Kate's Garden Kitchen

I decided to stop feeding the birds this summer, particularly because the feeders draw in the squirrels, which makes my dog go crazy, running and chasing which resulted in a torn CCL recently. I realized that I was just baiting her into running after squirrels.

To make a long story short, my feeders are being stored for now. I may bring them out to the front yard after the bears go to sleep if we have an unusually hard winter but frankly, I’m questioning using them. And I may simply not resurrect my feeders at all. Feeding birds can be controversial. Here is an excellent source from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service discussing the pros and cons of bird feeding: https://www.fws.gov/story/feed-or-not-feed-wild-birds

The upshot of this I’ve made my first resolution for the new year. It’s a bit early, but I’ve decided that I’m going to feed my birds from what I grow, not from feeders. This morning in my perennial bed where I’ve left up all the seedheads were maybe 20 birds, at least five different kinds. Finches were dancing on the coneflower seedheads, and scavenging the ground and fallen foliage were several types of sparrows with juncoes, cardinals and a rose-breasted grosbeak.

They had plenty to eat since I left my garden wild for the winter. These stems and debris also harbor insects including the pollinators we need to keep our planet healthy. And, below the leaf litter I’ve left in my garden are the pupae of caterpillars which will feed the birds in spring.

So, my resolution is that next year when the gardening and plant-buying bug hits me, I will concentrate on only growing what provides food for the birds and other wildlife. Of course, in most cases, this will mean native plants but there are plenty of attractive non-invasive non-natives that provide food as well. I collected seeds from wild stands of black cohosh (bugbane) and goldenrod, and hyssop, vervain and sneezeweed from my perennial garden. I’ve “winter-sown” them to put out in my landscape next year.