Innholdsfortegnelse for October/November 2019 i Birds & Blooms

Owls hoot and holler year-round throughout North America, but their mysterious and secretive personalities, bright eyes and camouflaged plumages always make us think of fall. That’s why this issue is chock-full of impressive owl facts and the most adorable photos—ahem, quickly flip to the back cover! Learn all about the distinguishing characteristics of the barn owl, like how its white heart-shaped face helps it hunt, in “Nocturnal Hunters” on page 20. And in “Hooo’s Hiding in Your Backyard” on page 30, meet the stealthy owls that might already be lurking within your neighborhood. Find out which is the smallest yet fiercest of the bunch, and learn the sounds they make so you can identify them as they hoot from the shadows. I have many owl memories, but a favorite is…

Imagine a songbird as hardy as a polar bear but as tiny as a pine siskin. The common redpoll is that bird. A member of the finch family, this tough little creature thrives in the harshest and coldest environments. The farther south you are, the less likely you are to see a redpoll. Even in the north, they move in unpredictable ways within their range, following food sources. A flock might clean out a feeder in a day during some winters…or it might not show up at all. “Common redpolls stay in the northern latitudes if food is readily available,” explains Emma Greig, a program leader for Project Feederwatch, which is organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “They’re fun to watch because they constantly sort out dominance.” These hungry…

Go ahead and keep on gardening even after cool autumn weather officially arrives. Many edibles, such as tomatoes and strawberries, can be grown indoors all winter long. Follow these simple steps for creating a robust indoor garden. LIGHT IS ESSENTIAL “If you are going to invest time, effort and money into indoor growing, quality supplemental lighting should be your No. 1 priority,” says Leslie Halleck, the author of Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers. “Tomatoes and peppers need the equivalent of full sun conditions indoors, for a long enough duration, to provide meaningful harvests.” Leslie uses ceramic metal halide high-intensity discharge 315-watt grow lamps to fruit her tomato and pepper plants indoors. She says you can also use a large T5 fixture (one that holds eight lamps)…

SECRECY AND STEALTH, PLUS THE COVER OF DARKNESS, keep most owls out of sight. Seeing one is so special, you might think these raptors are rare birds. But they’re actually all around you, hidden in plain sight. To avoid discovery, owls perch motionless, nearly invisible in their superb camouflage. Still, other birds sometimes spot them and immediately raise a ruckus—so when you hear that kind of commotion, take a look. And tune in at night, when most species are hootin’ and hollerin’, each with its own unique voice. Once you start listening for owls, you’ll discover they’re not rare birds at all—but definitely remarkable! GREAT HORNED OWL The deep hoots of these big birds (with a wingspan of 4½ feet!) are heard at night across North America in every habitat,…

Like bumblebees, bats benefit agriculture. They pollinate more than 300 varieties of fruit, including mangoes and bananas, as well as almond and cashew trees. And if you like tequila, thank bats. They help fertilize agave, tequila’s main ingredient. 1 Most female bats have just one pup a year. This small family size makes it hard to maintain population levels and leaves bats very susceptible to dangers like disease, pesticides, habitat loss and deforestation. 1,000 If your outdoor gatherings are mosquito-free, give the credit to bats. Many eat more than 1,000 bugs in an hour, keeping yards and gardens safe from irksome pests. 2 The largest bat in the United States is the greater mastiff—its wings reach 2 feet across. The giant golden-crowned flying fox is the largest bat in the…

GET AWAY Travel to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico for Festival of the Cranes, Nov. 20-23. It’s a sandhill crane migration hot spot. Read QueenSpotting by Hilary Kearney offers in-depth information about queen bees and includes 48 challenging photos that give you a chance to find her within the hive. Make It Hide a vase full of colorful autumn blooms in your carved pumpkin. Arrange flowers to cover the rim of the vase. GO ON AN OWL PROWL Look for a nature center near you that hosts owl prowls—nighttime hikes to look and listen for owls. Or grab your best birding pals and explore a local park or trail. EXERCISE Just one hour of raking and bagging leaves burns 260 calories.…

1 Gold Zebra foamy bells HEUCHERELLA, ZONES 4 TO 9 Gold Zebra’s yellow and green leaves are accented with brilliant gold and blood-red centers. When watered regularly, this stunner tolerates heat and humidity as it grows up to 8 inches tall and wide. It thrives in full shade to part sun and is often used in containers or as an edging plant. Why we love it: This deer-resistant wonder has showy white flowers that attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other helpful pollinators. 2 Campfire coleus PLECTRANTHUS SCUTELLARIODES, ANNUAL Set your beds ablaze with the bright orange foliage of Campfire. This big, bold plant tolerates both part shade and full sun. Reaching about 28 inches tall and nearly as wide, it’s an evergreen perennial that won’t survive frost, so most gardeners…

HAUNTING VOICE Barn owls are found on nearly every continent, even playing a role in folklore in some regions. In Europe, they were seen as bad omens. This belief might have come from their presence in church graveyards and castle ruins. These birds also have very different calls from most owls’ subdued hoots. They let out dry, rasping hisses, clicking noises and hoarse shrieks that cut off abruptly.…

