Do you love bird watching? Are you working to achieve more balance in your yard and garden throughout the year for a more natural approach to insect control?
Do you just love birds??
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then here’s something you should think about as you go about your seasonal decorating:
Birds love natural decor!
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Decorating for the Birds
Natural decorations, especially those that include sources of food, are a big draw for birds. This is especially true in the winter months when there isn’t as much natural abundance out in nature for the birds to feed on or to put to good use.
Having available alternative food sources helps birds even more as the seasons wear on, and winter gets deeper. The further into the winter season we move, the further we are away from the active growing season.
While plants will continue to produce food and seeds through the summer and even through much of fall, in the winter, when the world goes dormant, that food production machine stops.
Whatever is out there for the birds to eat when plants move into dormancy is it. That’s the whole buffet until growing and production starts again with the spring and summer wake up.
Birds and all sorts of wildlife will all be competing for the same finite amount of winter food.
It’s worth decorating naturally for the good that it does (for us and for the birds)
And so, the more we help them, and the more we strategically place beneficial, natural sources of food around our homes and yards, the more we can enjoy the activity and presence of the winter birds.
There are benefits to us in this, too. If your home and yard are a haven for the birds, if they find more of what they need there, they will be more likely to nest nearby.
That means more birds for you to enjoy. But that can also put birds in the right place for the right time to achieve that more natural balance and insect control for your spring and summer gardens, too!
What can decorating with nature do for the birds?
Natural decorating materials serve a few purposes for birds:
- Concentrated food sources
- Materials for home and nest building
- Inviting them to make their home where they can be consistently provided for throughout the year
- Reliable sources of needed food and materials
- Reduces potentially harmful materials like plastics, metals, tinsel, wire, and more
Of course, to achieve consistency and reliability, it’s up to you to commit to working more with nature. Do this year after year to be a true, reliable, and consistent source of food and materials.
Natural Decor to Bring in the Birds
There are a lot of things that you can use to decorate with, especially in the fall, winter, and holiday seasons. You just have to look around.
Take a hike. Scout the roadsides. See what is growing in your area that appeals to you aesthetically, and then start collecting.
Look at “brush”, “weeds”, wildflowers, and berries with a new eye. Look at them like a bird would. See what colors and textures strike you as something that could make a pretty decoration but that could also do double duty for the birds.
As you scout along, pay attention to where birds are already hanging out and what and where they might be feeding. These are pretty sure bets that they’ll appreciate them in your home decorations, too!
Some things to look for or use to decorate for the birds:
- Native bird berries
- Winterberries
- Whole grains
- Corn
- Dried flower heads
- Seed heads (some examples -- echinacea seed heads, goldenrod, which makes lovely wreath material, aster stalks, black-eyed susan seed heads, to name just a few)
- Sunflower heads
- Amaranth
- Wheat and Grass Stalks with Grain Heads
- Dried Fruit (apples, crabapples, etc.)
- Dried Berries
- Rose hips -- but NOT from invasive species! Multiflora rose, for example, is invasive in many locations
- Sumac berry clusters
- Evergreen branches and needles
Ways to Use Natural Materials in Your Outdoor Decorating
There are many ways to put attractive natural materials to good use. There are many crafts you can make, things you can build, and ways to use and arrange natural materials.
Here are some ideas to get you going:
- Dried flower wreaths
- Wreaths made with dried grain heads
- Corn and other seedy stalks bundled to decorate posts and poles
- Garlands for fences, porch rooflines, and door thresholds
- Patio table centerpieces and accents
- Bowl fillers with grains for outdoor tables
- Swags made with headed grain stalks or branches filled with favorite seeds or berries
- String fruits or berries to make garlands and use them to decorate trees outside
Have a suggestion or favorite natural craft to add? Share it in the comments!
Of course, you do have to keep in mind that some of your decor may get picked apart over time, but typically, the birds will leave things looking good for quite some time -- and their visits become a part of your home’s aesthetic, too!
A Word of Caution Against Invasive Species
One thing you absolutely need to be aware of when scouting and gathering natural materials for bird-centric home decorating is invasive species.
Of course, what is invasive for you is not the same as it is for someone in a different area, but there are many common invasive species. You can also look up what is invasive where you live. Most states, counties, and countries maintain lists of invasive species.
It’s worth doing research before you start gathering for your decorations. Some highly attractive natural materials are invasive. Unfortunately, it is perfect for seasonal, holiday, and winter decorating.
Human spread, from use and collection, is a part of what contributes to the spread of invasive species.
For example, Oriental Bittersweet, which is widely invasive in many places, is really a very pretty vine. In the fall, it hosts hundreds to thousands of small red berries with orange overcoats. The skins split open to reveal the berry. It’s quite a show and boasts all the best fall colors.
But every one of those berries has three to six seeds. Everyone can grow into a vine that can reach 60 feet tall and literally take down old, established hardwood trees. People like to decorate with them because the vines hold the berries all winter. That makes them attractive to birds, but having birds eat them and spread them only destroys their own ecology and habitat.
Multiflora rose is another commonly invasive bush. It takes over habitats in the wild. It also has clusters of attractive small red rose hips that look pretty in arrangements and on wreaths.
The University of Maryland Extension Service describes how easily the multiflora rose can spread. “Multiflora rose spreads through its prolific seed production. Each cane on a large plant may contain 40 to 50 clusters of flowers; each cluster may contain as many as 100 hips, and each hip averages seven seeds. Some researchers estimate that a single plant may produce a million seeds per year.”
Birds love the hips, but again, them eating and spreading them is working against their own natural environment.
Use plant ID Apps to help you spot undesirable invasive species of plants
The use of a good plant identification app will help you easily identify potentially invasive species of plants. Then you’ll know to leave them there and look for something else. Something that will really work for and not against the birds you’re trying to support.
Picture This is one such app. It will identify the plant in various stages and states and at different times of the year. Then, it will go on to discuss whether there is a potential for invasiveness where you live. It works with your location services to deliver a good, locally reliable result. It won’t hurt to cross reference its results with a search of your local invasive species list, though!
Decorating in step with nature can do a lot for your own home decor and for the wildlife that live around you. Conscientious decorating, paired with an eye for style and the birds you enjoy hosting, is a winning situation all around.
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