Birds have a rough time of it in a heatwave. They can't sweat, they're burning energy just panting to cool down, local insect activity plummets, and the puddles they'd normally drink from could be baked dry by midday. As temperatures soar past 90°F (32.2°C), a bird is expending more water than it can find, in search of diminishing resources, which is where a bag of frozen peas is one of the handiest things lurking in your kitchen.

Here's what makes them so great for attracting birds through summer heatwaves. A frozen pea is roughly 80 percent water, locked in something solid. Set a few out, and they don't soak away into dry ground the way a splash from the hose does. Instead, they thaw slowly and give moisture back over a longer time period. On top of that, peas are soft and sweet, easy for a heat-stressed bird to swallow.

Introducing a small handful of thawed green sweet peas into your backyard is nothing short of a lifeline. It delivers instant moisture in a tidy and reliable form, along with gentle, easily digestible plant sugars. And it does this right when extreme heat can cause sluggishness and stress in your feathered pals. So crack open that underused bag of peas, and give your birdies a unique pick-me-up.

Why Does it Have to Be Peas?

The water content of a pea (Pisum sativum) is what sets it apart as our special summertime treat for birds. A dry seed or a stale crust hands a bird calories, but costs it water to digest. And water is the one thing it can't spare when it's already dehydrated. A thawing pea carries vital hydration and some gentle nutrition in the same soft mouthful, no debt attached. Blackbirds and robins take to them readily. So do starlings, tits, and sparrows, the ground-feeders having the easiest time of it.

You might be wondering if sweetcorn, diced carrots, or frozen lima beans can do the same job. Sweetcorn has a fibrous, heavy cellulose husk that demands significant digestive water to process. Under intense afternoon sun, corn sugars ferment at high speed, creating sour, gut-distressing compounds. Carrots and lima beans are far too rigid, posing choking hazards for small throats. Sweet peas, by contrast, possess paper-thin, easily ruptured skins, enclosing a soft interior. This bird-friendly bundle is packed with electrolytes, vitamin C, and gentle plant protein.

As a special bonus, the price is so low as to make this a relative steal for bird-lovers. A bag of Great Value Frozen Sweet Peas from Walmart is very inexpensive and covers plenty of afternoons. You can thaw them first, or just scatter them still frozen. Either way, they'll be at air temperature before long. Skip the salt, butter, and seasoning, though. Plain is the only version of a pea that belongs outside, either scattered on the ground or on a deck.

For ground based feeding, you can get mesh trays like the Kingsyard Heavy Duty Ground Feeder Tray from Amazon to keep scattered peas elevated off hot soil, while preventing dampness and rot. Or you can put peas in the hanging tray version – the Kingsyard Platform Bird Feeder Hanging Feeder Tray, also from Amazon. You can leave out peas on a balcony just as you would in a full garden. These peas provide days of hydrating, high-moisture summer treats for foraging birds.

While ground-foraging thrushes (like the American robin) and bold thrashers jump at whole peas, smaller species like house finches, Carolina chickadees, and tufted titmice prefer their peas slightly crushed. Taking 10 seconds to lightly smash a small batch with the back of a fork breaks the skin, releasing the sweet juice and making it easy for tiny beaks to pinch off soft morsels.

What to Do with Your Peas

Placement has a big impact on how well this pea treat works. A handful tossed onto an open lawn in full sun will turn to warm mush in no time. Furthermore, songbirds like gray catbirds, song sparrows, and bluebirds are hyper-aware of aerial predators. Setting out food in direct sunlight leaves them exposed. The shade is where they belong. Under a shrub, beneath a garden bench, along the shaded edge of a fence — anywhere out of direct sun keeps them cool and appealing for longer, and gives smaller birds somewhere to feel safe while they feed.

Timing helps, too. Putting them out in the early morning and again toward evening catches birds when they're most active and keeps the food from sitting through the hottest middle hours, inevitably going bad. As well as using a tray or flat feeder (or just some lawn), you can use very simple shelving units to house your peas. The Vattenkar Outdoor Plant Stand & Dish from Ikea is a clean, weather-resistant tray that sits perfectly in shaded borders for discrete ground feeding.

Floating them in water is even better. Drop a small handful of peas into a shallow ground bird bath, like the pretty Bakayoyo Ceramic Ground Based Bird Bath from Amazon. Using a 1.5-inch (4 cm) deep basin gives small songbirds a confident footing while positioning the peas at beak level. The bobbing catches the eye from above, which is how birds find water. Keep the water shallow, approximately an inch or two (2.5-5 cm) at most, and again, make sure the bath receives some shade.

