This year I can finally boast a few berries! Berries attract birds and just last evening a male Cardinal stopped by – a rare, but very welcome, occurrence in my young garden – the cover is not yet thick enough for a Cardinal's liking. Robins are still lingering. Robins actually spend the winters here where there are enough berries and fruit to sustain them. I see them regularly in a nearby state park through the entire winter where there are many dogwoods and chokeberries. (It is the Red-winged Blackbird that announces Spring for me.) The Catbird's calls were closer than ever this year, and more frequent.
My plan is for my garden to eventually offer a natural Winter feast. See, I hope to be able to migrate along with our feathered friends in the upcoming years. The Winters, though beautiful, are just too long here. My backyard birds will be able to feast on berries and seeds still standing in the garden instead of my feeders while I follow the sun. The progress in the garden looks promising.
The wild grapes were very abundant this year. I have seen migrating flocks of Cedar Waxwings enjoying these in the past.
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| Wild Grapes |
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| Rosa Palustris Hips |
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| Rosa Setigera Hips |
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| Virginia Creeper Berries |
Virginia Creeper will attract fruit eating birds such as Chickadees, Nuthatches, Mockingbirds, Catbirds, Finches, Flycatchers, Tanagers, Swallows, Vireos, Warblers, Woodpeckers,
and Thrushes through the Winter.
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| Redosier Dogwood Berries |
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| Cardinal Dogwood Berries |
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| Cardinal Dogwood Berries |
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| Elderberry Black Lace |
Woodpeckers, Bluebirds, Cedar Waxwings, Orioles, and Grosbeaks are attracted to Elderberries.
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| Purple Prince Crabapple |
Many birds enjoy Crabapple. So birds, enjoy the berry feast while I feast on, ah, hmm, er ... a bird of a different feather.
I am always thankful for the joy, work, clarity, groundedness, peace, harmony, abundance and enlightenment of the garden and life. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thank you, you've given me some great ideas! I'm also trying to add more living bird feeders to my gardens. The Wild Grape looks fantastic, I'd never considered that one before.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely, I need to add more berries to my garden. I have Rowan and Pyracantha but I am sure there is scope for a lot more
ReplyDeleteKathy so many berries. I continue to add more and you have given me some ideas. I too hope to migrate soon during the winter months...Happy Thanksgiving!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am sure the birds are very thankful for all the berries in your garden! BTW, we once had a black lab who LOVED wild grapes. She went nuts over them. She especially liked them if they were old and fermented a bit.
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