Q Should I cut back my climbing roses in spring, in fall or not at all? Nancy Griepentrog WATERLOO, WISCONSIN Melinda: If your roses bloom only once a year, wait to prune until right after they flower. Prune reblooming climbers in early spring before growth begins. Remove any dead, diseased or very old canes back to ground level for both types of plants. Cut side branches back 3 to 6 inches, leaving at least three or four buds to encourage more flowering. Train these shoots to grow horizontally for even more blossoms the following year. Q I found this mystery plant deep in the woods. What could it be? Jim Abe UNION MILLS, NORTH CAROLINA Melinda: The eye-catching, colorful fruit inspired this plant’s common name: American beautyberry. It’s native from…

I keep aggressive hummingbirds to a minimum by placing multiple feeders in my front yard and a few in the back. Bullies can’t be in two places at once, so the others get a chance to sip nectar too! Rebecca McLaughlin FLATWOODS, KENTUCKY Upside-down suet feeders mostly attract nuthatches and woodpeckers, not bullies. Jennifer Broadstreet Hess MARION, KANSAS We put out a variety of seed and several styles of feeders. Sue Gronholz BEAVER DAM, WISCONSIN I only use safflower seeds! Grackles (and squirrels) don’t like them, but they attract cardinals, finches, chickadees and more. Laurin McCarley CLOVER, SOUTH CAROLINA My favorite bird feeder has customizable perches and a large slippery dome. Heavier birds are too big for the feeder, and squirrels slide right off! Pat Brown SPRINGFIELD, VIRGINIA Rock pigeons…

answers on the bottom! True or False? A. THREE BLACKBIRD species live and breed in the U.S. and Canada. B. MORE THAN 20 North American birds have the word white in their name. C. MOST WOODPECKERS have a striking variation of black and white feathers, usually accented with red, yellow or tan hues.…

Russian Sage Perovskia atriplicifolia, Zones 5 to 9 This perennial packs oodles of color, with lavender and blue blooms that appear in July and thrive into October. The lacy leaves sprout off woody stems and offer an aromatic scent. It’s deer- and rabbit-resistant; just plant it in a sunny spot with well-draining soil. Attracts: Light needs: Full sun. Size: 3 to 4 feet tall and nearly as wide. Grown for: Low-maintenance color in dry landscapes. Foliage: Gray-green leaves. Cultivars to try: Blue Jean Baby features blue tones and shorter stalks, or enjoy Denim’n Lace’s bright, purple-blue flowers for color well into autumn. BIRD BENEFITS Migrating hummingbirds need nectar sources to fuel their journeys south. Encourage them to stop by and fill up with this late-season bloomer.…

TOMATOES “They typically produce well with about 14 to 16 hours of light,” Leslie Halleck says. Tomatoes thrive in temperatures between 70 and 78 degrees. If space is an issue, grow compact dwarf varieties like Lizzano, Tiny Tim or Micro Tom, all of which are ideal for pots. PEPPERS Put peppers, particularly hot peppers, in planters to grow indoors. Give them 14 to 16 hours of light, and temperatures around 70 to 80 degrees. Plant spicy habanero, jalapeno or Red Ember, or try sweet Cupid peppers. LEMONS Look for a spot in your house that offers lemons bright light and cooler temperatures. “Lemons bloom year-round, so you can have different stages of ripeness at the same time,” says Steven Biggs, author of Grow Lemons Where You Think You Can’t. “Plus,…

White-eyed vireos were in my area all summer, and I saw several of them in a wooded area I visit often. This one cooperated with me on a sunny morning—it moved out of the shadows and made itself visible so I could take a picture. The elusive birds are hard to find, but a treat to hear! Liz Tabb ELIZABETHTOWN, KENTUCKY STAYING CLEAN White-eyed vireos bathe differently from many other birds. Rather than heading to a birdbath, they rub their bodies against dew-covered grass, leaves or other foliage. Some might think black-capped chickadees are boring birds, but I consider them a force of nature. They are persistent, and I find them smart and charming. This one landed on a branch as I was waiting for the perfect moment to try…

1. Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), Zones 3 to 7, yields a fruit cherished by people and birds alike. Just cover the plants with bird netting if you want the fruit all to yourself. Look at the hardy northern highbush blueberry or the more heat- and drought-tolerant southern highbush. Bonus: It has pretty foliage in summer and fall. 2. Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), Zones 3 to 9, varies by species, but most have white flowers in early to mid-spring followed in midsummer by purple fruit that dozens of bird species enjoy. Its bright fall foliage makes serviceberry a multiseason standout that rewards you for taking care of the birds. Half a dozen popular species range from small shrubs to medium-sized trees. 3. Viburnum (Viburnum spp.) is available in a range of species,…

Whether in a patch of dense woods or in a suburban yard, owls use their unique and spectacular abilities to master their environment. And all their senses come together to help them thrive when most animals are sound asleep. What a Sight Take one look at an owl and you can see why vision is one of its sharpest senses. “They have large eyes for their body,” says Lori Arent, assistant director of the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota. “They take up something like 3% of their body weight. For humans, it’s far less than 1%.” Their peepers are so large that they’re fixed in the eye sockets for support, so owls can’t move their eyes more than a degree or two. To compensate for that limited eye…

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 August/September 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 Sept. 11, 2019, and ends on Nov. 12, 2019. Visit birdsandblooms.com/contests for official rules. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes sponsored by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC.…