Many people enjoy watching the different types of birds that visit their backyard. By making your outdoor space appealing to birds, you can attract more feathered creatures closer for observation. The best way to draw birds in is by providing the food and shelter they need to survive. Selecting plants specifically suited to various bird species’ diets and habits is key. Let’s know some popular bird-friendly flowers and plants that will bring more birds into your yard if incorporated strategically.
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Sunflowers
Sunflowers are a favorite of many bird species and also the best flowers for gardens. The large seeds inside the flower heads are loved by finches, sparrows, and other seed-eating birds. You can plant different varieties of sunflowers that will bloom at different times throughout the summer and fall. Birds will keep coming back to your yard to enjoy the sunflower seeds. Make sure to leave some heads on the stalks after they have dried so birds can easily access the seeds.
Berry Bushes
Berry bushes provide juicy berries for birds to eat. Some berry bushes that work well include native elderberries, summertime producing brambles like blackberries and raspberries, and fall/winter favorites like mulberry and crabapple trees. No matter the time of year, your feathered friends will thank you for the nourishing berries! Make sure to select bush varieties instead of crawling varieties if you want the berries within reach of perching birds.
Milkweed
If you want to attract monarch butterflies in addition to various bird species, plant milkweed in your garden. They are available from many online plant delivery services. The flower clusters and seed pods of common milkweed are loved by goldfinches, sparrows, and buntings as a snack. Monarch caterpillars exclusively eat milkweed as their only food source, so by having it in your yard, you help support the amazing monarch butterfly migration. Let a few seed pods remain through fall and winter for birds to feed on.
Also Read: How to Create a Peaceful Zen Garden
Cardinal Flower
As its name suggests, the bright red cardinal flower is a favorite of male northern cardinals, but other species like titmice and orioles also enjoy the nectar. Plant these flowers near your bird feeders or garden areas where you often observe birds. The vivid color attracts birds to this easy-to-grow native wildflower. Make sure to locate the plants in a lightly shaded, moist spot for the best flowering performance to bring joy to the cardinals!
Nectar Plants
In addition to seeds and berries, many birds rely on nectar from flowers as an energy source. Plant flowers that provide ample nectar such as bee balm, black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, mums, and hostas. Hummingbirds have particularly long, thin bills perfectly adapted to sipping nectar from tubular flowers like trumpet honeysuckle vines, columbine, and trumpet creeper vines.
Also Read: What Are the Best Indoor Flowering Plants to Grow?
Weigela
This large flowering shrub blooms from late spring through mid-summer bearing small pink or white trumpet-shaped flowers. The open shape allows hummingbirds easy access to the nectar inside. You’re sure to spot hummingbirds stopping for a quick drink while hovering in front of weigela plants. Plant in full sun for the best flowering performance to attract these jewels of the bird world. Pruning after flowering will encourage another round of flowers for birds, especially hummers.
Chickweed
While chickweed is often thought of as a weed, it’s also a favored food source for sparrows, finches, and doves. Allow some of this low growing ground cover to naturally spread in a sunny corner of the garden or border. The tiny white flowers and small seed heads loaded with seeds provide nutrition for ground-feeding birds. It grows quickly on its own, so a small planted area can turn into a banquet for your feathered friends!
Evergreens
During winter when natural food sources become scarce, coniferous evergreen trees like pine, spruce, and juniper offer shelter and visual protection from the weather elements and predators. Dark-eyed juncos, mourning doves, and golden-crowned kinglets gather beneath evergreens, using them as windbreaks during storms. Consider planting several sizes of evergreen trees in your landscape to sustain wintering birds during the colder months.
Japanese Akebia
This climbing vine features small dark purple flowers followed by edible pod-like fruit. Cedar waxwings, robins, mockingbirds, and catbirds relish snacking on the soft fruit in late summer and early fall. Plant near your regular bird viewing or feeding areas. The autumn colors and fruit will enhance your natural backyard bird feeding station into fall. Be sure to plant on an arbor or trellis for support as the vines become quite large.
Holly
While the pointy evergreen holly leaves are foraged by goldfinches and cedar waxwings during winter time shortages, other bird species feast on the red berries. Robins, mockingbirds, thrushes, and woodpeckers seek out holly bushes to enjoy the colorful berries from fall through early winter. Consider planting male and female holly varieties to ensure maximum fruit production season after season for your avian feeders.
Dogwoods
Both flowering dogwoods and Pacific dogwood trees are valued by numerous bird species. Beyond the springtime flower gardening that supplies nectar, berries follow in summer and persist into the fall months. Robins, thrushes, waxwings, and catbirds seek out dogwood fruits as an energy boost. Plant in spring when trees are blooming to experience the full effects of cheerful dogwood trees attracting more winged wildlife to your yard!
Serviceberry
Sometimes called shadbush, serviceberry trees or shrubs provide early spring blooms that hover hummingbirds can sip nectar from followed by purple-blue edible berries. Robins, thrushes, waxwings, and many more feed on the juicy berries. The combination of flowers and fruits makes Serviceberry one of the best all-season plants for birds. Its multiple benefits will continuously draw different bird types throughout each season.
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