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Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society
Attracting birds and butterflies to your garden
People will enjoy their yards more if they become living ecosystems for birds and butterflies. By attracting creatures to your garden, you are adding sound, entertainment, and unpredictability. The good news: it is not difficult to accomplish. Birds only require the basic necessities of life.
- Water (keep it clean): Birdbaths or even pans are fine. Only add enough water to cover their ankles. Running water attracts them in the summer. There are many fancy water fountains, but a drip line leading to a pan of water is perfect. Think of a shower. You don’t like it when there is too much volume, and neither do birds.
- Food: We immediately think of bird feeders, but the best source of food comes from growing local native plants. These plants meet the often very specific dietary needs of our local butterflies, birds, and bees. Butterflies will usually lay eggs on only native plants. If you don't see butterflies there are either no plants for the eggs or nectar to eat. One of the best places to learn about native plants is the Theodore Payne Foundation.
- Shelter: When birds are at a feeder or a birdbath, they need a bush nearby to rush into when a hawk flies by. If they do not have a place to hide, they will not linger in your yard. Only the wary birds live to old age. By providing lots of brush and trees you give them a place to hide and to nest.
- No poison: Bird watchers notice very quickly that many parks and open areas are nearly dead zones. They are regularly sprayed with insecticide, whether the area needs it or not. Insects are food for birds. If you destroy the insects, the birds have no reason to go to your yard. Consider altering your definition of a good garden. Plants that are eaten by insects begin to create an ecosystem that attracts birds. Let nature show you what harmony really means -- there is a place for all things, even the hawks attacking your songbirds or the insects that eat your plants.
Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society Mission Statement
The National Audubon Society's Mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and wildlife for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity. As part of this, our chapter's particular mission is to be a center for wildlife education, habitat protection, and conservation issues that involve birds. Phone: Charles Bragg -- local membership chair (310) 454-9662Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).