100 Plants to Feed the Birds: Turn Your Home Garden into a Healthy Bird Habitat

by Laura Erickson

Overview

The growing group of bird enthusiasts who enjoy feeding and watching their feathered friends  will learn how they can expand their activity and help address the pressing issue of habitat loss with 100 Plants to Feed the Birds. In-depth profiles offer planting and care guidance for 100 native plant species that provide food and shelter for birds throughout the year, from winter all the way through breeding and migrating periods. Readers will learn about plants they can add to their gardens and cultivate, such as early-season pussy willow and late-season asters, as well as wild plants to refrain from weeding out, like jewelweed and goldenrod. Others, including 29 tree species, may already be present in the landscape and readers will learn how these plants support the birds who feed and nest in them. Introductory text explains how to create a healthy year-round landscape for birds. Plant photographs and range maps provide needed visual guidance to selecting the right plants for any location in North America.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635864397
Publisher:	Storey Books
Publication date:	12/20/2022
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	614,479
File size:	61 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Laura Erickson is the author of The Love Lives of Birds and The Bird Watching Answer Book, and is coauthor of Into the Nest. A recipient of the American Birding Association’s prestigious Roger Tory Peterson award, she has served as science editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, an editor of Bird Scope magazine, and a columnist and contributing editor for Birdwatching magazine. She produces For the Birds, a long-running public radio program and podcast, and lives in Duluth, Minnesota. 

Table of Contents

Part I Creating Habitat 7

Bird-Attracting Features of Different Plants 27

Part II Plants That Support Birds 29

Confers

1 Bald Cypress 31

2 Cedar, Juniper 33

3 Cypress 36

4 Douglas-fir 38

5 Fir 40

6 Hemlock 43

7 Pine 45

8 Spruce 48

9 Tamarack, Larch 51

Broadleaf Trees

10 Alder 54

11 Aspen, Cottonwood 56

12 Basswood 60

13 Beech 62

14 Birch 64

15 Cherry 67

16 Crabapple 70

17 Desert Willow 72

18 Hackberry 74

19 Hickory, Pecan 76

20 Madrone 78

21 Maple, Boxelder 80

22 Mountain Ash, Dogberry, Rowan 84

23 Mulberry 86

24 Oak 88

25 Redbud 92

26 Sycamore 93

27 Tupelo 95

28 Walnut 97

29 Willow 99

Grasses

30 Bluestem 103

31 Indiangrass 106

32 Little Bluestem 108

33 Sideoats Grama 110

34 Spartina, Cordgrass 112

35 Switchgrass, Panic Grass 114

36 Vetch 116

Herbaceous Plants

37 Aster 119

38 Beebalm 121

39 Black-eyed Susan 122

40 Blanketflower 124

41 Blazing Star 126

42 California Fuchsia 128

43 Cardinal Flower 130

44 Columbine 132

45 Cup Plant, Compass Plant, Rosinweed 134

46 Fireweed 136

47 Goldenrod 138

48 Hyssop 140

49 Iris 142

50 Ironweed 144

51 Jewelweed 145

52 Joe-Pye Weed 147

53 Lily 149

54 Lupine 152

55 Mexican Hat 154

56 Milkweed 156

57 Penstemon, Beardtongue 158

58 Phlox 160

59 Purple Coneflower 162

60 Rocky Mountain Bee Plant 164

61 Salvia 166

62 Strawberry 168

63 Sunflower 170

64 Thistle 172

65 Violet 174

66 Wild Geranium 176

Plants that Grow on Trees

67 Lichen 179

68 Mistletoe 181

69 Spanish Moss 183

Shrubs

70 Beautyberry 186

71 Blackberry, Raspberry 188

72 Blueberry 190

73 Buttonbush 192

74 Coralberry, Snowberry 194

75 Crowberry 196

76 Desert-thorn, Wolfberry 198

77 Dogwood 200

78 Elderberry 202

79 Hawthorn 204

80 Hazelnut 206

81 Holly 207

82 Honeysuckle 209

83 Leadplant 211

84 Manzanita, Bearberry 213

85 Rhododendron, Azalea 215

86 Rose 217

87 Sagebrush 219

88 Saw Palmetto 221

89 Serviceberry, Juneberry, Shadblow 223

90 Sumac 225

91 Viburnum 228

92 Wax Myrtle, Bayberry 230

Vines

93 Clematis 233

94 Trumpet Vine 235

95 Virginia Creeper Woodbine 236

96 Wild Grape 238

Cactus and Yucca

97 Cholla and Prickly Pear 241

98 Hedgehog Cactus 244

99 Ocotillo 245

100 Yucca, Joshua Tree 246

Favorite Plants of Common North American Birds 248

North American Native Plant Societies 250

Index 252

Editorial Reviews

12/05/2022

In this handy guide, For the Birds podcaster Erickson (The Love Lives of Birds) explains how to design an inviting habitat for feathered friends. She provides a rundown of 100 trees, grasses, herbs, and shrubs that readers can plant to attract a variety of birds, and details ideal growing conditions and the native range for each. Bluestem grass, for instance, thrives in most of the U.S. outside the Northwest and supplies nesting material for sparrows and juncos, while black-eyed Susans produce “seeds relished by cardinals, titmice and chickadees.” Douglas fir trees require well-drained soil and offer roosting spots for woodpeckers, who eat the insects that live in the trees. To attract hummingbirds, Erickson recommends planting coralberry or blueberry, and notes that the latter hosts “caterpillars that feed insectivorous birds.” Encouraging readers to think long term, she writes that though maple and oak trees take years to begin producing seeds, they host insects that birds can eat much earlier and make a valuable addition to any garden. Nature lovers will adore the photos of birds enjoying the described flora, and the use of symbols indicating which plants are good for nesting, attracting insects, and providing seeds makes the guide easy to digest at a glance. This is a must-have for backyard birdwatchers. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

The best book I've seen on planting to attract birds. Packed with useful information and beautiful photos, written in a lively and accessible style, it's an essential reference for anyone who wants to improve an outdoor space anywhere in North America.” ​
— Kenn Kaufman, naturalist, author of Kingbird Highway, and editor of the Kaufman Field Guides​
​
"Kudos to Laura Erickson for bringing a macro-level understanding of the world of interrelationships between birds and plants. Using native plants is the key to creating that healthy world. Informative, practical, and beautifully done, this book will help birders make backyard bird Edens wherever they live."​
— Lillian Stokes, co-author of the Stokes Field Guide to Birds of North America​

From the Publisher

10/01/2022

In this deeply useful work, Erickson (The Love Lives of Birds) discusses bird gardening and explains the link between garden habitats and avian survival. They nest, feed, roost, gather, and live in the urban and suburban places we make. Erickson supplies the needed information and encouragement to make those spaces highly supportable. The opening section focuses on how and why to create habitats for birds, stressing native plants and addressing four-season gardening. The second lists North American plants that support birds, outlining each plant's benefit, its native range, and recommended species. The book concludes with a list of the author's favorite plants for common birds and native plant societies. VERDICT Deeply engaging photos of birds and plants and actionable suggestions make this a winner. It is the kind of book readers treasure once found, so put it on display and be ready for more requests for books on bird gardening. Collection development librarians should note that Storey has similar books on feeding bees and monarch butterflies.—Neal Wyatt

Library Journal