The bright green color of peas against light-colored water is effective in drawing high-flying species like American goldfinches and ruby-throated hummingbirds. Floating peas bob, roll, and rotate as the water shifts, imitating live aquatic larvae. Keep water depths restricted to 1-1.5 inches (2.5-4 cm). Anything deeper creates panic for short-legged species like chipping sparrows. Also, stack a few rough river rocks in a slightly deeper bath, so visiting birds have a slip-free launchpad.

Safety and Comfort with Pea Feeds

Thawed peas sitting in summer heat go slimy and start to ferment, so clear out whatever hasn't been eaten by the same evening. Small batches of peas beat one big pile for exactly this reason. A pea nobody ate in the afternoon is a problem by the next morning, drawing flies and rats to a spot that was meant to help (to say nothing of nocturnal visitors like opossums and raccoons). Rinse the dish weekly as well, since a feeding station used daily builds up mess that spreads disease between birds.

And bear in mind that frozen peas are best used as supplementary treats – not the only food you leave out. Growing songbirds still require dense amino acids and natural oils. Complementing your pea station with mealworms gives bluebirds and wrens critical animal protein. For added protein power, grab a bag of Kaytee Pet Products Dried Mealworms from Amazon for a way to boost the diets of your visiting bluebirds, robins, and wrens once they have hydrated. As with your peas, you can try pre-moistening a few mealworms in water so they are softer for bird gullets.

Native fruiting shrubs like serviceberry (Amelanchier) or native coneflowers (Echinacea) yield rich seed heads for cardinals and finches. Always try to wash your feeding dishes twice a week. Use a 9:1 water-to-white-vinegar solution to keep your yard's sanctuary disease-free all summer long. Heinz All-Natural Distilled White Vinegar from Walmart is great value, non toxic, and tough on mineral crust.Just bear in mind that most birds will investigate new food cautiously at first, so it can take a day or two before they start taking them regularly.

Other Bird Bath Care Essentials

Above and beyond some well-timed and well-placed peas, creating the ultimate summer bird magnet comes down to one element: moving water. In nature, still puddles signal stagnation and parasites, whereas splashing water signals fresh, oxygenated hydration. Warblers, tanagers, and vireos (species that rarely visit seed feeders) will travel across neighborhoods when they hear a lively, splashing bath.

Adding a solar-powered fountain or a water wiggler breaks the surface tension instantly. Create continuous water ripples across the surface of the bird bath water, using the Solar Water Wiggler from Walmart. The highly rated Mademax Solar Bird Bath Fountain Upgrade from Amazon, can also be dropped into an existing bath for gentle sprays to keep water fresh, and charm warblers, thrushes, and songbirds. As a bonus, continuous surface ripples prevent female mosquitoes from laying eggs. Misting systems can also provide extra hydration points in heat. Mounting a gentle leaf-mister is compelling to delicate species like hummingbirds and goldfinches.

To combat green algae blooms caused by intense summer sun, drop a pure copper disc or heavy copper penny into non-metallic ceramic or resin basins. The natural leaching of trace copper ions helps to keep the water clear for days between scrubs. Dropping a copper disc into the basin also helps to keep water fresh for longer. One team favorite is the Melbree Pure Copper Bird Bath Disc from Amazon.

Shop Summer Extras

Those frozen peas are a brilliant emergency measure, but don’t use them in place of the basics. They are a very important emergency measure, but they will work better if you balance your bird care ritual with key feeding and bathing essentials. Make sure you have your bird bath needs covered in order to help with both the peas and conventional hydration and cleaning. These accessories will keep your feathered neighbors safe, hydrated, and happy.

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There are few pleasures in life as enjoyable as waking up to birds chirping in the summer. But most people assume they can’t have that if they live in an apartment or a home with a smaller balcony. Not so! A clip-on railing bird bath doesn’t take up any floor space, doesn’t require using a hammer or a screwdriver to install, and you can turn even the tiniest perch into a real wildlife stop.

Balcony railing bird baths have come a long way. They now combine a clamp system that grips a standard railing without falling off, a bowl that is deep enough for birds to actually bathe in, and materials that are weatherproof. Some of these even double as a bird feeder so you can attract birds that are always looking for food.

Below I'll share exactly what to look for in a clip-on bird bath and a handful of my favorite options that are actually worth buying.

What Makes a Good Railing Bird Bath?

Before you buy, it's worth knowing what separates a useful balcony bird bath from one that tips over and falls at the first gust of wind. A good clamp should fit railings of up to at least 2–3.5 inches thick and tighten securely with a simple turn screw.

