THE BIRDS AND THE BEES

Pesticide comes with hidden consequences - the most obvious is that seven million birds die every year because of exposure to lawn pesticides. By using pesticides, we also lose many beneficial insects that keep our plants healthy. Here are a few tips on creating a space that will invite the birds and the bees (and other lovely creatures) back into our lives.

Attracting hummingbirds, robins, finches, woodpeckers, red-winged blackbirds, warblers, song sparrows and their friends begins with healthy soil. A soil that's prepared with as much compost and organic matter joined with native soil will produce the right amount of beneficial microbes and a balance of minerals. This soil also will create the right habitat for ground beetles, centipedes, lady bugs, dragonflies, lacewings, and praying mantises that are beneficial predators. These friends dine on garden pests that get out of control.

Don't be too organized with your design. A more natural garden provides shelter and nesting spots for birds and beneficial insects.

Here is a quick list of flowers and plants, some perennial others annual, you might want to consider if you want to start your next career as a "birder!"

• Blackhaw viburnum
• Purple coneflower
• Sunflower
• Crabapple trees
• Balloon flowers
• Penstemon
• Bee Balm
• Rose-colored Salvia
• Zinnia
• Verbena
• Cosmos
• Geranium

---