Pollinator Plants

Butterfly Garden:
Black-eyed Susan  – Rudbeckia hirta
Blue Wildrye – Elymus glaucus
Butterfly Bush – Buddleia davidii
California Buckeye- Aesculus californica
Cardonna Blue Sage – Salvia nemorosa ‘caradonna’
Catmint – Nepeta faassenii
Coreopsis Coreopsis – sp. C. verticillata
Dwarf Goldenrod – Solidaga canadensis
Dwarf Maidengrass-  Miscanthus sinensus
Gay Feather – Liatris spicata
Idaho Fescue – Festuca idahoensis
Joe Pye Weed – Eupatorium maculatum
Junegrass – Koeleria macrantha (formerly Koeleria cristata)
Jupiter’s Beard – Centranthus ruber
Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia
Mexican Sunflower – Tithonia rotundifolia
Michaelmas Daisy – Aster novi-belgii
Milkwood – Asclepias sp.
Oregano – Oregianum vulgare
Ornamental Oregano – Origanum x ‘Rotkugel’
Perennial Sage – Salvia superba
Purple Cone Flower – Echinacea purpurea
Rockrose – Cistus purpureus
Rose of Sharon – Hibiscus syriacus
Shasta Daisy – Chrysanthemum maximum
Sulfur Flower (buckwheat) – Eriogonum umbellatum
Sweet William – Dianthus barbatus
Vervain (Purple top) – Verbena
Yarrow – Achillea millefolium

Amphibian & Reptile Garden:
California Black Flowering Sedge – Carex nudata
Compact Oregon Grape – Mahonia aquifolium
Kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos – uva-ursa
Oceanspray – Holodiscus discolor
Red-twig dogwood – Cornus stolonifera
Reed Grass – Calamogrostis acutiflora var. Karl Foerster
Scouler’s Willow – Salix scouleriana
Snowberry – Symphoricarpos albus
Soft Rush – Juncus effusus

Bird Buffet:
Amaranth – Amaranthus sp.
Morning Glory – Ipomoea sp.
Sorghum – Sorghum bicolor
Sunflower – Helianthus

(List from N. Mountain Park, Ashland OR – Habitat Gardens)

How to Attract Wild Birds to Your Yard this Winter

Oregon_Junco_

Oregon Junco

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Wild birds can sometimes use a little help from us to thrive in winter.

“In the springtime we focus on providing nesting sites and food for migratory birds, whereas in winter our winter residents and migratory birds still need food, shelter and water,” said Dana Sanchez, wildlife specialist for the Oregon State University Extension Service.

“These things are not found so easily in winter.”

Lesser gold finches, robins, juncos, chickadees, varied thrush and other species call Oregon home during the winter. They’re scrambling for what little there is to eat in the cold days – namely, insects, seeds, and berries.

“In addition to winter residents we get some altitudinal migrants,” Sanchez said. “When it’s warmer in the Willamette Valley than the higher elevations, we have birds that come down to the lower elevations to try to root arthropods out of the moss on tree branches and visit feeders. Some birds also eat the fruits of hawthorns and snowberries.”

During these frigid months, it is more important than ever for birds to conserve energy, Sanchez said. As humans keep a financial budget during leaner times, birds must maintain an “energy budget,” she said. Birds are limited in their ability to store excess fat because of their biological need to fly.

Oregonians can help birds by providing dense shrubbery or evergreens to serve as shelter from the weather and other challenges. Small birds, especially songbirds, need to find shelter quickly from raptors and other predators, Sanchez said. They also need shelter in close proximity to food so they don’t have to expend as much energy flying to find sustenance.

“Consider native plants because they are more adapted to conditions we have here in Oregon in the winter, and many are adapted to resist heavy deer damage,” Sanchez advised. “Choose shrubs that offer a perching structure.” Oregon grape is one good choice. Birds also look for insects to eat in leaf litter and under the moss and lichen that grows on shrubs.

