BLOOMS ARE GOOD FOR BIRDS, BEES, BUTTERFLIES & ME - 8/19/20



 BLOOMS ARE GOOD FOR BIRDS, BEES, BUTTERFLIES & ME

BY: PEGGY WILLIAMS AKA Birdie of Mississippi

One of the things that I have been doing this summer is planting flowers that have blooms that will return every year.  To the experienced gardener they know that this type of plant is called a “perennial.” Since I don’t consider myself an experienced gardener this term has been confusing to me because a plant that doesn’t come back every year is called an “annual” but, to my mind I thought that it meant that it “came back” annually or every year.  But the true meaning is that it will “live for one growing season and then die” according to www.livescience.com

 

I have made a simple list of things that I use as I consider flowers, trees, and shrubs that I add to my already full yard.  Since I am not getting any younger I don’t want to plant new flowers every year, so I have been searching out vegetation that basically will live forever if conditions are right for it. I would also like plants that bloom! Since most of my yard consisted of shrubs and trees that stay green almost all year I wanted color that added warmth and an appeal to my yard that will make it a real “eye catcher” that will attract birds, bees, butterflies and various other good creatures that our earth needs to prosper and for us to be in good health. If it isn’t a bloomer then it has to earn its spot by producing berries or seeds that will be a great food source for a variety of birds.  Mint, basil, lavender, rosemary and lemon grass that repel insects such as flies and mosquitoes are being added to my flower garden throughout the entire yard.  I would also like to have plants that do something different each season such as bloom, change leaf colors or bear berries or fruit. By having these characteristics met it is my hope to have a welcoming home not only for myself, but for birds, bees, and butterflies that I can enjoy year after year. 

 

I was blessed this week to see little hummingbirds dive in and out of the blooms of two Canna Lilies that I planted this summer.  Having plants that bloom at different times during the summer season helps provide nectar for hummers all summer long.   Hummingbirds prefer trumpet shaped red, pink and yellow blooms, so that explained why these hummers were drawn to my red Canna and the yellow Canna Lilies that I had planted. 

 

Many bird lovers enjoy watching hummingbirds come to their feeders, but the hummingbird itself looks for God’s natural food - “flower blooms” for the perfect location to build their nests and raise their little babies.   They will return year after year to locations that they know have “sweet nature blooms” that are supplemented with “feeders.”  Seeing these hummers enjoy my newly planted flowers made me remember that they aren’t the only birds that enjoy a nice drink of flower nectar, so I checked the National Audubon Society’s site.  Orioles, mockingbirds, grosbeaks, tanagers and several warblers also enjoy these sweet drinks found in flowers.  So by planting things that bloom you, too, can draw these exciting visitors to your yard.  As I “look at the birds of the air…” Matthew 6:26 - I have grown once again in the knowledge and joy of God’s creation and how we can work to have a world that God fits man and nature together to have a life filled with God’s best! 

My photos may be viewed & “LIKED” on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest - “Birdie of Mississippi”.

E-mail: birdieofmississippi@gmail.com - Read my Blog @ http://www.birdieofmississippi.blogspot.com

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