Springtime is on its way! Signs of spring…

Springtime is on its way! 

Signs of spring…

Anyone living in Michigan this winter knows it’s been a long, very cold season. I always like to look on the bright side of things, especially when it gets nearer to flowers such as crocus and daffodils and eventually tulips waking up from their long snooze.

The bulbs should be planted in the fall, before the first frost. They can be purchased at your local nursery, or even at a store like Meijer in the garden department. They come in mesh bags in multiples of anywhere between three to twenty bulbs.

The following link is a good how to video for beginners:

http://bit.ly/1DPif0S

                                                                                                                   

                                www.gardenersnet.com                                                          

                                     Photo by Gernot Katzer                                

                                                                               

Crocuses come in varieties of cream, white, purple and yellow and are the first to bloom.  Most varieties are between four to six inches in height. In Michigan, you will usually see them popping up by late March.

Daffodils are the next to bloom in early to mid-April. Flowers are generally between twelve to fourteen inches in height. They are white, yellow or a blend of both colors. Some even come in a light blush color like this one.

                          Photo by countryliving.com

Tulips follow the daffodils and come in just about every  color imaginable as well as many different heights. You can even get them in black.         

                                              Photo by Breck’s

This is a very good article on how to become a bulb gardener. Check it out, and hurry spring!

http://bit.ly/1BOM3df

It's winter...feed the birds!

Feeding the birds

It’s mid-February and the birds are fluttering all about my window asking for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I am a nature lover to be sure, and I do my best to make sure their feeders don’t run dry. My backyard, like many in southeastern Michigan, sees a variety of feathered friends every day.

Photo courtesy of www.audobon.org

I have visitors such as goldfinches, cardinals, black-capped chickadees and woodpeckers. As anyone who has had experience with feeding the birds at any time of year knows, you cannot simply feed the birds. No sir, no way.

The squirrels will quickly jump on board to grab some food as well.  To accommodate them, I always put extra seed on the ground to discourage them from trying to crash the party up at the feeder itself. 

Each variety of bird has its own preferences for the type of seed it likes to munch on. This is important to remember if you are looking to attract a specific breed. For example, goldfinches love thistle, cardinals like black oil sunflower seeds, black capped chickadee like finely ground sunflower seeds and woodpeckers prefer small shelled peanuts.

Here I have a photo of one of my feeders with eight goldfinches having lunch. The black grain that you can see is the thistle.

 This is a male Northern Cardinal. They are beautiful to look at in the winter, as their red feathers are so brilliant against the white snow. 

Photo courtesy of www.allaboutbirds.com

This is a young Downy  Woodpecker. Despite their love of the insects in the trees, during the winter those insects are hibernating . The woodpeckers love the seed as a way to get through until the warm weather returns.

Photo courtesy of www.allaboutbirds.com

The links below provide a food preference chart as well as a beginner’s guide to attracting the birds you would like to see in your yard. Give it a try; it’s both visually fun and you keep their bellies full when it’s really cold outside!

http://www.almanac.com/content/wild-bird-food-preferences

http://youtu.be/IvEViWvCe8c