Hi James,
Thanks for this good info. I don't put out seed feeders either, because where
I live it just attracts scores of doves and house sparrows. I am thinking of a
thistle feeder, though. We've kept a birdbath going for years, and you're
right, it attracts lots of birds--and a variety--year round. Now we're working
on the cover.
Bill
On Saturday, May 23, 2015 11:32 AM, James Leatherwood
<jamesleatherwood@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
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For butterflies, plant parsley, rue, and dill for a profusion of mostly
swallowtails, try any sort of milkweed (aesclepas) for monarchs. The milkweeds
are a little harder to establish, but they are perennials and will come back
every year...the others are annuals but do re-seed freely. Any of the salvias
and penstemons are a big hit with both hummers and butterflies. Anisacanthus,
called "desert honeysuckle" (if you can find it) is "crack-cocaine" for
hummers! SOMETHING eats or nectars on almost every native plant, now's a good
time to stop along the hiway and see what's blooming and gather dry flowers for
planting in your backyard...right now that's: thelespermas, calylophus,
thistles (mebbe NOT!), basket flowers, buttercups (oenotherias) and a buncha
other stuff. I've not 'fed' my birds since the last snow but have discovered
that if you keep water out year-round and have some 'cover' in your yard, you
get a great variety of birds.
Date: Sat, 23 May 2015 06:50:29 -0500
Subject: [leasbirds] Re: Plants for birds and butterflies
From: fattonybirds@xxxxxxxxx
To: leasbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Greetings Bill:
Pincushion flower, red salvia, blue salvia, and even lantana will all bring in
butterflies (mostly for nectaring) and sunflower, though it will get very tall,
will bring in birds throughout the year. A native prairie seed mix will give
you a chance at getting some flowers that caterpillars can uses as food plants
but with little guarantee that you will get anything that is, shall we say,
pretty.
Anthony
On Fri, May 22, 2015 at 10:28 PM, WILLIAM WENTHE <wwenthe@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi All,
We're planning to devote one of our garden plots--about 12' X 12', full sun--to
plants that might attract and feed hummingbirds and butterflies. I would love
to have some suggestions for flowering plants that do well in this area in
these conditions. The hardier the plant, the better--I'm pretty incompetent at
gardening.
Thanks,
Bill