Merlene and Jim Stiles look over the prairie plants and flowers they have in the front yard of their home in order to attract birds. Photos by Eric Johnson/eric.johnson@austindailyherald.com
Bugs to birds for your yard By Deb Nicklay • Photos
by
Eric Johnson
Plants, insects key to attracting birds to your yard
T
he insect world provides the main food source for birds — and unless you have plants and trees that provide the insects or nesting potential, you won’t see many birds in your yard. “We started planting our prairie in 2004,” said Merlene Stiles, referring to herself and her husband, Jim, who worked specifically to plant species that would provide food for birds. Over a decade later, the Stiles’ have a wide variety of prairie plantings, from asters, cone flowers and wild geraniums to allium, cup plants and butterfly weed. The front lawn is lush with other inclusions, including Culver’s root and little bluestem, a tall prairie grass. “I guess you could say we have a little bit of everything,” said Jim, who added he will fill in spots with different annuals from year to year. The New England aster alone can attract 105 larval insects, said Merlene — a bounty for birds. She also makes a clear nectar (three parts water to one part sugar) for her hummingbird feeder. The cup plant, on the other hand, has such strong leaves — that grow from the stem in a tight “cup” — that A nuthatch clings upside down to a tree in the Meyer’s backyard. they can support water from which birds can drink, or toads that can sit in Merlene said while most people to attract the winged friends, the insects them. focus on flowering plants and feeders that trees attract can also be significant.
This story appears in the July-August edition of Austin Living magazine.
White pine, for instance, can be home to over 190 larval insects. But the grandaddy is the sugar maple, which attracts over 280 larval insects, according to the Audubon Society. You’ll also find wild grapes and milkweed in the yard. The grapes are also mega-attractors, while milkweed, as most know, attract monarch butterflies. The birds have found the Stiles’ yard a good place to be. The couple often sees cardinals, robins, chickadees and nuthatches; Merlene was particularly excited to see a pileated woodpecker, the largest of the woodpeckers, pecking away at her sugar maple.
See BIRDS, Page 4B