The bowl should be shallow enough for small birds to swim safely (no more than 2 inches deep) and wide enough for a few birds to share at once. Rust-resistant materials (powder-coated metal, galvanized steel, or durable ABS plastic) are essential for anything left outside year-round.

But location matters, too. A railing bath on a balcony naturally sits above ground-level predators, which is one reason why birds seem to love them. For more on getting the most from your setup, our guide on bird bath placement mistakes is worth a read before you get started.

Best Clip-On Bird Baths for Balconies

Now that you know what makes a good balcony bird bath, here are four of my favorite options that will suit any outdoor space – no matter how small!

1. Best Budget Pick

2. Best 2-in-1 Pick

3. Best Cast Iron Pick

4. Best Solar Pick

Call it midsummer madness, but I’ve been staring out of windows a lot lately, and the backyard has been filled with much-needed stillness and wonder. The other day, I found myself watching a sparrow bouncing from terracotta pot to dappled bird bath to cherry branch, sometimes with bits of a dandelion clock stuck to his beak. His unabashed joy and curiosity filled me with a sense of rightness in the world. So it’s only natural to want more of that, and to feel a little pang of frustration when the bird bath sits there in the stillness, just being… well, still.

If you find yourself watching and waiting, and wondering where the birdies are, it’s all about that stillness. Sometimes it’s tempting to think there’s a bit of pot luck involved in enticing chickadees and warblers out to play, but there actually is a bit of method to the madness, and if you want to attract more birds to your backyard, it’s all about the ripple effect. A flat, glassy disc of water is not only uninviting to birdies, it can be a little intimidating. Yes, really. Your little avian friends might be curious, thirsty and sociable, but many species are also timid. To a cautious bird led entirely by instinct, static water feels invisible at best and risky at worst.

But you can do something now, very quickly, to transform your still waters into a shimmering, sparkly splash zone that no backyard bird can resist for long. This super-simple bottle dripper trick doesn’t need to cost you a dime, it doesn’t require oodles of technique, and it takes literally minutes to set up. Interested? Here’s how to instantly transform that static water into a hoppy, fluttery wonderland. Oh, and as a special bonus, this quick trick can also help keep the mosquitoes away. Win-win!

Why Birds Need Moving Water

Garden birds are obsessed with moving water. And yes, the ripple effect is definitely a thing. As someone who used to care for budgies in my youth, I would find it fascinating how they would stare at a bird bath from a distance, gazing at it with hypnotic interest. If only I could have told my younger self that they might have needed a little more coercion than repeatedly pleading “come on, come on” in a little voice.

The way birds approach a bath is 1 part curiosity and 9 parts hesitation. That glass disc of water is a mystery. It’s hard to judge the depth, impossible to tell if it’s fresh, and it could leave them vulnerable to predators. But add a rhythmic drip, and the energy changes. The ripples and sounds are a compelling combo. Few backyard birds can resist the allure of a bird bath filled with sparkles and splashes.

That gentle sound of water movement and light play creates a lovely blend of sonic and visual cues for a bird. Literally breaking the tension, it announces fresh water and it gives your finches, sparrows and bluebirds a sense of how deep that water is. Moving water can entice the shyest backyard visitors. Dainty yellow warblers love moving water and will flutter with abandon under falling droplets, while curious chickadees and nuthatches will perform adorable, hoppy zip-and-dips.

And remember what I said about mosquitoes? A rhythmic drip of water breaking the surface tension in a bird bath can also reduce summer mosquitoes. Skeeters need still water to lay their eggs. By keeping the surface constantly rippling, you make it impossible for mosquitoes to set up camp and help keep water clean. You can get some useful commercial skeeter controls, like Summit Mosquito Dunks and Summit Mosquito Bits, both from Amazon. But this dripper trick gives you a very pretty alternative in the form of a cheep (yes, I went there), cheerful splash zone. So how do you make it? Read on…

Prepare the Bath for Your Dripper

The best thing about this bottle dripper trick is that you don't need a fancy, expensive setup to make it work. This trick involves suspending one specially prepared bottle of water above your bird bath, either using a tree branch or a shepherd’s crook. So all you need is a basic household plastic bottle and a few spare minutes. Oh, and a bird bath, of course. Bird baths can run to the hundreds, but the only necessity here is that it is sturdy for weight and safe for birds.

Theoretically, you can use a ground-based, deck-mount or floating bird bath with this dripper trick, it’s all possible. If you are thinking of pairing the dripper with a hanging bird bath, just make sure it is strong, wide and relatively shallow. The wide rim of the gorgeous Monarch Abode Copper Hammered Bird Bath Bowl, from Amazon, is perfect for the surface area for the trick and for the splashing sound.

