Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2018 i Birds and Blooms Extra

I have at least three bird feeders up at any given time, plus plenty of mature trees, midsize shrubs and ground-level plants in my backyard. But a suggestion in this issue reminded me that my urban habitat is missing one important thing: a birdbath. In the story “13 Ways to Be a Bird’s Best Friend,” Kathy Eppers of Aledo, Texas, points out that any one of the essentials—food, water and shelter—will attract your favorite fliers, but the most wildlife-friendly landscapes have all three. Find more tried-and-true tips from your fellow readers on page 40. Following their sage advice is guaranteed to give your backyard bird population a little boost. A welcoming garden also provides you with more opportunities to photograph all of the creatures that stop by. For some real…

Most backyard birders are familiar with this scenario. You select the perfect bird feeder, fill it with an ideal blend of seeds and hang it with care. When you come back later, instead of seeing your favorite birds stopping for a snack, you spot two squirrels stealing from your feeders! It’s enough to drive anyone nutty. But before you blow a gasket, here are some humane solutions to combat your squirrel problem. 1. Manage Your Mindset Many of us are quick to anger at the sight of squirrels scaring away birds, but it’s helpful to see things from a different angle. “Framing it as a conflict or war is just going to escalate rather than address the problem,” says John Griffin, director of urban wildlife at the Humane Society of…

AS YOUR VEGETABLE GARDEN REACHES ITS PEAK, your kitchen overflows with produce. Learn which veggies belong on the counter, which belong in the fridge, and how long all that freshness keeps. ARTICHOKES Refrigerate unwashed up to four days. ASPARAGUS Refrigerate unwashed in a sealed plastic bag up to four days. BEANS Store unwashed in a sealed plastic bag or a covered container in the refrigerator crisper drawer up to three days. BEETS Cut off greens about 2 inches above the beets. Refrigerate greens separately in a sealed plastic bag up to three days. Refrigerate uncooked beets in an open plastic bag up to two weeks. BROCCOLI Store unwashed in an open plastic bag in the refrigerator up to four days. BRUSSELS SPROUTS Refrigerate unwashed in an open plastic bag up…

Antennae, near the eyes, help poor-sighted ladybugs smell, taste and feel their way around. Pronotum is a platelike structure that protects the ladybug’s head. It has two white dashes on top. Short legs secrete poisonous gel if the bug is caught by a predator. Hard shells (elytra) cover and protect the wings. Dots on the left are a mirror image of those on the right. Black spots on the orange shell alert predators that this creature tastes bad.…

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 July issue, we hid it on page 23. 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 Aug. 8, 2018, and ends on Oct. 9, 2018. 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:…

FOLLOW US For your daily dose of nature, go to instagram.com/ birdsblooms and click “follow,” or search #birdsandblooms. Be Inspired  Zeke insisted that his grandma Sherry Stangil, of Springtown, Pennsyvlania, write “Bug Hotel” on their homemade hotel so that the bugs know it’s for them. Read  Settle in with a print collection of entertaining and informative stories from BirdNote, the popular public radio show. Learn more: birdnote.org ASK OUR EXPERTS Get your toughest backyard questions answered by our pros. Submit yours at birdsandblooms.com/submit and the answer might appear in the magazine! SHARE What’s your best bird feeding tip? birdsandblooms.com/submit…

STUFF WE LOVE The Sky Cafe feeder from Duncraft features a baffle that does double duty. Squirrels can’t reach around it to steal seeds, and birds are protected from rain and snow while they perch under the baffle. Head over to duncraft.com to see more squirrel-proof feeders like this one. “I often find oak saplings from squirrels burying acorns around my sister’s home. So I reforest—dig them out and transplant them on my property.”Shellee Morey CARSONVILLE, MICHIGAN SUPER SQUIRRELS These bushy-tailed creatures can fall 100 feet without serious injury and are faster than you might think—at top speed, they can run 20 mph. Many gray squirrels are able to jump 8 feet high from a stationary, sitting position!…

