Innehållsförteckning för August/September 2018 från Birds & Blooms

A thrush showed up in my urban yard a couple of years ago, not long after I moved into my house. I was surprised to see the brown spot-breasted bird, with a noticeable light eye-ring, foraging in the dirt under my shrubs. A quick look in my field guide had me convinced it was a wood thrush, but I immediately texted my friend (and occasional Birds & Blooms writer) Ken Keffer to ask what type of thrush was most likely to drop by this backyard habitat. He suggested Swainson’s and hermit because he’d recently seen both in his own yard. The exact identity of my bird remained a mystery, and this family of birds and their super similar field marks continued to stump me. After reading what our bird experts had…

The size of a sparrow but more finchlike in appearance, an indigo bunting is truly dazzling. But its flashy hue is not really indigo at all. In fact, no bird has a true blue pigment in its feathers. “The color occurs as an interaction of light within a complex feather structure,” says nature columnist, birder and author Gary Clark. It takes a male bunting two years to reach its full iridescent splendor (which he loses every winter as he molts into brownish feathers). In the meantime, younger males sport splotches of brown and other off-color shades, while the females are tan with a whitish throat. Indigo buntings are common across the eastern half of the U.S., where they produce two broods as they are nestled in dense shrubs or low-growing…

Slice it, grill it, fill it, fry it, bake it, pickle it, grate it, turn it into zoodles—mild-flavored zucchini is the most versatile veggie in the garden. Desperation may have something to do with all those variations, because the more you pick, the more the plant produces. And there’s usually one that gets away, hiding under leaves and reaching an enormous size. Zucchini is originally native to Mexico, but the squash we know today is a variety brought to the United States by Italian immigrants. The early varieties, bred in Italy in the 16th century, were round. They were dubbed zucchini from zucca, meaning pumpkin, and ini, which means small. The elongated version we know, grow and love was developed near Milan. The squash was used here but really took…

True or False? A. ALL BUTTERFLY SPECIES migrate, because they can’t survive the cold. B. CATERPILLARS generally live longer than adult butterflies. C. SOME BUTTERFLIES skip the nectar and instead consume tree sap and other organic matter. A few species even eat rotting animals. ANSWERS 1. MONARCH 2. PAINTED LADY 3. RED-SPOTTED PURPLE 4. ZEBRA SWALLOWTAIL 5. EASTERN TAILED-BLUE A. FALSE B. TRUE C. TRUE…

GET AWAY The Vancouver International Bird Festival is Aug. 19-26. Highlights include more than 50 field trips, a bird expo and expert speakers. vanbirdfest.com Read Top-notch planting tips and honeybee facts plus adorable illustrations fill the pages of Sarah Wyndham Lewis’ new grower’s guide book, Planting for Honeybees. Go Outside Murphy spotted some flowers in Birds & Blooms that her grandmother, LouAnn Thompson of Lebanon, Kentucky, grows—so they went on a scavenger hunt! SIGN UP Get more of the photos and stories you love delivered right to your inbox every week! Sign up for the Birds & Blooms Insider newsletter: birdsandblooms.com/newsletter CELEBRATE Bite into a juicy peach in honor of National Peach Month (August).…

HEAR THAT? The best way to find an indigo bunting is to keep an ear out. During breeding season, males belt out a cheerful song for hours at a time. Pay attention to high treetops, telephones wires and roadside shrubs. Like many other songbirds, indigo buntings migrate at night, using the stars to guide them in their travels. BERRY GOOD Strawberries, blackberries, serviceberries, blueberries and elderberries are indigo bunting favorites. Berry plants give more than they take, proving low maintenance and providing fruit (for you and the birds!) year after year.…