You can also make this trick work if you are able to position your hanging bottle over a deck-mounted (clamp-style) bath. If you have a deck or a balcony, you can use a bath like the Misopily Deck Mount Bird Bath Bowl from Lowe’s, which clamps securely to patio railings. As long as you have a way of dangling the bottle above it, you’re in business. Just keep an eye on weight and balance. Make sure hanging chains or deck brackets are securely anchored before setting up your drip.

Personally, I find pedestal or standing bird baths work best for this trick. You can use a resin-based bath, like the vintage-style Best Choice Vintage Fleur de Lis Standing Bird Bath from Amazon or a more heavyweight ceramic style. For a little color with your splashing, the Mumtop Hummingbird Bird Bath from Walmart is pretty. Word to the wise, it will be more alluring to common garden birds than tiny hummers, but it holds its own under a water dripper. Finally, the Sunnydaze Avignon Freestanding Ceramic Bird Bath from Walmart is admittedly pricier, but it will pay for itself in terms of bird traffic and it's sturdy and durable.

If you're using a shallow ground dish, a simple plant stake pushed into the soil right beside the bowl can hold your bottle steady. Whatever bird bath you use, just make sure it is strong and safe. As a bit of housekeeping, bear in mind that small birds prefer a water depth of just 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm). If your basin is deep, add a few smooth river rocks or flat stones to the bottom, so tiny feet have a firm place to land, sip and play.

Make Your Bottle Dripper

Transforming a humble plastic bottle into a birdie splash zone takes only a few minutes. The key is getting your setup sturdy and your drip rate finely tuned. The ideal is a clean 16-to-32-ounce plastic water or soda bottle. Larger 2-liter jugs hold more water, but they can get heavy and sag, while tiny single-serve bottles empty out too quickly in the heat. Next, you need a thin sewing pin or needle. You can grab a pack of Singer Hand Sewing Needles from Walmart. Poke a single tiny hole into the bottom of the bottle. The size of the hole is important, so make sure it is tiny.

Once you’ve made the pinhole, fill the bottle with clean water and tighten the cap. With the cap screwed tight, a vacuum forms in the bottle, causing the drip to slow to a stop. But loosen the cap just a fraction, and air enters. This allows steady droplets to fall. Don’t worry, this is as technical as the trick gets, but it’s pretty cool, eh? Test your bottle over the sink until you find the sweet spot, which is a drip every couple of seconds. This creates an inviting sound without draining your reservoir too quickly or frightening skittish, dainty visitors that might be gathering the courage to hop closer.

Securing your bottle safely is crucial. You can wedge it in place, perhaps in the groove of a tree branch. But suspending it above the bath gives you more control over height, tension, and access. You can find shepherd hooks to help with this, such as the Beau Jardin Heavy Duty Shepherd Hook from Amazon. Hang your bottle 12-18 inches (30-45 cm) over the center of your bird bath basin. This height means droplets hit the water surface below with enough force to create glistening ripples and a soft plink that will resonate with your birdie community.

Wrap wire or twine tightly around the neck and base of the bottle to create a harness for the bottle dripper. Double up some jute like Nutscene Greentwist Garden Twine from The Home Depot to hold the bottle securely in place. By the way, if you’re worried about what the birds might think of a giant plastic bottle hovering in mid-air, good call – but it’s fine. They might give it a bit of a side-eye to start with, but once they realize that giant floating bubble is the source of fresh, moving water, they’ll soon be won over. And voila, one splash zone, coming right up!

Other Options for the Ripple Effect

This bird bath bottle dripper trick is a brilliant, budget-friendly entry point if you’re looking to turn your backyard into a birdie holiday resort. Of course, you might eventually decide you want to upgrade. You can get floating solar fountain inserts which harness the summer sun to create plumes of water. Float-and-go options like the Dartwood Solar Bird Bath Fountain from Lowe’s and the MadeMax Solar Bird Bath Fountain Pump from Amazon turn static basins into dynamic bathing spots for birdies. Just drop in your bath and make sure it receives some good sunlight.

You can also get battery-powered and solar-powered water agitators or “wiggler” devices. These create continuous water ripples across the surface of the bird bath water, such as the Solar Water Wiggler from Walmart. For a gentle artisanal alternative, the butterfly shaped Copper Bird Bath Water Wiggler from Walmart creates gentle movement and the copper can also help maintain water freshness.

Finally, you can try fine mist setups that attach to garden hoses. These cast a cloud of micro-droplets and are popular with hummingbirds. Nozzles are available that attach to standard hoses to create fine water clouds. For water features that can also charm local hummingbirds, try a Mellbree Mister Nozzle Kit from Amazon. But I have to say, our simple plastic bottle dripper measures up brilliantly for the cash-strapped and time-poor looking to entice birdies to play.

