100 Plants to Feed the Birds:
Turn Your Home Garden into a Healthy Bird Habitat
By Laura Erickson
256 Pages
Plants are one of the healthiest and most helpful ways to attract and
support a wide variety of birds. In this colorful easy-reference guide,
birding expert Laura Erickson details the 100 best native plants for
providing food and habitat to backyard and migrating birds across North
America.
The growing group of bird enthusiasts who enjoy feeding and watching
their feathered friends will learn how they can expand their activity
and help address the pressing issue of habitat loss with 100 Plants to Feed the Birds. In-depth
profiles offer planting and care guidance for 100 native plant species
that provide food and shelter for birds throughout the year, from winter
all the way through breeding and migrating periods. Readers will learn
about plants they can add to their gardens and cultivate, such as
early-season pussy willow and late-season asters, as well as wild plants
to refrain from weeding out, like jewelweed and goldenrod. Others,
including 29 tree species, may already be present in the landscape and
readers will learn how these plants support the birds who feed and nest
in them. Introductory text explains how to create a healthy year-round
landscape for birds. Plant photographs and range maps provide needed
visual guidance to selecting the right plants for any location in North
America.
Key Points:
1. Eager audience of bird enthusiasts and watchers. According to
the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, at least 50 million North Americans feed
wild birds and that number has grown significantly in the past year.
Over the past 50 years, the number of birds in the United States and
Canada has declined by 29 percent, due to human expansion and subsequent
habitat loss. As natural habitat dwindles, backyards become
increasingly important refuges for birds and other wildlife, both for
feeding and nesting.
2. Native and natural extension to bird-feeding activity.
Birds have evolved with native plants, which are best adapted to local
growing seasons, climate, and soil. Providing birds’ natural food
through native garden plants, rather than commercial (often imported)
food in a feeder, eases concerns about contaminated seed, attracting of
unwanted animals through spillage, and encouraging invasive birds to
multiply.
3. Third book in a successful series. Following Storey's 100 Plants to Feed the Bees (60,000 copies in print) and 100 Plants to Feed the Monarch
(12,000 in print), this book is a significant addition to this line of
books that appeal to gardeners, nature enthusiasts, and
environmentalists.
