3 foolproof ways TO ATTRACT BIRDS
®
Beauty t in Your Own Backyard d
Welcome
Spring!
American robin p. 10
MEET THIS SEASON’S FAVORITE EARLY BIRD
10
B BEAUTIFUL B BLOOMING TREES GATHER FRIENDS FOR A SEED-STARTING PARTY
from zero to bee hero A NEWBIE’S ADVENTURES IN BACKYARD BEEKEEPING
1
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Contents BIRDS & BLOOMS FEBRUARY I MARCH 2017
Jump into spring!
30 Learn about the six towhee species you could spot this spring.
FEATURES
30 Scratching Up a Storm Get to know towhees, the shy birds that hide out in your shrubs.
36 The Perfect Plant Learn how All-America Selections judges and crowns its winners.
42
54
Adventures in Beekeeping
Moth vs. butterfly
A beginner shares how she jumped headfirst into beekeeping.
GARDEN WITH A PURPOSE 9 February To-Do List 10 Feeder Talk 12 14 20 23
36
Award-winning salvia
American robin Birding Essentials Seeds birds love Top 10 Spring-blooming trees Yard Smarts Host a seed-starting party Bird Tales
B A C KYA R D C H AT 49 Ask the Experts 54 Field Guide 58 60 62
The differences between moths and butterflies Travel A guide to Fort Worth, Texas You Don’t Say Photo Quiz Can you ID these pink blooms?
ON THE COVER
A beautiful American robin, one of the first signs that spring is on its way! Photo by Bill Leaman.
66 Did You Know? IN EVERY ISSUE 6 From the Editor 64 For the Reader
62 Photo quiz
3 Foolproof Seeds Favorite Early Bird 10 Blooming Trees Seed-Starting Party Bee Hero
p. 12 p. 10 p. 14 p. 20 p. 42
Ex
rd ive! o f d lus a r c B x E A ge n a h c
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FROM THE EDITOR
It’s the perfect time of year
to take a fresh look at everything around you—from the shady corner of your backyard to the dusty hallway closet. As you dive headfirst into your spring cleanup and growing-season prep, take time to indulge in the little things that make this season special. For example, the epic return of the robins (p. 10), spring trees that come alive with the most colorful blooms (p. 14) and starting seeds with friends (p. 20). Here at Birds & Blooms, we tackled a major spring-cleaning project of our own with the launch of a new look we know you’ll love. But our makeover didn’t stop there. Did you know there’s an Extra edition of Birds & Blooms? It’s newly designed and jam-packed with even more of what you love about Birds & Blooms. More Beauty in Your Own Backyard ®
GRAY CATBIRD Lure a flock to your yard p. 32
SPRING THINGS Kirsten’s roundup of the season’s must-sees and do’s.
1 Celebrate spring migration at The Biggest Week in American Birding festival in northwest Ohio. It kicks off May 5.
Here’s what’s new in Extra: •Fewer pages of advertising •An expanded Bird Tales section •DIY backyard projects •More beautiful backyard photos Coming up in the March issue of Birds & Blooms Extra, meet the mimic birds! Catbirds, thrashers and mockingbirds are expert impersonators and sing hundreds of songs. Plus, read about 10 spice plants that attract butterflies. And learn how to create the ultimate bird-safe backyard.
Sign up for your subscription to Birds & Blooms Extra now at birdsandblooms.com/plusextra.
2 Make this clothespin flower craft created by Birds & Blooms blogger Jill Staake. Directions here: birdsandblooms.com/ springcraft.
KIRSTEN SWEET, EDITOR
win this scope! One lucky winner will receive a Sport ED 20-60x82mm spotting scope and a 3000 Series tripod from our friends at Oberwerk. Scopes offer better magnification than most binoculars and are useful in your backyard or in the field. Enter at birdsandblooms .com/contests by Jan. 20, 2017.
3 Watch for nesting birds
in your backyard or at your local parks. Lois Lecavalier of Parksville, British Columbia, found these towhee eggs in her garden. Learn more about these shy birds on p. 30.
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GARDEN WITH A PURPOSE
Sweet Like Candy This pollinator magnet oozes with old-fashioned charm.
TO-DO LIST
February
PHOTO COURTESY OF PROVEN WINNERS - WWW.PROVENWINNERS.COM
• Clear a space in your favorite container for the seasonal glamour of candytuft. This plant is drought-tolerant, grows in zones 5 to 9 and blooms from spring into summer. • Join 160,000 volunteers for the Great Backyard Bird Count on Feb. 17-20. Track the birds that visit your backyard, then go to birdcount.org to report your findings.
PRETTY IN PURPLE Back in the day, candytuft was available only in white, but new on the scene is this Absolutely Amethyst variety.
• Look for signs of spring, from fresh green shoots sprouting up to the first robin’s song in your yard.
FEBRUARY I MARCH 2017
birdsandblooms.com
9
FEEDER TALK
TAKE IT ALL IN Nothing says spring quite like a picturesque American robin in a flowering crabapple tree.
THE FEED
Rockin’ Robin Meet the orange-breasted early bird that greets spring with a song. BY SHE RYL DE VORE hen you hear an American robin’s light, musical cheerily, cheerio, it means spring is at your doorstep. As the ground thaws and worms break through the surface, robins become more active and present in your backyard. But you can find this member of the thrush family even when it’s snowing, gobbling up berries from shrubs and trees. Occasionally, you may notice a robin that looks slightly uncoordinated. That’s because it gorged itself on overripe berries and is a bit tipsy! Robins are common sights in backyards throughout most of North America and willingly nest in planters, on windowsills, and in other nooks and crannies around a building. In spring, look for pairs hopping around your yard. Both males and females have yellow bills and orange breasts, but the male’s head is usually darker than the female’s. Robins in the eastern part
LEFT, NEAR RIGHT: BILL LEAMAN; RIGHT, TOP: THREEROCKSIMAGES/ SHUTTERSTOCK; RIGHT, BOTTOM: MTRUCHON/ISTOCK
W
of the United States show white spots in the outer corners of their tails while in flight. In a robin couple, the female builds the cup-like nest with mud as its foundation and lines it with grasses, twigs and other plant material. She typically lays four bright blue eggs and incubates them for about two weeks. Both parents feed the young, which have darkspotted breasts rather than red ones. Robins raise up to three or more broods a year, especially in the southern part of the United States. As the weather cools into fall, robins gather in flocks, sometimes up to tens of thousands, to roost together at night. They also make small migratory movements to find food. Robins eat berries yearround, so lure them to your yard with trees that bear fruit in winter such as chokecherry, hawthorn and dogwood. Watch for these classic birds in your yard, no matter what the weather is like.
ROBIN’S EGG BLUE
It became an iconic color thanks to Tiffany & Co.’s famous jewelry boxes. Its trademarked, custom Pantone shade is No. 1837, the same year the company was founded.
A wish made upon seeing the first robin in spring will come true–but only if you complete the wish before the robin flies away. IRISH SUPERSTITION
WORMS RULE!
