PLANTS
WHICH ATTRACT AND FEED SONG BIRDS
(Check cultural
requirements for local suitability.)
|
(A)
ANNUAL (P) PERENNIAL (D)
DECIDUOUS (E) EVERGREEN
|
TREES
for shelter and protection
Larger trees
planted at the borders of your property provide a safe starting
point for visiting birds. These plants are important for escape
from predators, winter shelter, and summer nesting sites. They
may also provide food in the form of seeds, berries, and sap.
|
Flowering
Dogwood (D)
Cornus florida |
American
Holly (E)
Ilex opaca |
Red
Cedar (E)
Juniperus virginiana |
Red
Mulberry (D)
Morus rubra |
Colorado
blue spruce (E)
Picea pungens |
Douglas
fir (E)
Pseudotsuga menziesii |
White
cedar (E)
Chamaecyparis thyoides |
Bald
cypress (D)
Taxodium distichum |
White
fire (E)
Abies concolor |
Ponderosa
pine (E)
Pinus ponderosa |
Rocky
Mountain juniper
J. scopulorum |
Austrian
pine (E)
Pinus nigra |
California
juniper (E)
J. californica |
Alternate
leaf Dogwood (D)
Cornus alternifolia |
American
Mountain Ash (D)
Sorbus americana |
Red-osier
Dogwood (D)
Cornus stolonifera |
Silky
Dogwood (D)
Cornus amomum |
Gray
Dogwood (D)
Cornus racemosa |
Hackberry
(D)
Celtis occidentalis |
Sassafras
(D)
Sassafras albidium |
Oak
(D)
Quercus sp. |
Hazelnut
(D)
Corylus avellana |
Chestnut
(D)
Castanea sp. |
Black
walnut (D)
Junglens nigra |
ANNUALS AND PERENNIALS for fruit and seed
Many flowering
plants produce large quantities of seed each year. This is a
very important food source for many sparrows, finches and other
songbirds. At the end of the blooming season, don't cut the
spent flowers off, but allow them to dry and hang in place. |
Penstemon
(P)
Penstemon spectabilis |
Sunflower
(A)
Helianthus annuus |
Tickseed
(P)
Coreopsis sp. |
Bee
Balm (P)
Monarda |
Floss
flower (A)
Ageratum houstonianum |
Aster
(A)(P)
Aster sp. |
Goldenrod
(P)
Solidago |
Cosmos
(A)(P)
Cosmos sp. |
Bachelor's
Button (A)
Centaurea cyanus |
Larkspur
(A)
Consolida ambigua |
Spider
flower (A)
Cleome spinosa |
Snapdragon
(A)
Antirrhinum majus |
Purple
Coneflower (P)
Echinacea purpurea |
Four
O'Clocks (A)(P)
Mirabilis jalapa |
Cockscomb
(A)
Celosia sp. |
SHRUBS AND VINES
Plant shrubs
in clumps or hedgerows so birds can observe the yard while hidden
from the view of cats and other predators. By the same token,
place your bird feeders and bird baths away from places where
cats may lay in waiting for an unsuspecting bird. Almost any
fruiting plant provides food for the birds, but plants like
raspberries tend to be picked clean, long before the summer
is over. The following shrubs and vines tend to hold their fruits
and seeds through the fall and into the winter months. |
Salal
(E)
Gaultheria shallon |
Oregon
grape (E)
Mahonia aquifolium |
Beautyberry
(D)
Callicarpa bodinieri |
Silverberry
(D)
Eleagnus commutata |
Bayberry
(D)
Myrica pensylvanica |
Chokecherry
(D)
Prunus virginiana |
Virginia
Creeper (D)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia |
Firethorn
(E)
Pyracantha coccinea |
Black
Currant (D)
Ribes americanum |
Elderberry
(D)
Sambucus sp. |
Blueberry
(D)
Vaccinium corymbosum |
Huckleberry
(D)(E)
Vaccinium ovatum |
Cranberry
bush (D)
Viburnum trilobum |
Blackberry
(D)
Blackberry |
Cotoneaster
(D)
Cotoneaster |
Crabapple
(D)
Malus sp. |
Japanese
Yew (E)
Taxus cuspidata |
Sumac
(D)
Rhus sp. |
Manzanita
(E)
Arctostaphlos sp. |
Creeping
juniper (E)
Juniperus horizontalis |
Common
juniper (E)
Juniperus communis |