Backyard Bits
from the pages of Birds and Blooms
Becoming a good gardener requires more than a green thumb...it also takes brown knees and black fingernails.
Kudzu was brought to America when Japanese exhibitors planted it to shade their exhibit at the 1876 centennial celebration in Philadelphia.
With a scientific name like Sturnus vulgaris, you know the European starling was unpopular from the beginning.
A stately elm tree will drop 26,000 leaves on the lawn each autumn, and a white ash will drop 100,000 leaflets.
An average mature Norway maple will likely drop 11,900 leaves on your yard..or, if there's a nice breeze, on your neighbor's yard.
When you hear birds singing on a movie soundtrack, chances are they're western meadowlarks.
Morning doves can fly in bursts as fast as 60 miles an hour.
Jays, magpies and crows are all members of the same family.
Contrary to popular belief, peanut butter is a great source of energy for birds and doesn't get stuck in their throats.
Hummingbirds are small but feisty. A hummer will defend its feeder against much larger intruders, striking the marauders with its wings, body and beak.
Hummingbirds are attracted to anything red, but any red coloring on the feeder will do. You don't need to color the liquid formula you feed.
The majority of migrating birds fly at altitudes of about 3000 to 6000 feet. But geese have been detected by radar as high as 29,000 feet above sea level!
Geese fly in a "V" not only for drafting but it helps them keep their partners in sight. Since their eyes are set on the sides of their heads and can't rotate, they can't see forward.
When cutting flowers, always snip the stem off just above a leaflet to encourage growth of new flower stalks.
Recycle planting pots and trays by reusing them yourself or taking them back to a garden center.
Slow-release fertilizer is more expensive to buy, but it is cheaper in the long run.
The red-winged blackbird is probably the most numerous of all birds in North America.
Mourning doves are so adaptable that they breed in every U.S. state except Hawaii. They are named for their doleful song.
Of the 319 species of hummingbirds in the world, only the ruby-throated hummer breeds east of the Mississippi River.
When in doubt about which birdseed to buy, you can hardly miss by choosing sunflower. More birds like it than any other single food.
Sunflowers have long, deep roots. That's why they can be grown in areas where there isn't much rain. They'll go down to get the moisture.
Most wildflowers we see every day are not native to this continent. Most were brought here either purposely or by accident by European settlers.