The next time you observe an American robin in your yard, notice how they curiously tilt their heads. They do this to listen for juicy worms. Robins use both visual and auditory clues to hunt down their favorite slimy snack. FEBRUARY I MARCH 2017
birdsandblooms.com
11
ESSENTIALS
Squirrels steer clear o f saf f lower.
SAFFLOWER NYJER
Lure finches and chickadees with nyjer, a tiny black seed that is sometimes called thistle. Bonus! Bully birds tend to leave nyjer alone.
Serve safflower in a hopper feeder for cardinals, grosbeaks and house finches to devour. Remember: It may take a while for the birds to get acquainted with the seed.
Seeds Birds Love Maximize the traffic at your feeders with popular foods that keep birds coming back for more. BY BIRDS & BLOOMS EDITORS The best all-around seed!
SUNFLOWER
This food deserves the No. 1 spot in your yard! Sunflower seeds, both in the shell ( left) and out-of-shell meats ( below, left), appeal to finches, chickadees, nuthatches, grosbeaks, cardinals, jays and even some woodpeckers. Because sunflower seeds are delicious to so many species, including some large undesirable birds, they’re best served in feeders that allow only small songbirds to perch on or enter the feeding chamber.
Choose the right feeder Tray feeders are flat platforms that attract a variety of seedeaters. Look for one with holes to allow rain or snow drainage. Tube feeders are cylinders with mesh or plastic-coated wire screens. They’re great for small birds, such as finches, chickadees and nuthatches. Hopper feeders have an enclosed reservoir for seeds that slides food down to the open feeding tray below. Plus, seed stays dry! Woodpeckers, grosbeaks and blue jays frequent these feeders.
12
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TOP 10
Bloom-tastic Trees Celebrate the season with one of these special specimens, most of them sized perfectly for small spaces. BY DE B WILE Y
1
PLANT PINK Crabapples make great nesting trees for chipping sparrows, and they also are host plants for io moth larvae.
2 1 Flowering crabapple
1: BILL LEAMAN; 2: HELLEN SERGEYEVA/SHUTTERSTOCK; 3: MARTIN HUGHES-JONES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; 4: ZOONAR GMBH/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
MALUS, ZONES 4 TO 8 SIZE: 6 TO 8 FEET TALL AND WIDE TO 20 TO 25 FEET TALL AND WIDE
Crabapples are the darlings of cool-climate yards. Flowers of white, pink or deep crimson transform into dainty fruits in yellow, orange, maroon or red. Select a newer variety to ensure good disease- and pestresistance, and plant in full sun. Why we love it: The diversity! Tree shapes can be rounded, spreading, upright, vase shaped and even weeping.
2 Magnolia MAGNOLIA, ZONES 4 TO 9 SIZE: 15 TO 40 FEET TALL AND WIDE
Gorgeous blooms in white, pink, yellow and purple balance like teacups or starbursts atop branches that later bear green leaves, some as glossy as lacquer. Plant in full sun to part shade.
3
Why we love it: There’s one for almost every region, from star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) in the chilly north to southern and champaca magnolias in the balmy south, and saucer magnolias everywhere in between.
THE CARE AND KEEPING OF TREES
3 Carolina silverbell HALESIA TETRAPTERA (OR HALESIA CAROLINA), ZONES 4 TO 8 SIZE: 30 TO 40 FEET TALL, 20 TO 35 FEET WIDE
Almost maintenance-free and able to grow in full sun to full shade, keep Carolina silverbell moist and in welldraining, acidic soil. Test your soil for a pH below 7. Why we love it: Children and adults alike might believe that fairies come by to ring its elegant white or rose bell-shaped blossoms.
Replace all of the grass that surrounds freshly
planted and young trees with mulch. Grass is a fierce competitor for water and other nutrients, and it can drastically slow the growth of your tree. 4 Japanese tree lilac SYRINGA RETICULATA SSP. RETICULATA, ZONES 3 TO 7 SIZE: 20 TO 30 FEET TALL, 15 TO 25 FEET WIDE
4
Flowering a bit later than other lilacs, this underused tree releases a sweet scent from its cone-shaped panicles of ivory blooms. Sorry southerners, but this is a cold-climate choice. Plant in full sun. Why we love it: It’s unusual and grows even in the most difficult places such as highway medians. FEBRUARY I MARCH 2017
birdsandblooms.com
15
TOP 10
5 5 Yellowwood CLADRASTIS KENTUKEA, ZONES 4 TO 8 SIZE: 30 TO 50 FEET TALL AND SLIGHTLY WIDER
ROOM TO GROW
7
Plant your eastern
redbud tree in a spot where it has space to spread out, because this spring showstopper is wider than it is tall.
6
6 Apple serviceberry AMELANCHIER X GRANDIFLORA, ZONES 4 TO 9 SIZE: 20 TO 25 FEET TALL AND WIDE
Apple serviceberry is just one kind of serviceberry that’s perfect for most landscapes, thanks to its moderate size, bird-attracting berries and ability to thrive in sun to part sun locations. Why we love it: It’s a special tree with four seasons of beauty: spring blooms that become red-purple edible fruits, green leaves that flush with orange to red fall color, and smooth silver bark that’s gorgeous in winter.
7 Eastern redbud CERCIS CANADENSIS, ZONES 4 TO 9 SIZE: 20 TO 30 FEET TALL, 25 TO 35 FEET WIDE
Dainty rose-purple blooms dramatically hang from the branches of this North American native well before the heart-shaped leaves appear. Plant in full sun to part shade. Why we love it: The small size fits most yards. You can select alternate leaf colors, such as burgundy Forest Pansy or lime-gold The Rising Sun. Continued on page 18
5: AIDANSTOCK/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; 6: ARGENLANT/SHUTTERSTOCK; 7: MELINDA FAWVER/SHUTTERSTOCK
Yellowwood’s best bloom show occurs every other year, when you’re treated to cascading 8- to 14inch sprays of delicate, fragrant white blossoms. Grow it in full sun. If you live in areas of heavy snow, beware of branches that snap off in winter. Why we love it: This is a blooming shade tree, and has bark like a beech tree, providing winter interest.
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TOP 10
8 8 Japanese flowering cherry PRUNUS SERRULATA, ZONES 5 TO 8 SIZE: 40 TO 50 FEET TALL AND 25 TO 40 FEET WIDE
LATE BLOOMERS These uncommon flowering trees wait until summer to unfurl their signature look. STEWARTIA (Stewartia pseudocamellia): “Camellia” in its botanical name says something about the flowers. Zones 5 to 8.
• JAPANESE
(Oxydendrum arboreum): Tiny, fragrant, white bell-shaped flowers hang in cone-shaped clusters. Zones 5 to 9.
• SOURWOOD
EVODIA (Tetradium daniellii): It’s also called the bee tree, thanks to small white blossoms on female plants. Zones 4 to 8.
