Natural Bird Feeders

Perennial gardens have so much to offer, including the perfect habitats for local birds.  Perennials, trees, and grasses play a vital role in local bird habitats because of the berries, seeds, and nectar they produce.  Herbaceous plants with ample seeds will offer enough food for birds to help get through fall and winter.  Right now, birds are busy getting ready for the long winter haul, as most of us gardeners are, by collecting and storing seeds for the winter.  

There are a lot of great perennials out there for birds.  This short list is a few great starter plants that do well in the front range area.  For a list of plants that provide food for birds the Audubon Society has a completed list on their website:  Audubon Native Plants Database audubon.org.  

Ecinacea, Helianthus maximilliani and Ratibida columnifera are great plant choices to add to the garden as they all have many benefits to wildlife in the garden.  They provide for native pollinators with their abundance of flowers that bloom from July to September, and when the flowers mature, they have ample seeds for the birds.   These perennials are great for birds that have small, sharp bills, like chickadees, and hard conical bills, like finches.  Leaving the seed heads up during the winter provides longevity of food for the birds as they will continue to eat seeds throughout the winter.  Birds are great natural spreaders, so don’t be boggled when a plant shows up where you have not planted it. 

Heliannthus and Ratibida are some of Colorado’s native plants and do well once established with little to no care.  Both germinate easily and will spread.  

The best way to attract any type of hummingbird is to plant red tubular flowers in your garden.  The second these plants start blooming, the second hummingbirds will show up.  Bright red flowers are easy attractors that hold sugary nectar that Red Rufus takes all the liking to.  Not only are they great for hummingbirds but for native pollinators like the sphinx moth.  All are easy to care-for perennials; they like to be cut back in the spring and need little water once they are established.  

Grasses are great all-around perennials in any garden.  They provide a backbone design and wonderful colors in the fall and winter.  They are great to use in between perennials where weeds tend to grow.  Many native grasses are also larval hosts for native butterflies.  Little Bluestem itself is a host for nine different skipper butterflies.  Which also makes them great for local birds as they provide insect food for chicks.  In the fall, grasses provide heaps of seeds that birds use for food, as well as stems for nesting materials.  Grasses, in general, are easy to care for and don’t like to be cut back until new growth is shown in the spring.