Below are some additional tips to attract wild birds to your yard and to help them survive the long winter.

  • When choosing shrubs for your yard, include wildlife-related questions in your research. Some non-native shrubs produce berries and fruits that are acceptable to wildlife, but have fruits or berries that are toxic. For example, although long hailed as a wildlife-friendly landscaping shrub, berries of the Nandina species contain toxins that can harm birds or other animals.
  • Prevent water in birdbaths, hummingbird feeders and other dishes from freezing by rotating with fresh water throughout the day or covering it lightly.
  • Be sure to clean bird feeders regularly to prevent disease.
  • If you add a water feature such as a pond, “realize that other things could use that water, like raccoons and bullfrogs,” Sanchez said. “Providing habitat for native wildlife is really important but be careful about what comes uninvited.”
  • Offer a variety of feeders positioned at different heights and locations around your yard. Also provide a variety of feeds. The diversity will attract a variety of birds with different feeding habits.
  • Consider providing suet, a high-energy food for birds. Other good choices include specially designed feeders that offer black oil sunflower seeds or Nyjer thistle seed. Other birds will enjoy a standard style feeder that supplies a mix of seed types. Finally, some Anna’s hummingbirds now remain in the valley through winter. Feed them the standard mixture of dissolved sugar – four parts water to one part sugar. But keep an eye on nighttime temperatures. It might be necessary to bring your feeders in at night and set them out again each morning so that your hummers will have liquid food available.

For more information about wild birds, see the OSU Extension guides below.

About Gardening News From the OSU Extension Service:
The Extension Service provides a variety of gardening information on its website at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/community/gardening. Resources include gardening tips, videos, podcasts, monthly calendars of outdoor chores, how-to publications, information about the Master Gardener program, and a monthly emailed newsletter.

By Denise Ruttan, denise.ruttan@oregonstate.edu, on Twitter at @OregonStateExt
Source: Dana Sanchez,  Dana.Sanchez@oregonstate.edu
This story is also online at http://bit.ly/OSU_Gardening2314

Bird Feeders

Don’t let disease foul your bird feeder…

CORVALLIS, Ore. – As you’re welcoming wild birds into your yard this winter, be sure to keep your bird feeder clean and keep an eye on the health of your feathered diners.

“Sick birds will either be found dead or perched, often with feathers in disarray, eyes squinted or wings held out,” said Dana Sanchez, a wildlife specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. “Healthy birds are alert and mobile, whereas sick birds stand out because they are neither of those.”

Birds can get salmonella from bird feeders. Other diseases can spread when birds congregate or land on infected perches, Sanchez said.

“If the sick bird is associated with your feeders, take down the feeders and clean them,” she said. “It is probably a good idea to keep the feeders down for two to three weeks, until the disease has had a chance to run its course in the local population. Allow the bird to recover on its own. Make sure children, pets and free-ranging cats cannot get to the bird.”

Sanchez offered these tips to make sure your feeders are clean and free of mold for backyard visitors.

  • Clean your feeders once a month during low-use times and up to once a week during high-use periods.
  • Scrape off bird droppings and rinse or wipe clean the perches with a solution of 1 part vinegar to 20 parts water.
  • Hang your feeders where the feed won’t get wet. If seed in a feeder has gotten wet and compacted, remove the feed and discard it. Then clean the feeder with warm water and a brush.
  • Dry the feeder before refilling with the fresh seed.
  • If your feeder’s location is likely to get wet often, only fill it with a one- to two-day supply of seed at a time.
  • Clean up under feeders regularly and prevent accumulation of feed beneath the feeders by moving them occasionally. Seed on the ground can attract other animals, such as rodents, that you would prefer to not have near your home.

For more information about feeds and feeder placement, check out the following publication from the OSU Extension Service:  http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/19664/ec1554.pdf

Author Denise Ruttan, OSU Extension Service
Source: Dana Sanchez, Wild Life Specialist OSU Extension Service