• KOREAN
9
10 9 Dogwood
10 White fringe tree
CORNUS KOUSA, ZONES 5 TO 8; CORNUS FLORIDA, ZONES 5 TO 9 SIZE: 20 TO 40 FEET TALL AND WIDE
CHIONANTHUS VIRGINICUS, ZONES 4 TO 9 SIZE: 12 TO 20 FEET TALL AND WIDE
Flowers up to 4 inches wide grace the spring branches of North American and Asian dogwoods. Test your soil pH before planting because dogwood grows best planted in acidic soil in full sun to full shade. Why we love it: In addition to the graceful spring flowers and fall leaf colors, the colorful red fruits produced by dogwood are gobbled up by feathered friends.
Native from southern Pennsylvania, south to Florida and west to Texas, fringe tree bursts onto the spring scene with lightly fragrant strappy white petals. They’re held in small groups attached at the top like tassels. Why we love it: It’s the best-kept secret among spring-blooming trees, yet it’s one of the most adaptable, thriving in full sun to part shade. Female trees produce blue fruits that birds love.
Deb Wiley, a freelance writer and editor, adores the redbud blooms that wake up after winter in her Des Moines, Iowa backyard.
8: WESTEND61 PREMIUM/SHUTTERSTOCK; 9: MANFRED RUCKSZIO/SHUTTERSTOCK; 10: ANDERSPHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK
You might ooh and aah every spring at the photos of the cherry tree display in Washington, D.C., but you can plant a flowering show of your own. Choose a spot in full sun. Why we love it: With the right cultivar, those gorgeous pink or white blooms turn into fruits that birds—especially robins, cardinals and waxwings—crave.
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Remember to decorate! Fill vases or a birdcage with rye grass and flowering cherry or other tree cuttings.
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YARD SMARTS
Seed Soiree Sow good times with friends by hosting an annual seed-starting party. BY R ACHAE L LI SK A ue the crocus and send in the songbirds. Spring is finally here, so throw a seed-starting party as the perfect way to celebrate. There, you’ll build budding friendships or cultivate connections as old as dirt—and jump-start your garden.
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: PHOTO & STYLING, COLLEEN DUFFLEY PRODUCTIONS; MICHELE CHEN CHOCK; A-POSELENOV/ISTOCK
C
WELCOME GUESTS WITH GIFTS An inexpensive pair of pretty garden gloves and a DIY floral crown set the tone. Form floral wire into a circle, wrap with floral tape, and tape on fresh or faux flowers and greenery. Adorn with ribbon, if desired. SET OUT THE BASICS Provide containers appropriate for starting seeds—peat pots, plastic seedling flats or paper egg cartons. Add sterile seed-starting mix, large spoons, a spray water bottle and plenty of newspaper to cover the workspace. Fill a basket with a collection of seed packets from which guests can choose. Vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and beans are good choices, as are
easy-to-grow ornamentals such as snapdragons, coleuses, cosmos and zinnias. Visit birdsandblooms .com/blog/start-seeds-indoors for more information on getting your seedlings off to a good start.
SERVE SNACKS IN TERRA-COTTA POTS Serve fresh veggies, dips, snack mixes and sweets in clean terracotta pots that have been lined with a food-safe container. Or plan a springtime salad bar on your patio. Decorate with fresh-cut flowers in vases or colorful watering cans. Offer herb- and fruit-infused water in clear glass pitchers. Keep chilled by freezing herbs and edible flowers into ice cubes. MAKE PERSONALIZED PLANT MARKERS Paint old clothespins, wooden spoons, or small, smooth rocks in vibrant colors. Once the paint is dry, use a black Sharpie to note the seeds you planted. Or stick a wine cork with the plant’s name written on it sideways onto the end of a bamboo skewer.
Nurture potted chocolate puddings This easy dessert by Michele Chen Chock at i-heart-baking.blogspot .com is sure to grow smiles the size of sunflowers (search “potted plant”). Spoon homemade or purchased chocolate pudding into small plastic cups, then top with ground Oreos and garnish with a sprig of mint.
Timing is everything. Sow most annuals and vegetables indoors no earlier than six weeks before the last expected frost date.
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BIRD TALES
Spring Awakening Reader stories leave you excited for a colorful new season.
Early spring is my favorite time of year because of the many shades of green and the busy birds. My state bird, the northern mockingbird, sang a very loud song to me one beautiful spring morning. Leta Moll Blalock ATKINS, ARKANSAS
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BIRD TALES
I took this photo at a small pond in Ankeny, Iowa. I still remember that day as if it were yesterday. I had stopped to check for wildlife to photograph. It was a very cool spring day, and some mallards were hanging around the pond. All of a sudden, a commotion caught my attention. Four male mallards were fighting over one hen. They chased each other and splashed and glided over the water like a floatplane. After being chased off the pond, this bird circled back around, not willing to give up. Greg Punelli DES MOINES, IOWA
A gray day YELLOW WARBLER SPECIES PROFILE Habitat: open woods, streamsides, orchards and willow thickets
in March was a little brighter because of this sunny yellow warbler. It landed on a stump right in front of me and posed. The contrast between the warbler’s feathers and the environment was really striking. Roxanne Morgan HOKAH, MINNESOTA
Food: insects, such as caterpillars, beetles and leafhoppers Nest: cup-shaped and made of grasses, bark and plant matter Field marks: males are bright yellow with chestnut streaks, females less vibrant.
Hundreds of birders visited the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, California, to see this male orchard oriole. It created quite a buzz! I was happy to capture a photo of the bird as it landed on the orange trumpet flowers. Terri Chapman BURBANK, CALIFORNIA
My wife and I live on Bird Island, a small residential island in a 6,000-acre lake in central Florida. It’s a designated bird sanctuary that is home to many waterfowl species. This photo shows one of the resident sandhill cranes. I photographed it and its mate from about 50 yards away, but this one crept closer to me until we were only 5 feet apart. Wyatt Earp SUMMERFIELD, FLORIDA
DANCES WITH CRANES
Visit the Platte River area of Nebraska in early spring to watch sandhill crane pairs perform their famous courtship dance.
BIRD TALES
This beautiful Steller’s
I had never thought of myself as a wildlife photographer. I captured photos of my grandchildren, sunsets and the places my wife and I went on vacation—the kinds of images that bored my friends when they were over for dinner. Then we moved to a small condominium in Ormond Beach, Florida. Our place has a screened porch overlooking what some residents call a lake but is really a retention pond. Call it what you will, it’s full of plants and fish, and therefore is visited by herons, egrets, migrating ducks, cormorants, hawks and even wild turkeys. Last spring, a red-shouldered hawk built a nest in a wooded lot on the pond’s north end. The hawk perched on an oak tree limb to watch for prey or clean its wings. I heard its high-pitched whistle as it went after young blue jays and mockingbirds. I watched songbird parents dive at the hawk like warplanes in a dogfight. Almost every day, an egret wades in the water’s shallow edge and pecks for minnows until someone on a walk scares it away to the opposite end. I watch this over and over again, especially the beauty of the bird’s wings as they spread over the water on takeoff. I never tire of it. Over my morning coffee one day, I saw a great blue heron standing in the grass near a cypress tree. It had speared a fish, one I assumed was too large for it to swallow. I watched for a moment before I retreated into the house for my camera. I took some photos and watched the heron eat its meal. Pond life has been quite a revelation to me. I’ve developed a wildlife photographer’s fascination with the wonder of it all, and I don’t have far to go. I’ve discovered that it’s just a matter of paying attention to what’s right in front of you. Marvin Lowery ORMOND BEACH, FLORIDA
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jay found a hiding spot in a tree outside my kitchen window to wait for the peanuts that I put out each morning. I got this great shot as it poked its crested head out from behind the leaves. Lorry Sue Turriff COTTAGE GROVE, OREGON
A diligent northern flicker carved out a nesting hole not far from my home. This bird was so distracted that it didn’t even notice my camera as I clicked away. Guy Jones SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS
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Miss Grouse, as we fondly called this ruffed grouse, showed up in our backyard a couple of springs ago. Every time I dared to enter her space, she came right over, puffed up her feathers and pecked at my feet. But the grouse never bothered my wife. I think Miss Grouse and I developed a love-hate relationship. She was happy as long as I left her alone to eat our flowers!
