Indholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2018 i Birds & Blooms

Crocus blooms emerge, dotting the yard with pops of purple. The last of winter’s juncos nibble on fallen seeds beneath the bird feeder. Ducks find their way back to ponds and lakes as ice melts away. And then there are those unexpected, wonderful 60-degree days that offer a tiny taste of warm weather to come. These are a few of my favorite things about the very beginning of the spring season. To kick off this pivotal and exciting time of year, we found 10 of the prettiest and earliest blooming perennials around. Their bright colors are sure to pull you right out of your winter blues. Read about them on page 14. As you plan for the upcoming growing season, use the handy guide to roses on page 42. It…

SIZE MATTERS Field Editor Lizzy OeDell, of Molalla, Oregon, suggests serving mealworms in a tall, steep dish like this one. The first time she put mealworms out, many of them crawled away! A backyard feeder full of nutritious mealworms is beloved by bug-eating birds— and a guaranteed way to spice up your bird feeding routine. Mealworms are often mistaken for worms, though they’re actually the larval form of the mealworm beetle. They are clean, easy to work with, an excellent source of nutrients, and an aid to birds through cold winter weather and spring reproduction. “The connection that is created between people and nature from feeding birds—that is undisputable,” said Emma Greig, the project leader of Project FeederWatch, a winterlong survey of feeder birds. Emma offers these easy tips to…

Whether your idea of the perfect neighborhood involves annual block parties and over-the-fence chitchat or simply a quiet wave hello, it’s a good idea to form positive relationships with the folks who share your property line. Of course, this applies to apartment and condo dwellers, too. In those situations, you may have views of each other’s balconies or patios, or maybe the outdoor spaces are shared. So it’s just as important, if not more, to be considerate. Use these four best practices to stay on your neighbors’ good side. Others are likely to follow suit, and everyone will live in harmony. To be an exceptional neighbor: Be Respectful. Always be mindful of noise. No one likes to wake up at 7 a.m. on a Saturday to the sounds of power…

1 Combine roses with other plants, including perennials, instead of isolating them. “Your garden should be an expression of what you want. There’s no recipe of what to do,” says Jacques Ferare, a vice president at Star Roses and Plants. 2 Shop for roses labeled “own root,” which means they were grown from their own cuttings. Own-root roses survive cold winters and produce shoots from their own roots, leading to fuller, healthier plants. 3 Choose newer varieties that have been bred to need less care. 4 Find small sizes to grow in containers on a sunny patio or balcony. “They’ve been doing this in Europe for years,” says Natalia Hamill of Bailey Nurseries. 5 Plant roses in full sun, where most of them bloom best—though you may find some that…

answers on the bottom! True or False? A. SNOWDROPS, despite their name, don’t do well in snowy conditions. B. IRIS is the name of the goddess of rainbows in Greek mythology. C. TULIP MANIA took 17th-century Holland by storm when the flower was introduced to Europe from Turkey. ANSWERS 1. ALLIUM 2. TULIP 3. IRIS 4. DAFFODIL 5. CROCUS A. FALSE B. TRUE C. TRUE…

CELEBRATE February is National Bird Feeding Month, so upgrade one of your feeders, put out a new type of seed or start a yard bird list. Enjoy Nab a copy of In the Garden of My Dreams, featuring the art of Nathalie Lété. Her interpretations of nature are incredibly charming! artisanbooks.com Observe Watch for early spring flowers. Donald Kaddatz of Mora, Minnesota, says these hepatica blooms are the first to turn up in his area. GET AWAY Go birding along San Diego’s bays via kayak or boat, among other field trips, during the San Diego Bird Festival, Feb. 21-25. sandiegoaudubon.org PLAN Use our Top 10 plant lists to jump-start your growing season. Visit: birdsandblooms.com/top10…

1. CUP Cup-shaped nests are the most common type found in backyards. Birds like American robins and blue jays build their cup nests on branches or ledges with twigs, grasses and sometimes man-made materials such as string, cloth and paper. 2. PLATFORM Bald eagles and ospreys are among several species that construct their huge, somewhat flat nests on platforms and in trees. The birds interweave large sticks, moss and grass to create these nests. One pair of bald eagles will reuse the same nest, which can eventually weigh up to 2 tons, every year. 3. HANGING Orioles like Bullock’s, Baltimore and Altamira gather fibers, including twine and string, to create gourd-shaped pouches hanging from branches. The female oriole works on the nest from the inside and forms the bottom to…

