That was interesting. I must admit other than ladybugs & bees, I've never given any others much thought.

One the many benefits of landscaping with natives is the bugs that it attracts feeds the birds.

My flower beds are literally swarming with gnats, flies, aphids, spiders, bees, butterflies... and the birds do appreciate it. Hummers eat lots of insects and they love the tiny litter critters that live inside the coneflower spines. (whatever they are?)

That's an overlooked part of bird attraction.

Many trees attract insects which in turn attract birds. I had elms at my previous property, which were attacked by tiny caterpillars the cedar waxwings loved. It also attracted warblers, vireos, and other insect eating birds in migration. Some plants viewed as "trash trees" by humans can be quite valuable to birds!

The article did mention something that I have been thinking about. He mentioned the changes of climate that many of us are starting to notice and the effect on wildlife. Just as birds and animals shift location to feed, plants will either adjust to new conditions or die. A plant that would never survive the winter here 10 years ago are starting to become common. But plants that were abundant are becoming fewer and fewer. It would nice to have a native garden that would not change, but those that have native gardens have you noticed which plants are becoming fewer and fewer? Plus what has become more agressive?

We may have to change what we plant so the animals will have food at the right times, fledging and winter.

The plants will adjust and the animals will adjust too.

I have noticed earlier and later bloom times, so it seems to be an extended growing season, which I don't think is a difficult adjustment. In other areas, the adjustments will be different and could be harder to make adjustments.

Climate changes all the time, the major problem with this particular climate change is the RATE at which it is changing, could affect how species adapt.

Interesting article. As I've removed the invasives and planted more native plants, I've noticed more insects as well. Lots of strange and interesting insects that seem to be attracted to the native plants. The gardens are always buzzing with pollinators and there are tons of birds. They are not just coming to the feeders but are constantly poking around the gardens, shrubs and trees.

"You donÂt have to cut down the lilacs, but they are doing nothing for the insects and birds.

I can't 100% agree with this statement though. Every Spring I see Eastern Tiger Swallowtails and Black Swallowtails nectaring on the Lilacs.

{{gwi:1348762}}

Still a good article for those that haven't read it.

I've got too much of a headache to read the article right now (and see if I'm being repetitious ;-) but I noticed the subject's name. He's written an entire book on this perspective, and it's a good read:

Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens, by Douglas Tallamy.

I think feeding birds purchased seeds and such helps us see the birds, but I am not convinced it is actually helping birds at all.

First, of all what was cut down or turned under to grow those seeds or were they subpar seeds that would've gone to waste? Who knows most of the time?

Second, do the seeds give house sparrows a food source, lure birds into areas where they are subject to predation by hawks or injured by window collisions, or does the feeder get cleaned infrequently? If yes, again, those seeds may be doing more harm than good.

By contrast native plants provide roosting,breeding,and feeding grounds for both insects (future prey) and birds and cost less to maintain than purchased seeds for bird feeders. I remember reading a study that said even though more birds survived winter when fed seed there were no differences in the number of successfully breeding pairs.

I feed birds sunflower seeds and feel like I'm helping them, Ellen, because I get so many winter transients that can't get insects in the winter. I live on 5 1/2 wooded acres, with almost all native plants - my house is nestled in the woods - and I get big action at my feeder during the winter, but in late spring, summer and fall, I only get a few takers, mostly exhausted adult cardinals feeding their nearly-adult fledglings.
During the warm and hot times, my place teems with insects of all types, which get eaten in large numbers by the birds. People who live in suburban neighborhoods like I used to would do well to dispense with things like crepe myrtle and Bradford pears and go with the natives. The birds even manage to eat most of the tent caterpillars that pop up mainly on the oaks - the cuckoos really go after these. And, of course, the native plants are hosts to the butterflies and big moths that are such 'eye candy'!
I wish everybody would 'go native'!
Sherry

Bradford pears--I have one that was planted by the previous owner, and had never noticed any birds or animals consuming the fruit--but this past two weeks, with lots of snow cover on the ground, I am seeing birds (robins, cardinals, and others) going after the fruit every day. I have a bayberry that is loaded with fruit & have not noticed any birds feeding there. The crabapples and viburnums have been picked clean.