Trees & shrubs - both food and protection for your flying friends

     Be sure that you check the planting zone to see if these trees/shrubs are for your area. Then read the planting directions to plant it properly, or buy a gardening book.

     If you like Birches (Betula spp.) so do several birds. The birds get the food sources from the trees cones, plus the trees are fast-growing. They attract a wide variety of your friends. You will get many birds at the feeders and hear a good source of songs. For the list we have Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals, chickadees, finches, juncos, orioles, Pine Siskins, towhees, Tufted Titmice, vireos, and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. You may even get others which are not listed - who knows.
     There are also Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.). They are shrubs that produce their blue fruits in the summer. They are attractive to bluebirds, Blue Jays, bobwhites, Brown Thrashers, cardinals, catbirds, Cedar Waxwings, flickers,...and the list goes on. If you get enough of these shrubs you can even add them to your diet - if they are the correct type of blueberry that is.
     Brambles, (Rubus spp.) they are trailing shrubs and have thorns and have stems which droop and leaves with teeth. they also have fruit - blackberries or raspberries. If you wish to form dense thickets, do not prune them. (Better hiding areas for the birds.) These can draw Brown Thrashers, buntings, cardinals, catbirds, flickers, grosbeaks, jays, mockingbirds, and more.
     Cherries, (Prunus spp.) come in a few varieties.These are trees with fruit for the birds. They are liked by bluebirds, Blue Jays, Brown Thrashers, cardinals, catbirds, Cedar Waxwings, Evening Grosbeaks, finches, flickers, to list some.