Summer Bird Bath & Dripper Care

A vibrant, splash-tastic bird bath is only as good as its cleanliness, no matter what else you might throw at it. In peak summer heat, algae can bloom quickly, making regular checks important. Your dripper requires very little fuss, but just check the bottle cap every few days. If the steady drip slows or stops, there could be a speck of algae or mineral build-up clogging the pinhole. A quick poke with a pin should clear the opening. Also rinse out the bottle whenever you refill it. It’s a good idea to swap in a fresh recycled bottle every 3 weeks in summer.

Refill the bath daily and give it a thorough scrub twice a week. Use a stiff-bristled brush, like the Modanu Ergonomic Brush for Bird Baths from Walmart. Stick to non-toxic enzyme cleaners or a simple mixture of 1 part white vinegar to 9 parts water. Dropping a copper disc into the basin is a great way of slowing down algae growth between cleans and helps to keep water fresh for longer. The gold (or should that be copper?) standard is the team fave Melbree Pure Copper Bird Bath Disc from Amazon. Keeping your bath in dappled or partial light can reduce evaporation and algal blooms, but you need to balance this with any solar-powered fountain pumps or wigglers you bring to the party.

Shop Bird Bath Extras

Your summer bird sanctuary deserves a few little treats, for you as well as your resident birdlife. This backyard bundle is tailored to a safe, happy avian retreat that you can enjoy from your sunlounger or kitchen window. Whether you are setting up your very first basin or looking to add a little extra magic to your current dripping setup, these birdie upgrades will keep your feathered friends happy, hydrated, and coming back for more.

Bird Bath Trio

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A successful outdoor space keeps blooming continuously from spring through fall, depending on the local climate. Not only does this provide you with ongoing color and visual interest, but it also feeds your local pollinators. Step outside on a warm July afternoon, and your yard likely feels like a thriving, buzzing haven. However, this midsummer abundance can hide a quiet crisis for native wildlife.

As early spring perennials fade and summer heat accelerates flower burnout, nectar availability drops. For worker bumblebees storing winter reserves, native solitary bees feeding late broods, and monarch butterflies fueling for their migration, this summer gap can seriously reduce feeding opportunities. This is why it’s crucial to make sure you have pollinator plants available for the next couple of months.

What you (and your pollinators) need are resilient bloomers that thrive in warm soil and flower continuously until frosts arrive. By growing these now, you provide an essential lifeline for visiting pollinators for weeks to come. These gorgeous plants reward your efforts with minimal ongoing care, vibrant color, and lasting visual structure. Grow these summer-to-fall nectar-rich bloomers for your bumble queens and migrating monarchs, and you’ll keep them nourished well into the fall.

Grow Pollinator Flowers in Summer

A continuously flowering yard attracts local bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. So now is a great time to plant a few late bloomers that can service your pollinating community. If you’re planting in USDA hardiness zones 3-9, it’s all about minimizing transplant shock and establishing strong root networks quickly. Summer soil is warm, but it also dries out rapidly. Remember native late-bloomers prefer sunny spots. Give these plants 6-8 hours of direct light for maximum nectar and pollen synthesis.

Clear away competing weeds and break up compacted earth, down to 8 inches (20 cm). Most heat-tolerant pollinator plants dislike soggy roots. Use a soil meter like the XLUX Long Stem Soil Moisture Meter Sensor from Amazon to check your soil’s existing moisture levels. Mix some organic compost, perlite or coarse sand into heavy clay soils to balance water retention with good drainage.

When planting container-grown starts, water the hole deeply before setting the plant in, topdress with a couple of inches of organic mulch, and water deeply every morning for the first fortnight until you see new growth. All this will prime your new plants to develop fast and last for longer, while preventing overwatering.

Don't forget your foraging pollinators also need a little drink. It’s a nice idea to set up a shallow hydration station to support them. You can buy a cute ceramic puddler, like the Bee & Butterfly Drinking Flower from Uncommon Goods, which is lovely for thirsty bees, butterflies, and beneficial wasps. It gives them a safe perching spot to sip clean water as they enjoy these late-summer blooms.

1. Coneflowers

It’s hard to go wrong with the cheerful coneflower. While traditionally purple (Echinacea purpurea), newer cultivars offer a wealth of colors, which bloom from midsummer through fall in zones 3-9. Encased in brightly toned petals, each spiky, copper disk is packed with nectar. American Beauties Native Purple Coneflowers from Plant Addicts are favorites of specialist native bees. Other butterfly-friendly coneflowers include Fragrant Angel, Ruby Star and Magnus Purple Coneflowers from Nature Hills.

Plant in full sun and well-draining soil. Deadhead any spent blooms in July to spur a second flush. Leaving the dried, seed-heavy cones intact through winter will also feed hungry birds like American goldfinches. Topdress with a gentle feed, like Espoma Organic Flower-tone Blossom Booster Plant Food from Walmart in midsummer. This supplies a steady supply of potassium and phosphorus for late-season flowers.

2. Asters

Asters are some of the most crucial late-season food sources for migrating monarch butterflies fueling up for their southward journey, as well as pre-hibernation queen bumblebees. Asters can be grown in zones 3-8, depending on the type. These colorful flowers bloom reliably in late summer, and through fall in most places. Choose native species like New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), when possible. You can buy Hirt’s Gardens Wood’s Pink Asters from Walmart and Perennial Farm October Skies Asters from Amazon, to enjoy a long bloom timel.

New England asters provide a massive blanket of rich jewel-toned color. They develop dense clusters of purple, magenta, and deep pink flowers centered around bright yellow disks. Grow them in full sun for the most flowers. They prefer moist, well-draining soil rich in organic matter. You can add a little crab meal to the soil around your asters to boost structure. Down To Earth Organic Crab Meal 4-3-0 from Amazon can help tall aster varieties build sturdy stems to withstand heavy rain.

3. Sedums

Also known as stonecrop, this is a fall favorite for the magical color transformations some varieties make. Several sedum varieties bloom with clusters of flowers that extend through fall. Some, like Hylotelephium spectabile Autumn Joy, Autumn Fire, and Brilliant, change from pale pink to deep red as the season progresses. It’s a great show for you, and a steady food supply for your pollinators. Buy Clovers Garden’s Autumn Joy Sedum from Walmart as live plants for faster developing star clusters.

These wide, flat flower landing pads make nectar accessible to short-tongued beneficial insects, honey bees, hoverflies, and painted lady butterflies. Succulent, exceptionally hardy, and practically indestructible in zones 3-9, tall border sedums are quintessential late-season foundation plants. They grow well in dry soils and full sun. If your soil is clay based, add some coarse sand or a little Hoffman Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix from Walmart.

4. Joe Pye Weed

If you’re looking for a statuesque flower for your late-season pollinator garden, try this native perennial. Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) thrives in zones 4-9 and can grow to 7 feet (2 m) tall. Its nectar-rich clusters of pink-purple flowers burst into life as many others are fading, and are irresistible to swallowtail butterflies, clearwing hummingbird moths, and native bumblebees. Buy American Beauties Little Joe from Plant Addicts for the fluffy pink landing pads that butterflies love.

Place this giant in a spot with moist, rich soil and full or partial sun. Don't allow the soil to dry out completely in heatwaves, as drought can cause lower leaf scorching. Applying an organic liquid kelp soil drench during heat spikes delivers vital trace vitamins and minerals that protect these large-leafed perennials from drought stress and leaf scorch. Buy GS Plant Foods Organic Liquid Kelp Extract from Walmart.

5. Cosmos

Not all late-season bloomers need to be perennials. Cosmos (C. bipinnatus) attracts plenty of bees and butterflies well into fall. This annual flowers profusely with good care. The open ray design makes nectar instantly accessible for smaller native solitary bees, hoverflies, and monarchs. Start best-selling Sensation Mix Cosmos from Eden Brothers for easy-access blooms to service pollinators at the far end of summer into fall. Nectar-rich Bright Lights and Sonata are also great options.

Cosmos are easy to start from seed. These feathery beauties develop in 7-8 weeks in full sun and well draining soil. Deadhead frequently to keep fresh blooms coming well into fall. While you shouldn’t add high-nitrogen fertilizers, you can condition the soil with a little biochar, such as Wakefield Premium Biochar Soil Conditioner from Lowe's. This helps soil retain water and nutrients without over-saturating roots.

6. Zinnias

Another pollinator-friendly annual to try is the exuberant zinnia (Z. elegans). These vibrant, structural beauties are easy to grow from seed and develop quickly. Sow them in July and they’ll be blooming by September. Wide petals attract large butterflies like monarchs, swallowtails, and skippers, while the bright florets draw honey bees and bumblebees. Large-flowered varieties like Benary's Giant and State Fair offer sturdy stems and exceptional resistance to summer heat and humidity. Buy California Giant Zinnia Mix Plants from Walmart for a combination platter pollinators will adore.

Plant in full sun and harvest regularly. The more you cut, the more buds the plant sets. Zinnias keep flowering as long as the weather cooperates. These vivacious bloomers do require good air circulation to stay clear of powdery mildew. Add a splash of Arber Organic Bio-Fungicide from Amazon to protect foliage from mildew and leaf spot without harming visiting bees or butterflies.

Shop Pollinator Blooms

Getting your garden ready for hungry pollinators in the heat of midsummer is as easy as 1-2-3, so make some room for this trio. By selecting hardy, weather-ready bloomers and perennials designed to take warm soil in stride, you can plant today with total peace of mind. These hand-picked selections are built to settle in fast, hold their ground through late-summer heatwaves, and deliver effortless, high-impact blooms that will feed your local pollinators straight through to the first fall frosts.

Multi-Season Sensations

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Pollinator plants are plants that attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other animals that rely on and help pollinate flowering plants. Pollinators are essential for food production. Without these critters to transfer pollen, fruits won’t develop.

By attracting pollinators to your garden, you reap the benefits of a healthy, thriving ecosystem, and of course, any food you grow. Declines in pollinator populations are concerning, so any step home gardeners can take to support these critical species is helpful and depends on choosing the right plants.

What to Look for in Pollinator-Friendly Plants

Plants that attract pollinators have several characteristics:

• Food – They produce nectar and pollen that pollinators use as food sources. Nectar is a vital source of sugar for energy, while pollen provides protein. As they move from one flower to another, they spread the pollen, which allows the flowers to develop into fruits later.
• Flower Accessibility – Not all flowers are good sources of food for pollinating species. Bees and butterflies prefer flat, open flowers, like coneflowers. Hummingbirds (and bats in some areas) are drawn to tubular flowers.
• Color and Scent – Pollinator plants have bright colors and smells that attract pollinators to them. Different pollinators are drawn to certain colors, so aim for a rainbow.
• Native, Non-Hybrids – While non-native plants can attract pollinators, native species are always best. They are adapted to your region and your specific pollinator species. It’s also best to avoid or limit hybrids, even of native species. Many of these have been developed for visual appeal but have lost the ability to make nectar.
• Hosting – While flowers are the showy part of attracting pollinators to your garden, don’t forget that many species also need host plants for butterflies and moths. They need these plants for feeding during the caterpillar stage. Some species have very specific needs for host plants.

Top Pollinator Garden Plants

The best pollinator plants for your garden depend on location. These are some good examples of pollinator-friendly plants that are suited for a large range of gardening regions.

1. Coneflower

Echinacea species are known as coneflowers. They are perennials in zones 3 through 9 and native in much of North America. They grow in attractive clumps, up to about five feet (1.5 m) tall, and bloom for a long time, providing a lot of nectar over a long period.

Coneflowers attract bees and butterflies. If you let the flowers go to seed, they’ll continue to feed native birds well into the fall. Echinacea grows best in full sun, and once established, needs little care. They are even drought-tolerant.

2. Milkweed

This is a great example of a host plant that can do a lot of good in your garden. Milkweed (Asclepias) is a perennial flowering plant that monarch butterflies use as a host. They lay eggs on milkweed plants, and the caterpillars eat the leaves when they emerge. With monarchs in decline, any addition of milkweed can help boost the population. Bees and other pollinators are also attracted to milkweed flowers.

Milkweed is easy to grow in its native range, and there are types for nearly every North American gardener. Common milkweed is native to the East and Midwest. Swamp milkweed is native to the U.S. and grows well in wet areas. Desert milkweed grows in the southwest, and narrow-leaf milkweed is native to the Pacific Northwest.

3. Bee Balm

The pollinator is right in the name of this native, flowering perennial. Bee balm blooms with large, bright flowers that are high in nectar. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds will all seek out this plant. Native to most of North America, it is hardy in zones 3 through 9.

Bee balm is a great choice for a beginner gardener. It is very easy to grow and will even spread if you let the flowers set seed. Give it a spot with full sun or partial shade and keep the soil evenly moist.

4. Black-Eyed Susan

Rudbeckia species are daisy-like flowers that bloom all summer and into fall, providing a food source for a long period of time. Black-eyed Susan plants are native all over the 48 states and hardy in zones 3 through 9. They attract butterflies and bees.

Black-eyed Susan is easy to grow. It needs full sun to thrive and bloom, but also tolerates poor, dry soil. It’s very forgiving and a good choice for beginners. Like coneflowers, the seeds support birds after the blooming season.

5. Native Honeysuckle

Non-native honeysuckles are invasive and damaging, but native species are attractive vines with tubular flowers that attract pollinators, including hummingbirds. Look for Lonicera species for some good options. Examples include orange honeysuckle, coral honeysuckle, and California honeysuckle.