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scratching upa storm Look down! That noise under your shrubs is a shy, ground-feeding towhee in search of its next meal.
MARIE READ
By Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman
An eastern towhee strikes a perfect pose in a flowering crabapple tree.
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W
hen dry leaves rustle beneath your shrubs, you may think it’s a fidgety squirrel at first, but look closer. If you hear an odd, sharp call through the noise, a towhee may be responsible for the racket. Crouch down low and peer through the dense branches to catch a glimpse of this secretive visitor.
Although they’re related, green-tailed towhees (left) look remarkably different from their spotted cousin above.
LEFT TO RIGHT: RICK & NORA BOWERS/KAC PRODUCTIONS; MARIE READ
A little larger than their sparrow relatives, towhees spend a lot of time on the hunt for seeds and insects by scratching at dry leaf litter on the ground. You might assume that a bird stands on one foot and scratches with the other, but towhees have their own approach: They jump in the air and kick backward with both feet, sending dry leaves flying and exposing their favorite foods. Anywhere in the eastern half of the U.S., scratching sounds that come from under dense thickets could reveal the presence of an eastern towhee. Males of this species are mostly black and white while females are mostly brown and white, but they both show a wide stripe of reddish brown, or rufous, along the side of the body.
HOT SPOT During your next visit to the Grand Canyon State, add Saguaro National Park to your itinerary. Canyon towhees are common, spotted and Abert’s are present year-round, and green-tailed ones visit during migration and winter. With luck, you could pick up four towhee species.
Eastern types thrive in secondgrowth woods, overgrown fields or tall forest edges, but they show up in backyards that have low, dense bushes. Listen for their sharp, ringing call, which sounds like chewink (or, if you use your imagination, towhee). Their song is a musical drink-your-tea. The western half of the country is the spotted towhee’s territory. It looks a lot like its eastern cousin and chooses similar habitats, but it has extra white spots on its back. Another difference is the calls and songs. Those of western towhees are much more variable. Two of the plainest brown birds in North America are the canyon towhee of the Southwest and the California towhee of California and Oregon. These two were once considered one FEBRUARY I MARCH 2017
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An Abert’s towhee perches in the Sonoran Desert (below). Notice the rusty undertail on this canyon towhee at right.
species, called brown towhee, but their voices are completely different. What they lack in bright colors they make up for with personality. They live in pairs year-round, and the male and female both defend their nesting territory, loudly chasing away other towhees. And although the male does most of the actual singing, both members of the pair sing squealing, chattering duets together several times a day. California towhees live near the Pacific coast in gardens, where they scurry across patios and bustle under hedges. Canyon towhees tend to live in the more wild country of foothills and canyons, but they come into the suburbs of some Southwestern cities, like Albuquerque. There’s a third relative, called Abert’s towhee, with a very limited range. It lives along rivers and streams in Arizona and southeastern California, barely extending into the edges of other nearby states. Along wild rivers it can be very shy and hard to see. But in recent years some Abert’s towhees have adapted to living around people, and they have
become common garden birds in some parts of Phoenix and Yuma, Arizona. Just a little smaller than other towhees, the green-tailed towhee is mostly a western bird. It spends the summer in mountain forests, and for the winter it migrates to dense thickets along rivers and streams in the Southwest. As its name suggests, it has yellow-green on the tail as well as on the wings and back. However, you’re more likely to notice its rustyred forehead—especially since it often raises those forehead feathers in a perky crest. The most common call note of this towhee is a soft mew that sounds like a kitten in the shrubbery. Even though the green-tailed towhee is typical of the West, it occasionally wanders far eastward and has even shown up at feeders on the Atlantic coast. Spotted towhees also stray east at times, and the eastern towhee occasionally drifts out west. So the next time you hear mysterious rustling coming from your shrubs, see if a towhee chose to visit your yard. ● Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman don’t rake fallen leaves in their Ohio yard, because the messiness provides habitat for migrating eastern towhees.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: STEVE AND DAVE MASLOWSKI; RICK AND NORA BOWERS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; DAVE WELLING
California towhees eat seeds from many types of grasses and herbs, like this tickseed.
3 Easy Ways to Attract Towhees 1
Habitat. Keep shrub branches low and allow dry leaves to accumulate under them.
2
Food. Serve quality seed, like white proso millet. But don’t be surprised if towhees prefer to forage on the ground.
3
Water. Put out a groundlevel birdbath with a dripper or source of moving water.
2016 Summer Jewel Lavender Salvia
Perfect Plant
Add a wow factor to your space with award-winners from All-America Selections. They’re designed, tried and tested to make your garden pop. By Heather Ray
T LEFT: ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS; RIGHT: MARSHA MOOD
The
2015 Summer Jewel White Salvia
T
HINK OF YOUR IDEAL PLANT. How would you describe it? Would it bloom sooner, yield more fruit, grow taller or stay shorter? Today, seed breeders have the tools and know-how to strive for botanic perfection, bringing out the full potential of any given variety. “It’s all about accumulating good genes for specific traits and then inbreeding until the variety is consistently uniform or true to type from seed,” says Paul Readly, seed breeder for American Takii Inc. in Salinas, California. His Summer Jewel Lavender salvia won a 2016 All-America Selection (AAS) award. Because seeds can take up to 10 years to perfect, receiving the AAS designation is something Paul is very proud of. “AAS winners truly run the gantlet and emerge as superior plants for any garden in North America,” he says. The designation is considered the highest seal of garden performance approval in the United States.
Summer Jewel Lavender salvia (left) was named a regional AAS winner in 2016. Hummingbirds, butterflies and goldfinches love it almost as much as home gardeners. Summer Jewel White salvia (above) won in 2015.
How AAS Trials Work 1932 was a pivotal time for home gardeners, thanks to Ray Hastings, president of the Southern Seedsmen’s Association of Atlanta, Georgia. He felt strongly that there should be a reliable resource for garden-magazine editors and other members of the press to promote new vegetable and flower varieties. Seed companies responded favorably to his request to set
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up trial grounds for testing, and the nonprofit All-America Selections organization was born. Eighty-five years later, the AAS methodology remains true to its empirical roots. From the broad temperature fluctuations of Maine to the predictably warm weather of Southern California, nearly 90 trial grounds across the country host AAS contenders. Entries are judged across four categories: edibles; ornamentals from seed; ornamentals from cuttings; and perennials. “Any breeding company or individual hobby breeder is eligible,” says Diane Blazek, executive director of AAS. The process is handled like a scientific experiment. After an entry is submitted, “it goes to a Comparison Committee where other varieties currently on the market are selected as comparisons and used as controls,” Diane says. “Both the new entry and the control are sent to the judges for growing out over an average season.” The seeds are evaluated anonymously; score sheets are used to collect data; and an independent accounting firm computes the average results. “This way, each variety is judged solely on its own merits,” she says.
2013 Profusion Zinnia
The Profusion zinnia series is a six-time AAS winner. This Double Deep Salmon variety won in 2013.
The judges—all professional horticulturists who work in the industry—are spread across the nation. “Some are breeders, some are seed buyers, some are from academia or public gardens,” Diane says. They operate on a volunteer basis, scoring the assigned entries for their region from 0 to 5. “We have a mathematical calculation that averages the scores across the country,” Diane says. With more than 100 judges in total, Diane is confident that each plant has a fair test in multiple areas. “If an entry does not win a national award, we look at
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ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS
Judging
2013 Harvest Moon
the regional scores to see if it performed better in one area,” she says. That would make it eligible to be named a regional winner.
The Envelope Please AAS winners are announced three
times a year, in July, November and January. For Diane and her crew, the unveiling never gets old. “We get to trial new, never-before-sold plants and see which ones perform best in the garden. It’s very exciting to see.” Just don’t ask her to pick a favorite. “Oh my! That’s like picking
AAS winners truly run the gantlet and emerge as superior plants for any garden in North America.
2016 Konan Kohlrabi
2016 Super Moon
a favorite child,” she says. For her, the real rush comes when there’s a first-ever in class. “We recently had our first kohlrabi AAS winner, the Konan Kohlrabi,” she says. “We’ve never had a white pumpkin until 2016, and now we have the Super Moon.” She remembers the first strawberry (Delizz) the same year, and the first seedless watermelon, in 2013 (Harvest Moon). “I also get excited any time we have a series like the Summer Jewel salvias or Profusion zinnias,” Diane says. Winning seeds are available for purchase almost immediately. Try seed catalogs, or check the AAS website for a list of seed companies that sell previous and current winners (all-americaselections.org). As for future breeders, Paul knows that the novelty of the variety is among the first considerations before entering. “If it stops traffic and elicits a wow response, the variety is definitely a potential entry,” he says. If there’s a single trait all AAS winners share, it has gotta be the wow. ● Heather Ray is a freelance writer and veggie fanatic in Wisconsin, where Sweet Baby radishes thrive.
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▲
Asian Garden Celosia National Winner Breeder: Murakami Seed Co. Ltd. Judges’ Notes: Flower spikes bloom early, bright pink color all summer, holds up through the first frosts, pollinator magnet. Growing Notes: Full sun, good draining soil, normal water needs.
2017 All-America Selection Winners Now you can upgrade your okra, beautify your Asian garden or grow miniature watermelons. Here’s the first class of 2017 winners across all categories. Candle Fire Okra National Winner Breeder: Known-You Seed Co. Ltd. Judges’ Notes: Lowmaintenance, unique bright red color, frequent harvesting, thrives in heat, disease-resistant, nice taste and texture. Growing Notes: Full sun, needs soil with high organic matter, soak seeds for 12 hours before sowing, normal water needs.
ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS
▲
▲
Patio Pride Pea
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Regional Winner (Southeast) Breeder: Terra Organics Judges’ Notes: Sweet pods, wonderful for containers with flowers (pictured below with dianthus), good for succession planting, ready to harvest in 40 days. Growing Notes: Full sun, normal water needs, grow in spring and fall seasons, direct seeding recommended, three to four seeds every 6 inches, and thin to one seedling every 6 to 8 inches.
Mini Love Watermelon National Winner Breeder: HM.Clause Judges’ Notes: Produces up to six melons (7 to 9 pounds), split-resistant rinds, sweet and crisp flesh. Growing Notes: Full sun, normal water needs, sow indoors one month before transplanting, transplant 40 inches apart, good draining soil high in organic matter.
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Honeybaby Squash Regional Winner (Heartland) Breeder: Seeds by Design Judges’ Notes: Numerous winter squash fruits on compact plant, shorter vines, sweet- and nutty-tasting. Growing Notes: Full sun, normal water needs, seed in 3-foot rows with 10-inch spacing, requires staking in containers (2-foot vines).
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DARIOS44/ISTOCK
n i s e r u t n e v Ad g n i p e e k Bee
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. o r e h e e b o t o r e z m o r f o g o t y s t ’s ea to learn how
I
ey n r u o j ’s e i b w e n s i h t w o l Fol . z z u b a d r a y k c a b r u o y to get
By Melinda Myers
The Painful Truth It’s true that if you become a beekeeper, you will occasionally get stung. But a honeybee sting is not nearly as painful as being stung by a wasp, and there are a lot of precautions you can take, like using a smoker and donning protective clothing. It’s also helpful to move slowly around the hive, avoid swatting at the bees, and open the hive only on warm days when most of the bees are out foraging. Beekeepers will tell you that the fresh honey and productive gardens are more than worth the occasional sting.
1 Queen bee with a tag
‘‘
That offhand comment was all it took for my friend Pete to give me a beekeeping gift, complete with bee box and how-to books, for Mother’s Day two years ago. But Pete’s thoughtful present arrived a little late to order bees, so it sat on a shelf in the garage for a year. Last spring, my daughter told a beekeeper about my failure to launch, and the next thing I knew, two enthusiastic beekeepers, Cesar Cerna and Carol Kremer, were buzzing around my yard, ready to get my hive off the ground. Beekeepers for seven years, they learned by attending beekeeping workshops. Now they pay it forward and mentor newbies like me. The first thing I needed was a complete bee box. I had only a 10-frame super (the structure to hold the bees), but I lacked other critical items such as inner and outer covers, a bottom and a stand. I also didn’t have a protective veil or gloves. Or bees. But Cesar and Carol patiently helped me order everything I needed. Cesar also lent
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me a top for the box, and Carol lent her sugar water jar, which is used to feed the bees until they get comfy in their new home and start foraging on their own. One thing I did have was the perfect sunny spot for the hive among the fruit trees and flowers in my large garden. Sheltered inside a fenced area, it’s also safe from strong winds and hungry animals. I started my hive with a nucleus colony, which is fully established with a fertilized queen, larvae, combs and honey. The queen is larger than the others; her wings cover only two-thirds of her body. We located her nestled among the drones, which mate with the queen, and the worker bees, which guard the hive and collect nectar. We set the five-frame nucleus colony inside the 10-frame super, added the lid, set out the sugar water and let the bees settle into their new home. After a week or two, Cesar and Carol came back
QUEEN BEE: IKONOKLAST_FOTOGRAFIE/ISTOCK
I’ve always wanted to raise bees.”
2 4 A Beekeeper’s Tool Kit Get the right supplies for success!
BEES FLYING: PROTASOV AN/SHUTTERSTOCK; BEE BRUSH: KELLEY BEEKEEPING COMPANY
3 1. Smoking the hive calms the bees. 2. The bees don’t mind as the top of the hive is removed. 3. Delicious honey is close at hand when the first frame is lifted up. 4. A beekeeper opens the waxcapped honeycombs with a hot knife and lets the honey flow.
Bee brush: helps gently move bees out of the way during hive inspections Hive tool: a mini pry bar for lifting off the sealed top and frames for inspections Jacket with veil and gloves: protective clothing that increases your comfort level when working with bees Smoker: calms bees, reducing the beekeeper’s risk of being stung Super: a box with eight to 10 frames where bees build honeycombs
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Home Sweet Home Take a tour of a honeybee’s hive. OUTER COVER sits on top of the hive to protect bees from harsh weather INNER COVER goes over the uppermost super HONEY SUPERS contain frames for honey storage QUEEN EXCLUDER prevents the queen from laying eggs in honey supers DEEP SUPER contains frames to house bees BOTTOM BOARD is the floor of the hive
to check on the queen. We needed to make sure she hadn’t packed her bags instead of producing offspring. It didn’t take much searching to find white ricelike eggs and healthy, pearly white larvae and pupae in capped cells. Things were Stuff going so well, I had to expand their home with We Love another super to give the bees more space. I was excited to find many of the bees visiting my flowerbeds. On hot days, I saw To get started as a clusters near the hive entrance. Cesar backyard beekeeper, assured me this was normal behavior Melinda Myers during hot weather. He said it was called used the book bearding, which is when some worker Beekeeping for Dummies by Howland bees exit the hive to keep things cooler inside. They fan their wings to move Blackiston, $17, cooler air into and through the hive. barnesandnoble.com. About two months in, it was time to add a half-super for the bees to store honey. Although the colony had been coming along nicely, we belatedly realized that the hive was leaning to one side. The wooden stand was not holding up to outdoor conditions as well as we’d hoped. Pete and I put a new one together, this time made of tough cement blocks so it would be sure to last. It was a perfectly simple solution, but then we ran into a different problem: how to transfer the heavy bee- and honey-filled hive to its new
46
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stand. We definitely didn’t want to agitate the bees. But Cesar and Carol came to the rescue once again. We smoked the hive to keep the bees calm during the move. The smoke hinders their sense of smell, which bees use to communicate. Normally, if there’s a hive intruder, bees release an alarm pheromone to ready a group attack. If they can’t smell the pheromone, they stay calm. Cesar was excited to share the hive progress with Pete, and he handed him a bee-filled frame once the bees were soothed. Pete hadn’t expected to be so involved with my beekeeping adventure! Then it was time to hold the bee-filled super, which probably weighed over 50 pounds. Pete later told me that he was so focused on the risk of an angry bee flying up his shorts that he didn’t even notice how heavy the super was. The good news is that none of us, including the bees, were harmed during the move. Once everyone was settled in again, the super filled up fast, and I added a second one a month later. I left the honey for the bees this first year so they’d have plenty of food to get them through the winter. Straw bales now surround the hive to keep the bees warm during the cold Wisconsin weather. They’ll huddle inside to live off their honey stores until next spring, when the flowers will bloom and my honeybees will return to my backyard garden. ● Melinda Myers is Birds & Blooms’ horticulture expert. She plans on taking a beekeeping class this winter.
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BACKYARD CHAT
Ask the Experts Our pros tackle tricky bloom times, explain how to stop bees from taking up residence in your birdhouses and more.
THE GOATMAN/SHUTTERSTOCK
Q When I started plants from seed, there were what looked like little eggs on my cleome leaves. The rest of my plants were fine. What happened to the cleomes? Jen St. Louis ELMIRA, ONTARIO
Melinda: It is not a disease or insect problem but rather a physiological disorder. Basically, the plant forms these growths in response to its environment. In some cases, the plant absorbs moisture faster than it loses it, causing bumps to develop on the leaves. You often see this disorder on ivy geraniums, sweet potato vines, tomatoes and other plants. Fortunately, the problem usually corrects itself once the plants move into the garden and receive the preferred growing conditions. Until it is transplant time, continue to water and fertilize as needed. If you’re using artificial lights, keep them 4 to 6 inches above the top of the plant. FEBRUARY I MARCH 2017
birdsandblooms.com
49
ASK THE EXPERTS
Q Help! I discovered this bird among the house
Q How do I discourage bees
finches at my feeder last March. I’ve never seen one with this coloration before. Is it a house finch, too? Tim Seward TARENTUM, PENNSYLVANIA
and wasps from building nests in my birdhouses? Kenn and Kimberly: To dissuade them, plug the entrance hole until just before the breeding season. Paper wasps build a hanging nest that they attach to the roof of the box. Some nest-box keepers have had success discouraging this by rubbing bar soap on the inside of the roof. The slippery surface prevents the wasps from attaching a nest. Never use pesticides, because the residual effect can be harmful to birds.
SAFETY FIRST! If you discover an active bees’ or wasps’ nest in one of your empty
birdhouses, do not attempt to remove it. It’s best to leave it be, and wait for cooler temperatures in fall when the insects are less active and less aggressive.
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FEBRUARY I MARCH 2017
RIGHT: JOHN RICHMOND/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Kenn and Kimberly: Yes, it’s a house finch, but it has a beautiful and unusual variation on the normal color. Male house finches are normally red on the forehead, throat and chest, but the development of that color depends on the bird’s condition while it’s molting into its new feathers in the fall. If the bird is stressed or has some deficiency in its diet during that time, those feathers may come in orange or yellow instead of red. It doesn’t mean that the bird is unhealthy, though, and it may grow red feathers the next time it molts.
Toby Fencl MILL CITY, OREGON
Q My 6-year-old vining hydrangea
has never bloomed. It’s 15 feet tall and spread out over a trellis. How can I encourage blooming? Alyssa Kadyk SARVER, PENNSYLVANIA
Melinda: You’re definitely not alone. This is a common issue among gardeners who grow climbing hydrangeas. As you discovered, these plants take a long time to establish and start flowering. Avoid high-nitrogen, fast-release fertilizers that encourage leaf and stem growth but discourage flowering. Water plants thoroughly as needed and use a lownitrogen, slow-release fertilizer if you feel your plants need a boost. Your patience will be rewarded with beautiful blooms.
ASK THE EXPERTS
Q This wildflower grows along the road, but it doesn’t flower every spring. Last year, it had large flowers. What is this plant? Eileen Schwandt IRON RIDGE, WISCONSIN
Melinda: It’s a North American native called false Solomon’s seal. The leaves look similar to the native Solomon’s seal but the flowers distinguish the two. Solomon’s seal has white bell-shaped flowers that hang all along the stem, while false Solomon’s seal produces feathery blooms at the stem tip. You can find false Solomon’s seal in moist and dry forests, along stream banks and on rocky wooded slopes in full or partial shade.
Q I planted a Honeygold and a Cortland apple
Melinda: Age, growing conditions and plant health can influence when apples flower and produce fruit. Dwarf trees typically start flowering and fruiting two to four years after transplanting. Taller standard trees need more time to establish and typically do not start fruiting for five to seven years. Honeygold and Cortland are both midseason bloomers and listed as good pollinators for each other. The difference in the individual plants’ health and growing conditions may be causing the difference in bloom time. Add another midseason bloomer, such as McIntosh, Jonathan, Liberty or Empire, and it may help bridge the bloom time and increase pollination and fruit production.
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MEET THE EXPERTS Kimberly and Kenn Kaufman are the duo behind the Kaufman Field Guide series. They speak and lead bird trips all over the world. Melinda Myers is a nationally known, awardwinning garden expert, TV/radio host and the author of more than 20 books.
TOP LEFT: LIANDSTUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK
tree about 4 years ago and have only had one apple. I noticed that the trees do not bloom at the same time. Should I plant a third apple tree in order to pollinate all three? If so, what type would be best? Marge Berger ATHENS, WISCONSIN
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FIELD GUIDE
Hummingbird moths (right) can be mistaken for baby hummingbirds or bumblebees.
The clubbed antennae of a giant swallowtail tell you it’s a butterfly, not a moth.
Moth or Butterfly? Use these clues to confidently ID the winged creatures you find in your backyard. Here’s a hint: Look at the antennae! BY SALLY ROTH 54
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FEBRUARY I MARCH 2017
FROM LEFT: JORGEN HOG; LINDA EHNTHOLT
M
any people think that moths are the nighttime equivalent of butterflies, but it’s not quite that simple. Learn the basic differences between the two fliers so that you can positively say “moth!” or “butterfly!” when you spot one. Keep in mind, though, that most of these characteristics aren’t absolute—there are many exceptions to the rules. One thing you can count on: Butterflies fly only during the day. But not all moths are strictly nighttime fliers. Hummingbird moths, which include several species of sphinx moths, eat nectar at flowers during the day. Others, including colorful buck moths and the Schinia species, are also seen when the sun shines. The best way to differentiate butterflies from moths is to look at the antennae. All butterflies have long, thin antennae that end in a thickened tip. But no North American moths sport these “clubbed” antennae. Instead, they have shorter, feathery antennae— especially prominent on males— that are beautifully plumed and designed to catch wafting pheromones released by females. Female moths typically have
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FIELD GUIDE
GIANT SILK MOTHS have no mouthparts. Their brief life span is for one purpose only: Find a mate and lay eggs. Some moths consume nectar, but this isn’t one of them.
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Cheat Sheet Decide whether you’re looking at a moth or a butterfly.
MOTH Feathery Often chubby Wings spread flat Night or day Fuzzy, hairy or smooth
CHARACTERISTIC
BUTTERFLY
Antennae Body size Resting posture Flight time Caterpillar
Clubbed Often slim Folded wings Day Smooth or spiky
may have spikes. However, if the caterpillar has smooth skin, it could be either. All butterfly caterpillars transform into a chrysalis, a stage when they have a hard, smooth covering that hangs from a patch of silk on a plant, twig or other support. On the other hand, moths have cocoons plastered with silk. If you’re digging in your garden and uncover a smooth brown
cocoon, or pupa, in the soil, it’s going to be a moth. No butterfly spends that stage in the soil. Telling the difference between moths and butterflies is a tricky yet delightful challenge. So head outside and test your newfound knowledge! Sally Roth is more enamored of moths than she is of butterflies. Her wedding dress was a hand-painted representation of a luna moth.
RICK & NORA BOWERS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
simple, thin antennae, similar to a butterfly’s at first glance but with a tapered tip. Notice the difference in posture, too. Butterflies usually hold their wings folded up over their bodies when they rest. They may open and close their wings when feeding on nectar or hold them flat out when basking in sunshine, but folded wings are most common. Nearly all moths rest with their wings flat or folded in a rooflike position over their bodies. Also, their bodies tend to be chubbier than those of butterflies. Even before these fliers make the transformation into winged adults, several clues can help you determine whether that crawling creature will become a butterfly or a moth. A fuzzy or hairy caterpillar ambling through your garden is a moth-to-be. Butterfly caterpillars aren’t fuzzy or hairy, but they
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TRAVEL
A Local’s Guide to Fort Worth
Fort Worth
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TEXAS
Head to the Texas city that Bonnie and Clyde once called home. BY K ATHY E PPE R S ALEDO, TEXAS
TOP: SCOTT BROOKS; MIDDLE: BETTY BERARD; BELOW: NAJIN/ISTOCK
WHY I LOVE IT Fort Worth is “Where the West Begins.” We’re very proud of our heritage, but we appreciate the finer things, too. You can see a raucous rodeo on the same day as a classical concert at the Bass Performance Hall. And after sightseeing, kick back on a restaurant patio with a cold, locally brewed craft beer. WHERE THE BIRDS (AND BUFFALO) ROAM Make the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge your first stop. It has over 20 miles of hiking trails, plus paved roads for those who would rather drive. In summer, look for birds like scissor-tailed flycatchers and indigo and painted buntings,
and in winter, bald eagles make their homes here. Although they don’t have feathers, a bison herd also lives on the refuge. PEDAL POWER No trip would be complete without a visit to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. It has 22 different gardens, including a Japanese garden. If you want more of a challenge, hop on a rental bike and scout the 40 miles of trails along Trinity River and its tributaries. You’ll discover restaurants along the
way, see kayakers on the river, and maybe even find yourself in the middle of a music festival. ESSENTIALS EAT Fine Texas cuisine at Reata, Fort Worth STAY Stockyards Hotel, Fort Worth (one of Bonnie and Clyde’s favorite hideouts) PLAY Explore Sundance Square, where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid often spent their leisure time
LIFE-SAVING CHILI
Outlaws Frank and Jesse James liked a particular Fort Worth chili parlor so much that they vowed never to loot the town, saying, “Any place that has a chili joint like this oughta be treated better.”
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Top: Relax at the Japanese Garden at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. See dainty painted buntings (inset) and hulking bison (below) when you visit the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.
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YOU DON’T SAY
Caption This!
L
ynne Berghoff of Howell, New Jersey, set a cup of sunflower seeds on her deck one sunny morning. “Imagine my surprise when I caught this squirrel enjoying every last bit of the birdseed!” she says. Go to birdsandblooms.com/youdontsay to caption this photo. Look for one of our favorites in the next issue.
L A S T ISSU E ’S
WIN N IN G C A P TIO N
“Do you have p e anything to kef this snow of while I eat?” SU BM IT TED BY IN S WEN DY H O PK
SHARE YOUR BEST FUNNY NATURE PHOTOS! Follow the Submission Guidelines on page 64.
FEMALE CARDINAL PHOTOGRAPHED BY KAREN MIARECKI APPEARED IN THE DECEMBER/JANUARY ISSUE
Love ’em or hate ’em, squirrels provide endless entertainment.
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PHOTO QUIZ
answers on the b o t to m
Blushing Beauties See how many of these Valentine-pink blooms you can name.
2
1
Dennis Allen SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA
Did You Know? • ROSES are the most popular flower to give to a sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, but violets used to have the No. 1 spot—they were associated with St. Valentine.
Marie Kiviat
• 110 MILLION ROSES, on average, are sold on Valentine’s Day in the United States.
RENO, NEVADA
3
4
Pamela McCracken
Susan Haun
CHESAPEAKE, VIRGINIA
MILLERSBURG, OHIO
5
Sarah Meeder CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA
ANSWERS 1. PEONY; 2. LILY; 3. GERBERA DAISY; 4. RHODODENDRON; 5. ROSE
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FEBRUARY I MARCH 2017
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FOR THE READER ®
Find the hummingbird In each issue, we hide a hummingbird like the one above. If you find it, enter at birdsandblooms.com/contests. We’ll draw 20 winners to receive Birds & Blooms seeds for plants that attract birds and butterflies! In the December/January issue, the hummingbird was on page 24. HIDDEN OBJECT GUIDELINES
No purchase necessary to enter to win. Purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes is open to legal residents age 18 years or older of the U.S., its territories and possessions, or of Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec). Sweepstakes begins on Jan. 3, 2017, and ends on March 1, 2017. Find official rules at birdsandblooms.com/contests. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes sponsored by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC.
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Submission Guidelines We love hearing from you—we couldn’t publish this magazine without you! How to submit: Go to birdsandblooms .com/submit to send us your best stories, tips or photos. What you’ll get: If you’re published, we’ll send you a lip balm made with honey from Wisconsin bees! Contact: We may contact you via phone, email or mail regarding your submission, but our small staff can’t acknowledge receipt of submissions. Rights: By submitting material to us, you grant RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC, its affiliates, partners and licensees worldwide use of the material without time limitation, including the right to use your name and city/state/province in
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connection with any such use. We reserve the right to modify, reproduce and distribute your material in any medium (now or hereafter existing) and in any manner or appropriate place, including but not limited to magazines, promotional merchandise and marketing and other related materials. By submitting material to us, you represent and warrant that you have full authority to grant the rights set forth above and that your material will not, in whole or in part, infringe the intellectual property rights, rights of privacy or publicity, or any other rights of any third party. You further represent and warrant that you have attained the legal age of majority in your state/province (18 in most states/provinces). If you’re a minor under the law of your state/province, your parent or guardian must submit on your behalf.
EDITORIAL Executive Editor Jeanne Ambrose Editor Kirsten Sweet Art Director Sharon K. Nelson Associate Editor Kaitlin Stainbrook Layout Designer Courtney Lovetere Copy Chief Deb Warlaumont Mulvey Copy Editors Dulcie Shoener (senior), Ronald Kovach, Chris McLaughlin, Ellie Piper Contributing Copy Editors Michael Juley, Kristin Sutter Editorial Services Manager Dena Ahlers Editorial Production Coordinator Jill Banks Birding Experts Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman Horticulture Expert Melinda Myers Business Architect, Publishing Technologies Amanda Harmatys Business Analyst, Publishing Technologies Kate Unger Junior Business Analyst, Publishing Technologies Shannon Stroud Editorial Business Manager Kristy Martin Rights & Permissions Associate Samantha Lea Stoeger Editorial Business Associate Andrea Meiers Editorial Services Administrator Marie Brannon
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Harbingers of Spring Aawnk-ah-rrreeee! Red-winged blackbirds are back! Get to know these scarlet-spotted f liers. BY CHRI STINA CR AIG Females often lay three or four pale blue-green eggs, accented with black, brown and purple markings.
3
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2
800
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The species, one of the most abundant in all of North America, has experienced a decrease in population over the past 40 years.
BEHAVIOR TO WATCH FOR
There are two reasons males flash their scarlet field marks, hunch their shoulders forward, and spread their tails: to mark their territory or to impress a potential mate.
Red-winged black-birds leave the nest 11 to 14 days after birth.
14
True snowbirds, red-winged blackbirds travel as many as 800 miles south for the winter.
1766
Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish scientist, gave the red-wing its scientific name, Agelaius phoeniceus, in 1766. The name comes from the Greek words for f locking and red.
FEBRUARY I MARCH 2017
15
Male red-winged blackbirds can’t commit. They juggle as many as 15 female mates.
Female red-winged blackbird
BIRDS & BLOOMS (ISSN 1084-5305) (USPS 013-271), Vol. 23, No. 1, February/March 2017 © RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC, 2016. Published bimonthly by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC, 1610 N. 2nd St., Suite 102, Milwaukee WI 53212-3906. Periodicals Postage Paid at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and additional mailing offices. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40065693, Canadian GST No. 865444285RT. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BIRDS & BLOOMS, PO BOX 5294, HARLAN IA 51593-0794. Send undeliverable Canadian addresses to canada_upm_harlan@cpmx.ca. Questions about your subscription? Email customercare@birdsandblooms.com; visit birdsandblooms.com/customercare; or write to BIRDS & BLOOMS CUSTOMER CARE, PO BOX 5294, HARLAN IA 51593-0794. For address changes, include both old and new addresses. If the post office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligations unless we receive a corrected address within one year. Subscription prices: In U.S.: $19.98 for one year, $29.98 for two years, $39.98 for three years. (Canada: one year, $23.98 CDN plus GST or HST, where applicable; international subscriptions: $25.98 per year, U.S. funds prepaid.) Send new subscriptions to PO BOX 5294, HARLAN IA 51593-0794. Allow four to six weeks. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Birds & Blooms is a registered trademark of RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC.
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IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION: Jitterbug is owned by GreatCall, Inc. Your invoices will come from GreatCall. Plans and Services require purchase of a Jitterbug phone and a one-time setup fee of $35. *Monthly fees do not include government taxes or assessment surcharges and are subject to change. Coverage is not available everywhere. 5Star or 9-1-1 calls can only be made when cellular service is available. 5Star Service will be able to track an approximate location when your device is turned on, but we cannot guarantee an exact location. 1We will refund the full price of the Jitterbug phone and the activation fee (or setup fee) if it is returned within 30 days of purchase in like-new condition. We will also refund your first monthly service charge if you have less than 30 minutes of usage. If you have more than 30 minutes of usage, a per minute charge of 35 cents will be deducted from your refund for each minute over 30 minutes. You will be charged a $10 restocking fee. The shipping charges are not refundable. There are no additional fees to call GreatCall’s U.S.-based customer service. However, for calls to a GreatCall Operator in which a service is completed, you will be charged 99 cents per call, and minutes will be deducted from your monthly rate plan balance equal to the length of the call and any call connected by the Operator. Jitterbug, GreatCall, and 5Star are registered trademarks of GreatCall, Inc. ©2016 GreatCall, Inc. ©2016 firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc.
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The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.
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BILL LEAMAN
—J.M. Barrie