Hi GPODers!
As warmer weather starts creeping in and earth springs back to life, more wildlife activity begins to flourish. However, in some gardens the activity never really stops. For gardeners like Julianne Labreche, a Master Gardener in Ottawa, Ontario, their landscapes are a haven for all kinds of wildlife and beneficial insects in every season. We’ve seen Juliane’s stunning and sustainable gardens before, getting a tour of her front yard pollinator plantings in summer of 2022 (check that submission out here: Gardening for Birds, Bees, Butterflies and Beauty.). Today she returns for a look a her backyard garden during winter, which provides essential shelter and food sources for local bird populations (and the passing squirrel).
Hello from snowy Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We were hit by a bad winter’s storm over the weekend and the ploughs have been busy. My husband and I spent yesterday morning shoveling snow from the back deck, wading knee-deep in snow as we cleared a path to the bird feeder. It was worth it because the backyard birds add so much interest to our urban garden, especially in winter.
In my backyard, there are many living trees and shrubs to attract birds all seasons of the year, including native trees such as dogwood, viburnum and cedar. However, I think my favorite tree to support the backyard birds is a dead one, called a snag.
Over a decade ago, it was a beautiful cherry tree until it succumbed to a black knot (Apiosporina morbosa), a black, warty looking gall that is spread by spores that travel in wind currents. Apparently, cherry trees are prone to it. When the arborist came to remove it, I asked if we could turn it into a snag, or a standing dead tree. In nature, snags are sometimes called a ‘wildlife tree’ because they are important to the survival of many species of birds and other animals. My snag, which posed no danger to the house, was cut at about 25 feet. Now it stands for wildlife, visited year-round, including during the cold winter months.
Many birds live in dead trees. Sometimes snags are called ‘cavity trees’ because of holes, often created by the birds themselves. I often see woodpeckers excavating holes in my backyard snag, looking for insects that live in the dead wood.
Other birds, such as nuthatches and titmice, rely on these holes to rear their young. They are called ‘secondary cavity nesters’ because they don’t make the holes but are happy to move into these already-created cavities. I love watching the nuthatches, ‘upside down birds’ that go down the snag head-first in search of food. A snag has a virtual smorgasbord of insect life tucked away in its decaying crevices.
Of course, just like in a forest, other animals find their way to the snag too. In winter, squirrels sometimes perch on its flat cut boughs. Occasionally, I see a hawk or owl fly onto the snag’s bare limbs. Owls like to raise their young in a snag, although no owl has yet to choose my snag as its nesting place.
When the arborist cut down the boughs of that dead old cherry tree to make the snag, I also asked if they could leave the logs which I turned into edging for my backyard garden beds. They look very natural. They, too, will attract insects, including beneficial pollinators. Most of the garden is covered in snow now but some of the seedheads are still standing as food for the birds to eat in the winter garden.
Snags in a city garden help urban wildlife and do not harm, providing they are not too close to utility lines or homes. So many birds visit my backyard, including flocks of chickadees that eat mosquitos and other insects during the summer months. I always welcome them to my garden.
Near the snag, winter birds including bright red male cardinals and their mates find shelter in the old cedar trees. Our bird feeder is positioned nearby. I keep it cleaned and filled with good quality seed, especially during the long winter months.
Thank you so much for sharing your wildlife-friendly gardening practices, Julianne, and all of these beautiful birds that visit the thriving ecosystem that you support! Your garden is a fabulous example of how you don’t need to make a huge effort to have a huge impact on your environment, particularly in winter when wildlife is most vulnerable.
Have you started observing wildlife in your garden as you get outside to start spring chores? Or have you been documenting the various birds that visited your trees and feeders through the winter? If you’re gardens are a wildlife haven, we’d love to see it! Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Wagner’s 52003 Classic Blend Wild Bird Food, 6-Pound Bag
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Classic wild bird food uses the highest quality grains to attract backyard wild Birds. A high-quality mix containing Millet, milo, cracked corn and Sunflower for a wide range of wild birds to enjoy. Perfect for tube, hopper, or platform feeders. Great to feed in all seasons! Perfect for the winter, when seeds are scarce; spring and summer for hatchlings; and autumn to give energy to migrating birds. This seed will help you fill your yard with birds such as Jays, cardinals, doves, Juncos, finches, goosebeaks, any many more.
Niteangel Natural Wooden Insect Hotel, Garden Insect House for Ladybugs, lacewings, Butterfly, Bee, Bug
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
The insect nest box provide a safe environment where garden creatures can shelter, hibernate and lay their eggs, the insect house can also keep insects from entering your warm room. The insect hotel makes it easy to find and observe fascinating creatures. the butterfly, bees and ladybugs can use this product as habitat. Dry wood and Bamboo can be home to many insects such as ladybirds and lacewings which eat aphids and help keep your plants pest-free. the insect hotel improve the growth of plants in your yard by attracting beneficial insects. The iron design on the top can keep the insect house from rainwater. Let the insect house have a longer useful life and make the insects more comfortable. If you only have a balcony or yard, the hanging garden shelter is ideal as it provides a choice of suitable habitats in a small area.
Bee Watering Station with Vivid Flower Design
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Thoughtful Combo: You will receive a bee feeder and 30 glass marbles. This thoughtful combo can provide clean water for the bees, you just need to put the marbles into the bee watering station, add water (note: the water level should not exceed the height of the marbles) and hang them in the right place. The round, colored marbles can provide a place for the bees to stand and prevent them from falling into the water, effectively keeping the bees safe. Fine Material: This exquisite bee bath is made of high quality iron material, smooth surface, rust and weather resistant, not easy to fade, sturdy and reliable. Bee cups for garden can well meet the drinking water needs of lovely bees, and it can also provide food for bees, such as sugar water, nectar, etc., attracting more bees to your outdoor area and making your garden full of vitality. Perfect Size: The butterfly watering station has an overall height of 13.4 inches, a bowl diameter of 9.4 inches, and a weight of 0.44 pounds. The bee cup serves the needs of the bees well without plunging them into dangerously deep water or taking up unnecessary space in your garden, and this compact and efficient design makes it a practical addition to any outdoor space. Elegant Design: Our bee watering cups are designed in unique flower shapes with vibrant and realistic colours to attract lovely bees to your garden and patio, bee feeders for outside are not only functional but can also be used as a landscaping element, their vibrant floral patterns enhance the beauty of your garden. Multicolored Decoration: Colorful bee water stations look like flowers in a garden, flower bed or pot and attract bees and butterflies. They can drink or bathe in bee feeders, which are highly decorative and practical.
