Birdscaping Your Garden: A Practical Guide to Backyard Birds and the Plants That Attract Them

Describes the habitat, feeding habits, and behavior of common birds, lists plants that attract birds, and offers advice on planning a bird-friendly landscape

Cover, shelter, nesting sites, food, and water are the five basic things that birds need. Birdscaping tells how to provide them in your yard. A directory lists 64 species of birds, including woodpeckers, hummingbirds, jays, chickadees, wrens, warblers, finches, and cardinals. Each entry has a photograph of the bird and one of Adams' drawings of the bird in a favorite native plant (a summer tanager nesting in a flowering dogwood, for example). Each entry also includes the bird's description, habits, and song, its preferred habitat, breeding behavior, nesting style, and diet. A range map is provided, along with data on the bird's breeding, migration, and winter ranges. There is also a list of plants that provide food and shelter for the bird. A separate plant directory gives more general information on 100 trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, vines, and grasses that attract birds. The section "Growing Native Plants" covers such basics as soil care, planting, propagation, watering, mulching, fertilizing, and pest and disease control. This valuable guide will help turn any yard into a sanctuary for a variety of birds. George Cohen