Innholdsfortegnelse for April/May 2025 i Birds & Blooms

This issue is full of all things spring, from amazing reader photos of the season’s most beautiful birds and blooms to the year’s hottest new plants. Learn some handy oriole ID tips in “Vividly Alike” on page 20. Find our top picks for fruit plants for small spaces in “Small Spaces, Big Flavor” on page 34. And read about a pollinator-friendly lawn alternative in “Converting to Clover” on page 18. Also in this issue, in a nod to Mother’s Day, find surprising facts about bird moms in “Super Moms” on page 28. As the weather heats up and you get outside more, share your adventures with us. We accept photos, stories and videos at birdsandblooms.com/submit. LOVE FROM ABOVE My mom, known as Mama Jane, made everyone feel loved and happy.…

1 Art & Sol Bad Hair Day mangave MANGAVE HYBRID, ZONES 7 TO 11 This mounded succulent features red speckled foliage that contrasts with its arching lime-green leaf blades, providing texture and interest to mixed beds or as a distinctive thriller for pots. Mangave does well in average, well-draining, sandy soil and produces the brightest foliage when planted in full sun. Why we love it: A mangave plant is more tolerant of moisture than true succulents. 2 Sgt. Pepper dogwood CORNUS ALBA, ZONES 3 TO 7 Spring brings variegated foliage on this dogwood, with shades of bright pink that morph into crisp green leaves with white edges come summer. Late in the season, the edges become pink again, while the stems turn a vibrant burgundy red. At 4 to 6 feet…

SWEET TWEETS A common sound in the spring, the yellow warbler’s song is a musical series of whistles that is often compared to sounding like some version of sweet-sweet-sweet, sweeter-than-sweet. LOOK FOR THE CAP The black cap on the head of the Wilson’s warbler is its most distinguishing feature. While it is more distinctive on males, the size of the cap can vary on females. VALLEY VISITORS With vast boreal forests to the north and Canada’s only desert shrubland at the southern edge, the Okanagan Valley is a unique ecoregion with diverse habitats and host to a wide array of life. CLOAKED IN GOLD Prothonotary warblers got their name from the papal clerks of the Roman Catholic Church, known as prothonotaries, who once wore yellow robes. LIGHTS OUT! Yellow warblers…

Q Robins invaded the grape jelly in our oriole feeder, eating more of it than the orioles! Is it common for robins to eat grape jelly? Can we discourage them from visiting the feeder? We also have several other feeders with seeds and suet. Cynthia Giel PITTSBURGH, PA Kenn and Kimberly: Most of the time, robins are not regular feeder visitors, as they don’t show much interest inseeds, suet or other typical feeder fare. But if an individual develops a taste for something like mealworms or grape jelly, it may become a frequent guest, and other robins may follow its example. To keep them from crowding out the orioles, we suggest putting out two jelly feeders some distance apart. It’s best to put out only small amounts of grape jelly…

WATERING TIP Hydrangeas prefer consistent moisture. Beat the heat by watering them thoroughly in the morning as needed and when it’s cooler. FlowerFull Smooth Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens, Zones 3 to 8 The newest hydrangea from First Editions Trees & Shrubs stands strong even in rain and heavy wind. Its upright stems and disease-resistant foliage are topped with charming white blooms. Mix this sturdy perennial in with other border shrubs for maximum impact. Attracts: Light needs: Part sun, but can tolerate full sun. Size: 3 to 4 feet tall. Grown for: Two to three impressive rounds of white blooms in summer that fade to light green with age. Foliage: Dark green, spade-shaped leaves that provide a striking contrast to its white blooms.…

CARRYING THE LOAD Mama hummingbirds do it all. The ultimate multitaskers, they build the nest, handle hunting and feeding, and sometimes even build a second nest for the next brood while caring for their current hatchlings! HELP FOR THE LONG HAUL Parents with help live up to two years longer, according to an Oxford study of 23 group living species. WORKING TOGETHER Co-parenting with a bonded male-female pair happens in about 81% of bird species, while single mom parenting occurs in 8% of the bird world species. AS STRONG AS AN EGG Eggs may seem fragile, but they are engineered like stone bridges to hold up under the weight of their parent. An ostrich egg, for instance, can withstand about 120 pounds of pressure before breaking. CALL OF THE MOTHERS…

If you’ve ever had a white-and-brown splat on your windshield, you’ve probably thought, What exactly is that? You know it came from a bird, but you might not know how, or why, or the most accurate human term to describe the rapidly drying stain on your car. So we asked an expert to break down the details of bird waste. Do Birds Produce Urine? It’s a question both simpler and more complex than you might imagine. “Well, it depends on how you define pee,” says David Wiedenfeld, senior conservation scientist with American Bird Conservancy. “It’s a question that people ask because they’re worried about birds peeing on them. You can get a bird pooping on you, but it’s like, ‘I don’t ever get peed on by a bird.’ ” The…

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 December/January issue, we hid it on page 14. 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 March 19, 2025, and ends on May 20, 2025. Visit birdsandblooms.com/contests for official rules. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes sponsored by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC. Contact Us! CUSTOMER CARE For subscriptions, renewals, gifts, payments, account info and inquiries: Email: customercare@birdsandblooms.com Visit: birdsandblooms.com/customercare Write: BIRDS…

“I was able to capture this amazing photo when this male eastern towhee landed in the tree right outside my living room window.”Carrie Markel WARNERVILLE, NY A flurry of flying leaves and bursts of rusty orange feathers are usually the first signs of an eastern towhee’s presence. According to Ryan Brady, conservation biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, these birds can be tough to spot because of their foraging habits. He says, “Often they’re on the ground scratching for food, so they’re hidden.” Towhees are generally solitary birds that haunt the undergrowth and thick shrubbery. You’ll spot them close to the forest floor, on the hunt for seeds, insects and arthropods. But what makes them hard to spot also makes them easy to identify. If you see a…

Bullock’s oriole (male) SUMMER RANGE Great Plains westward and south into parts of Mexico. APPEARANCE Orange with black back. Face is orange with black throat and eye stripe. Large white patches on wings. SOUNDS Song is flutelike whistles and some rapid chatter. HABITAT Open woodlands, orchards and edges of forests. Adapts to suburban areas with trees. Prefers cottonwood trees. Baltimore oriole (male) SUMMER RANGE Great Plains eastward and some parts of southern Canada, from Alberta eastward. APPEARANCE Vibrant orange with solid black back and head. White wing bars on black wings. SOUNDS Song is flutelike whistles and some rapid chatter. HABITAT Open woodlands, orchards and edges of forests. Can be common in towns and parks with trees. Has a preference for elm trees. OTHER MARKINGS In central North America, where…

It’s for the wildlife! Whether it is birds, insects or mammals, wildlife is always at the forefront when I’m planning my garden. Megan Long ZUMBROTA, MN Plant seeds that grow sustainable roots for the next generation. Glenda Ferguson PAOLI, IN I strive to have something in bloom from March to November. Marianne Galvin HULL, MA My mission is to have a section of colorful native Kansas blooms, along with the concept of water preservation during summer drought. Jennifer Broadstreet Hess MARION, KS My garden is a source of knowledge gained in 45 years of trying new plants, maintenance tricks and landscape ideas that I share with friends, neighbors and kindred spirits I’ve met in garden clubs, classes and volunteering at my local library. Promoting the joys of gardening makes others’…

1947 Named after Cecil Calvert, the Second Baron of Baltimore, this oriole’s plumage echoes the hues in the Maryland founder’s coat of arms. It became the state bird in 1947. 7 It takes a female about seven days to weave the hanging nest for which Baltimore orioles are famous. The structures are made of artfully woven plant fibers, hair and other materials. 2 Male Baltimore orioles develop their notable orange and black plumage in their second year of life. Until then, they are drab in color and resemble females. 12M Baltimore orioles are found widely east of the Rockies during breeding season, and their population hovers around 12 million. 22 For 22 years, from 1973 to 1995, Baltimore and Bullock’s orioles were called northern orioles. The species was re-split by…