads, but prefer cleaning up the garden before planting the autumn pansies and violas, consider harvesting them after the seeds ripen. Save them in a cool dry place, where mice can’t reach them, for the autumn and winter feeders.
But don’t wait too long to first offer the seeds. You want to invite American goldfinches to stay before they migrate from the area. And, once you start, continue feeding them through winter.
Nyjer (Guizotia abyssinia, an herb of Ethiopian origin) and black oil sunflower seeds can be purchased from garden centers, hardware stores, warehouse clubs, and from specialty wildlife centers. Nyjer is grown in Ethiopia and Kenya, and is sterilized before importation. Often called “thistle”, this is an unrelated plant.
Trees and Shrubs
Ask your local Audubon chapter and other bird specialists for specific advice about native trees and shrubs that support populations of the American goldfinch. Some species that offer seeds and shelter include:
elm (Ulmus americana). Look for varieties that are resistant to Dutch Elm Disease.
American basswood (Tilia americana)
hazelnut (Corylus cornuta)
American beech (Fagus grandifolia)
American sycamore (Platanusoccidentalis)
common witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
river birch, and other species (Betula spp.)
western red cedar (Thuja plicata), and other arborvitae species
white alder (Alnus rhombifolia)
western redbud (Cercis occidentalis)
common buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
island mallow (Lavatera assurgentiflora)
Greens
Goldfinches have been seen feeding on beet greens and on foliage of sunflowers and zinnias. Those evenly-spaced V-shaped bites on the edges of Sedum leaves are due to birds seeking moisture and maybe nutrients. But I can’t yet definitively accuse the goldfinches of this practice.
Male American goldfinch.
Headings
Page 1: American Goldfinches and Basil, Memories From Childhood (To the Rescue!, Cedar Waxwings), Migrations, Habitat (Median Strips), Food Sources (Perennials, Annuals, Trees and Shrubs, Greens)
Page 2: Feeding American Goldfinches: To Feed Or Not To Feed (On the Menu, Feeders, On Sunflowers), Weeds and Water, Nesting, Cowbirds, Other Goldfinches, a New Perspective In Gardening (Some Simple Fixes To Help American Goldfinches)
The hollies (Ilex spp.) are another genus of primarily dioecious (Latin for “two houses”) plants that fruit on female plants. They ordinarily require a male plant, or pollenizer, to set fruit, although holly pollenizers (the males) themselves do not set fruit. Modern breeding techniques have yielded several cultivars that can make berries without pollination.