BE A BLUEBIRD MONITOR You can do your part to help bluebirds nest and raise their young. Head over to p. 38 to learn more! Anyone who knew my Grandma Bernice knew she loved birds and that her favorite was the mountain bluebird. When I was a kid, we would go check her nest boxes to make sure they were clean and ready for new bluebird families. Now, years later, I think of my grandma every time I see a mountain bluebird, especially in spring. Brenda Kerttu NAPLES, IDAHO A pair of tree swallows were building a nest in our nest box and decided to take a break on my backyard wind spinner. They went around and around many times, like they were enjoying their own merry-go-round! Lisa Faith ANTIOCH,…

EASTERN Present year-round in eastern North America, this species extend north in summer, and in parts of southern Arizona. The male has a blue back and head, and a reddish-brown breast. The female is more subdued, with a gray-brown head. WESTERN These birds breed in the West and spend winter in various kinds of open woods. The male has deep blue on his back, head and throat, with a rusty red shoulder. The female has a light-colored head and pale rust breast. MOUNTAIN This species is found in western foothills and mountains. Many fly as far south as Mexico for the winter. The male is shades of blue, from dark blue to sky blue, practically all over. The female is grayish with tinges of blue in the tail and wings.…

FOOD BANDITS Common grackles are very resourceful when it comes to finding food. They have been known to steal worms from robins and pluck leeches off turtles. Q Grackles come to my backyard feeders in large numbers. These intruders discourage my regular birds and eat all the sunflower seeds. Do you have any suggestions? Lois Vander Waerdt ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI Kenn and Kimberly: It can be frustrating when large flocks of grackles and other blackbirds wreak havoc on feeders, gobbling up enormous amounts of food and chasing away other birds. Fortunately, in most areas, big flocks of blackbirds are likely to visit only a few times per year. When the blackbird flocks show up, try using tube-style feeders that hang in the middle of a wire cage. Smaller birds can…

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 Birds & Blooms subscription. In the December/January issue, we hid it on page 20. 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 Jan. 16, 2018, and ends on March 6, 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: customercare@birdsandblooms.com Visit: birdsandblooms.com/customercare…

In 1822, French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte and his wife, Zenaide, came to America so he could study new birds. He called a West Indies bird the zenaida dove; it became the name of the genus to which mourning doves belong. The common name comes from the bird’s soft, sad-sounding coos and calls. 2 Each mourning dove brood consists of two eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the offspring. One pair may have up to six broods in a year. 3 Mourning doves belong to one of three families of birds that produce “milk,” an antioxidant-rich liquid secreted in their throats, to feed their young. Both males and females produce the fluid. 350 Mourning doves are a popular game bird in North America—hunters kill approximately 20 million of…

BIRD BENEFITS Crabapple offers multiseason appeal. Its leafy branches provide shelter and nest sites in spring, and ripe berries make a meal in winter. Crabapple Malus species, Zones 3 to 9 This beautiful tree’s spring blooms are often so robust that they completely hide the branches. Abundant flowers give way to leaves and then to fall and winter fruit. Shop for new varieties that are bred to resist common crabapple diseases, such as powdery mildew, scab and fire blight. Attracts: Light needs: Full sun. Size: 10 to 25 feet high and wide. Grown for: Prolific early spring blooms and late-season fruit. Foliage: Green or bronze leaves that turn yellow in fall. Cultivars to try: Profusion for violet-pink blooms and small red fruit, Prairiefire for red buds that open to dark…

WHAT A GEM! Ruffled yellow blooms outlined in red make this Amber Gem hellebore a real stunner. Blooms last for more than four weeks, and they are great in bouquets. 1 Hellebore HELLEBORUS ORIENTALIS, ZONES 4 TO 9 Hellebore’s cup-shaped blossoms are a welcome sight after a long winter. The white or cream-colored blooms appear as early as February or March, and then turn rose-purple with time. Plant groups of hellebores under backyard trees or shrubs—they thrive in and appreciate the shade. Why we love it: Hellebore blooms last for eight to 10 weeks. Then evergreen foliage steals the show with its yearround appeal. 2 Rock cress ARABIS CAUCASICA, ZONES 4 TO 7 Nestle rock cress in a sunny spot within a rock garden and dainty white blooms will cascade…

SHRUB Shrub types can grow upright, mounding or as ground covers. They’re so easy to live with and care for that you may not even think of them as roses. Their genes protect against diseases and pests that typically plague other roses. Shrub roses are generally cold hardy and rebloom throughout the growing season. However, many shrub types carry little to no fragrance. If a sweet scent is important to you, check to see if fragrance is mentioned in the plant tag information, or buy one with a name that implies scent. Grow shrub roses in masses or as companions to other plants, and choose from an array of colors, shapes and sizes. Brand names to look for include the Knock Out family of roses, Easy Elegance, Oso Easy and…