Creating a Bird Haven at Home

If you are a bird lover, chances are good that your personality is drawn toward bright colors, cheerful flowers, and a wide range of garden and landscape styles. I am the kind of bird lover who is always looking out her windows, at home and in the car, scanning for the flicker of colorful birds! I plant a lot of yellow in my flowerbeds, and I love the counterpoint of purples like hydrangea or climbing clematis. Have you taken the time to create a bird-friendly backyard?

Here are three tips I have found useful for making sure more birds visit my home! In my way of thinking, a landscape filled with beauty is not complete without a bird haven. Do you agree?

Two Major Bird Concerns The two biggest concerns for birds are finding food and being safe. I offer lots of vegetation like trees, shrubs, flowerbeds and vines, and this gives birds choices for safe landing spots. The foods that are most popular in my yard are insects, berries, and fruit. Seeds like no-mess blends are always offered, too, but alone, they are not ideal for attracting birds. 

Watch and Learn My large dining room window is my favorite perch for bird watching, and from there I realized that the neighborhood cat who is left to roam at will has been ruining my bird haven efforts! A friendly call to my neighbor has helped with that issue. The cover of sheltering tree limbs and ornamental grasses has helped birds feel safe in my yard. We often see hawks gliding in the thermals above our home, and a sheltering landscape helps small backyard birds rest easy about predators in the air.  

Stop Tidying Up By nature, I like to put things back into place at the end of each day. I'm a bit of a neat-freak. In my bird-friendly yard, a natural, more wild approach brings better results! Trimming back hedges and flowerbeds every week removes some of the insect-rich oasis for birds. It is good for me to be more casual in my yard work, as it lets me just relax in the lush, colorful space.

I would love to hear about your bird-friendly spaces!

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

P.S. If you would like to see my latest colorful, handmade bird pillows, here is a quick link. Birds look great inside the home, too!

Grow like a tree -- Think like a tree

Coexist by Georgianne Holland, 2011

"Think of a tree, or any living event that emerges from within itself. It is the degree to which it obeys its inner commitment to unfold a certain pattern that enables it to overcome all of the resistance and the obstacles in the environment, and to demonstrate itself as a vast and vital manifestation of the energy of Life."

Swami Chetanananda

I have to admit that I do think about trees, if not like them, almost daily. Today, my favorite tree thought is the red maple tree in our front yard, as its leaves have just now begun to turn a coppery-pink color. Soon the entire tree canopy will be bright red and it will be brilliant. I am hopeful we do not get an early Fall snow storm, as that will shorten the fall foliage season considerably. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

My latest fiber art construction titled Coexist is another tree that has kept my mind busy. There are 12 birds of different colors nestled in the branches of this wool tree, and the leaves are appliqued wool, which cause them to protrude, or have that 3D-effect. The entire piece is made of wool, and is mounted on ivory linen in a wooden frame. It is my hope that this Coexist design will come to signify the unity that I believe exists between all people, for even as we have unique characteristics, we are all members of the human family. Chetanananda speaks of this as the vital manifestation of the energy of Life, and that energy can provide worldwide harmony. That is my prayer.

The Arbor Day Foundation is supported by my artwork and the success of my Nestle and Soar Studio. I received recently their journal where I read a vitally interesting article about how trees can tame storm water problems in communities everywhere. Most cities and towns in the United States have water systems that were constructed generations ago, and because they are underground and out of sight, their overwhelmed condition can be "out of mind" to most of us. Abundant trees can help curb costly storm water runoff, which is another benefit to trees that may not be top-of-mind. If you'd like to learn more about how you, your business, or your community can participate in water-system health through green landscapes, see the nice folks at www.arborday.org/stormwater.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne