Think of the Birds!

I was out mowing the long grass in the Tranquil Garden today and occasionally studying  the fading blooms of the echinacea and the Bee Balm.  Normally I would be thinking about snipping those deadheads off, but I’ve been reading the news feed from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology‘s Facebook page and one of the things it says about helping migrating birds is to leave the seed heads, especially from daisy-like plants like black-eyed Susans, echinacea and cosmos, etc..  That way the birds can swoop down for a snack when pickings are slim in the late fall and even into the winter, for birds who don’t migrate.  This is great news for the lazy gardener (you know who you are!).  It even says to leave a bit of a mess behind in the form of fallen or pruned branches from trees or bushes, so the birds have a bit of cover to take shelter under for a rest.

Contrary to popular belief, filling your feeder at this time of year won’t persuade migrating birds to try to stick out the winter.  The main impetus for birds to start their journey is the shortening of the day.  Feeding them may just give them the energy they need for the next leg of their trip.  (Note to self: buy sunflower seeds!)

I know today was a chilly one here in Montreal, and really felt like fall, but while I was out there freshening everything up with the mowing and clipping I noticed what absolutely wonderful weather it was for gardening.  Spring and fall are my favourite times of the year.  Fall would be more people’s favourite if it wasn’t followed by winter, that’s my theory.  The end of summer wouldn’t be so terrible if our winters weren’t so long and arduous.  At least we don’t live in Calgary, am I right?? (Apologies to my Calgary readers, if any!) There’s always a bright side.

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