Q I have two large butterfly bushes and no butterflies. There are petunias nearby—do some plants repel butterflies? Dawn CorbinHOP BOTTOM, PENNSYLVANIA Melinda: Both petunias and butterfly bushes are butterfly favorites. I’ve found that the number of winged visitors to my plantings varies from year to year, depending on the previous winter, wind patterns and other environmental factors. If this is a yearly problem, consider placing a flat stone in a sunny spot in the garden for butterflies to warm up and recharge. Sink a bucket of damp sand in the garden and add a pinch of sea salt or wood ash. This provides a gathering place for butterflies to lap up some needed minerals. Q Bees and butterflies covered this plant, which I’ve been told is a buttonbush. How…

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 June/July issue, we hid it on page 68. 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 July 4, 2018, and ends on Sept. 11, 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:…

Sunflower Helianthus annuus, annual Few blooms are as iconic as bright yellow sunflowers. The tall crowd pleasers are easy to grow and take well to most soil types and climates, as long as they’re planted in a sunny spot. Although yellow is their classic hue, modern cultivars come in a range of colors, including burgundy and orange. Attracts: Light needs: Full sun. Size: Standard varieties grow up to 10 feet tall. Grown for: Seeds support local bird populations, like finches. Foliage: Green on tall stalks. Cultivars to try: Teddy Bear is a dwarf variety that grows 30 to 36 inches tall; American Giant boasts 10-inch yellow blooms on 16-foot stalks. BUTTERFLY BENEFITS Sunflowers bloom in late summer, just in time for migrating butterflies. Wide flowers make handy landing pads that…

1 Gas plant DICTAMNUS ALBUS, ZONES 3 TO 8 This novelty plant is a stunner. From May to June, white, pink or lilac flowers top vertical stems that reach 3 feet tall. The plant is low maintenance but needs full sun and well-draining soil. Wear gloves when handling gas plants to avoid any adverse skin reactions. Why we love it: On windless summer nights, light the flammable oil from the gas plant’s old flowers or seedpods to emit a brief vapor. Host to: giant swallowtail 2 Little bluestem SCHIZACHYRIUM SCOPARIUM, ZONES 3 TO 9 A blue-stemmed beauty, this tufted warm-season grass provides wonderful winter interest. It’s also a resilient host plant that grows best on dry upland sites such as hilltops or ridges, though it is very adaptable to nearly…

Last year was the first time a pair of tree swallows chose to nest in one of our handmade boxes. We watched as both parents worked together to build the nest and gather food for their three babies. The adults took turns keeping guard on top of the box and hunting for insects. They didn’t seem bothered by our presence and allowed us to get close while we weeded our nearby flower bed. Nature is beautiful, and this photo is a reminder for us all. Tammy HilemanCELINA, OHIO While visiting my grandparents in Ohio, I noticed some tiny yellow goldfinches in a nearby field. I grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots before they flew away. My grandparents live hundreds of miles from me, so I treasure the time I…

For most backyard birders, thrushes tend to fly under the radar. But you may be more familiar with this varied group than you realize. Although they may not look it, American robins and bluebirds are both part of the same family of thrushes. More than two dozen species of thrushes have been observed in North America. Many of them are rare, strong-flying strays that have wandered far from Europe, Asia or the tropics. But several common types of native thrushes are worth looking for, too. Brown Thrushes Six species of thrushes with brown backs and spotted chests live in forests across North America. They sing from the trees but do most of their feeding on the ground, hopping and running in the shadows. What they lack in bright colors, they…

6 If it’s possible, start your milkweed seeds indoors under artificial lights. The seedlings will be ready to transplant in the garden once they are 3 to 6 inches tall and when the threat of frost has passed. Plan for about four to eight weeks of indoor growing time. 3 A milkweed native to your specific area is the best option, but these three can be planted almost anywhere: common, swamp and butterfly weed. 1 Milkweed is the one plant monarch butterflies rely on to successfully complete their life cycles. Adult females lay eggs only on milkweed leaves. 65 While tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) is nonnative, it’s beneficial to monarchs. But it doesn’t die back in the southern U.S. and California, leaving monarchs susceptible to a parasite. Cut back tropical…