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| Seedheads of Symphyotrichum racemosum await the birds |
After a brief cold spell, temps warmed up this week
and we ventured outside again to explore the yard (I still have that 2-year old
with me and he loves to be OUTside as
he says). The moment we step outside, tiny birds fly up and away, startled away
from the brown stems and fluffy seed heads.
It took all year to prepare the feast for them: a year of
making choices (native plants appropriate to each part of the garden), a year
of helping them grow (pulling out weeds, watering during the driest times), and
finally, the time when we choose to leave them in place and not “clean up” the
dead stems and leaves.
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| Dog fennel seedheads |
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| New England aster seedheads |
Seed heads and dried stems contain nutritious seeds (some
very tiny) as well as become a place for overwintering insects and their eggs.
Birds like Carolina wrens, goldfinches, and cardinals are some of the more frequent visitors. A tidy yard would not provide nearly as much food for them.
I am reminded each time I’m outside of how much they depend on our winter gardens. If you like to support birds in your garden, here is a link to my earlier blog on how native plants support birds. You can start now by putting down the clippers and watching what happens.
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| Hypericum densiflorum seeds |
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| Pycnanthemum muticum seedheads |
PAssing this along to friends with shady yards. Thank you!
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