If you spot a big, dense bed of fluffy orange-red Oriental-like poppies blooming near an old house, you’ve discovered a heritage perennial of now unknown name and origin. The plant looks a lot like a double Oriental, but instead of staying in a clump, this antique poppy spreads quickly by underground stems called stolons that root as they go. This perennial rarely shows up on the market. If you want to try growing it and spot a big bed in bloom, make the acquaintance of the gardener. They might share with you! Come back in fall and dig deep to get a start for your own yard.…

Cosmos Cosmos species, annual All growing season long, bees and butterflies are drawn to cosmos flowers, which are nectar-filled, colorful and pinwheel-shaped. Grow single or double cultivars of this easygoing bloomer, and they will produce flowers and seeds for your feathered friends from summer through late fall. Attracts: Light needs: Full sun. Size: 1 to 6 feet tall. Grown for: Big colorful blooms. Foliage: Feathery leaves. Cultivars to try: Psyche White has jagged semi-double blooms that last all summer. Sea Shells features multi-colored flowers with petals shaped like tubes. Lemonade offers light yellow petals with white centers. BEE BENEFITS For the ultimate pollinator-friendly garden, grow bee balm, coneflower, rudbeckia and calamintha among your cosmos.…

1 Oakleaf hydrangea HYDRANGEA QUERCIFOLIA, ZONES 5 TO 9 Oakleaf hydrangea gets its name from unique oaklike leaves, which set it apart from other hydrangeas and deliver some real color in fall. A carefree shrub that reaches 6 feet tall, in summer it boasts large cone-shaped flowers. Long-lasting blooms look lovely even as they fade and also make good cut flowers. Why we love it: Large white blooms turn purplish pink, plus purple-red fall foliage. 2 Variegated redtwig dogwood CORNUS ALBA ‘ARGENTEOMARGINATA’, ZONES 3 TO 7 There’s a lot to love about dogwood, especially the variegated types. Besides beautiful foliage, this one offers bird-pleasing berries, exceptional fall color and striking red stems in the winter. Redtwigs grow 6 to 8 feet tall. Remove older stems periodically to keep color strong…

I love how this photo of a white allium bloom shows the important job of pollinating bees. I captured this scene at a water-wise garden in my town. It features drought-tolerant trees, shrubs and flowers, and it’s truly an oasis in the desert. Patricia Marshall RIO RANCHO, NEW MEXICO Alabama’s largest butterfly is the giant swallowtail, with a wingspan of up to 7 inches. I used my Nikon D3300 DSLR camera to capture this shot of a female laying eggs on a citrus tree leaf in my front yard. Giant swallowtails visit the zinnias in my garden almost daily. Amos Tindell ENTERPRISE, ALABAMA It was near the end of the season, and this feisty ruby-throated hummingbird was buzzing around, fighting over feeders and filling up on nectar. I always miss…

Q I have planted milkweed for the past three to four years, but I have never had any monarch caterpillars. I do not use pesticides, and most of the plants border a horse pasture. Have I planted the wrong type or is something else wrong? Lynn Hammond GRAFTON, OHIO Melinda: Try growing several varieties of milkweed and other native nectar plants to increase the food and habitat for migrating monarchs. Include a variety of plants with different bloom times, flower colors and shapes to increase the butterfly, bee and hummingbird appeal. Add a shallow water source, flat warming stone and damp puddle for butterflies to lap up moisture and minerals. To create a damp puddle, fill a shallow container with sand. Sprinkle on a bit of sea salt or wood ash,…

True or False? A. THERE’S A RARE PLANT VARIETY that grows rainbow blooms. B. SOME FLOWERS change color depending on the pH levels in the soil. C. BOTANISTS who want to breed new plant varieties take advantage of random bloom color mutations to get the look they want.…

500 A great blue heron colony might have more than 500 nests. The birds sometimes reuse an existing nest, making the home larger each year. 48 Black-crowned night-herons are found in the lower 48 during summer breeding season and all year on both coasts. Their relatives, yellowcrowneds, breed throughout the southeast, but are seen year-round in Florida. 6 Young black-crowned night-herons start to fly at 6 weeks old. Until then, they travel on foot. 30 For such large and lanky birds, herons are speedy, flying as fast as 30 mph. They usually fly with their necks in an S-shape and their legs trailing behind them. 4 Although a great blue heron stands about 4 feet tall, it weighs no more than 6 pounds thanks to its hollow…