Native honeysuckles are mostly vines, although there are some bush varieties. They mostly prefer full sun and soil that drains very well. They are low-maintenance and easy to grow once established.

6. Lavender

An example of a non-native species you can grow to support pollinators, lavender is not invasive or harmful. It won’t readily crowd out native species, and it is highly attractive to local bees and butterflies. Lavender attracts them with pretty purple flowers and a strong aroma.

You can grow lavender in beds or containers. They thrive in warm climates, so most types of lavender are grown as annuals in colder regions. They need soil that drains very well and tends toward dry, and plenty of bright, daily sunlight. With these ideal conditions, lavender is very easy to grow.

7. Sunflowers

A good example of an annual to support pollinators is the sunflower. Sunflowers have large centers that are rich in pollen and easy to find for birds and bees. Iin addition to the many interesting varieties of annual sunflowers, you can also plant native perennial sunflowers.

Annual sunflowers, also known as common sunflowers, are very easy to grow from seed. They grow fast and bloom in late summer and fall. The large seed heads support native birds and mammals once the flowers are spent. Sunflowers need full sun and well-draining soil that stays consistently moist.

Tips for Planning a Pollinator Garden

Choosing the right plants is the first step in growing a pollinator garden. There are other factors to consider to make it a success:

• Plant your chosen flowers in clusters, or drifts, rather than far apart. This makes it easier for pollinators to find them.
• Choose a range of plants that flower in different seasons, so that pollinators have food sources from spring into fall.
• Also include variety in color, plant height, and flower shape. This will ensure you target all the native pollinator species in your area.
• Support your pollinators in other ways, such as providing areas of cover and shelter and sources of open water. Leaving some areas of your garden wild and untidy is a great way to create natural habitats that support pollinators.
• Avoid using pesticides, which kill not only pests but also beneficial insects, like pollinators. Use natural or mechanical methods to manage pests as much as possible.

Pollinators are so important for both gardens and natural spaces and ecosystems. With many pollinator species in decline, it’s essential that gardeners step in and support these critical species. You’ll find it fun and rewarding to attract and help your native birds, bees, butterflies, and more.

Summers today are hotter than summers in yesteryear. But for those of us who want to enjoy the sights and sounds of backyard birds in summer, it’s important to keep our little friends hydrated in the best way, despite the rising temperatures. Birds feel the same discomfort in hot weather as humans do, but birds don’t sweat. Instead, they try to regulate their body temperature by panting. This can all take a toll on garden birds, resulting in rapid moisture loss.

Your bird bath can help garden birds make it through the summer – but simply setting out water isn’t always enough to attract your bird friends, especially when intense heat quickens the rate of evaporation and encourages the potential for algae. When temperatures spike above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32°C), you quickly wind up with a stagnant, sun-baked bird bath or an empty bowl. Providing consistently chilled, reliable hydration will boost your bird numbers, but how do you ensure this in a way that isn’t too draining on your own time?

If you don’t want your bird bath to become a hot tub or an empty bowl, and want to save yourself some time while enjoying the view, this trick is perfect for you. Discover how a simple Tupperware tub holds the key to happy, hydrated birds that stay cool and refreshed for longer, freeing up more of your time for relaxing in the yard!

Birds Just Want to Stay Cool

A garden without birds is more like a photo than a living ecosystem. It’s the butterflies winging by, the hum of bees, and, mostly, the twitter of wild birds in the trees that make a landscape come alive. When the heat is oppressive, birds suffer just like we do, and the most important survival step is to stay hydrated. While we can open the refrigerator and pull out a bottle of cool water, cardinals and robins cannot – and that bird bath needs to work extra hard when temperatures soar.

During peak July heatwaves, you can fill a shallow bird bath in the morning, only to find it bone-dry or hot enough to steep tea by noon. Constantly running out with the hose or watering can is a chore that quickly loses its charm, and birds won’t visit your bird bath if it is left to stagnate. Added to which, warm, stagnant water is a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and mosquito larvae.

Keeping water fresh and cool is the single best way to prevent the transmission of avian diseases in summer, as well as keeping them refreshed. But unless there happens to be a sheltered river running through a forest near your property, it’s up to you to take action to keep your local finches, sparrows, robins, cardinals and bluebirds hydrated in a heatwave. Luckily, the following trick really can help you protect birds from heat exhaustion and illness, while sparing yourself endless trips to and from the faucet.

Keeping a Bird Bath Cool in a Heatwave

Icecubes are a wonderful thing in a heatwave. Have you ever taken a tall kitchen glass full of ice cubes and water or lemonade out to the patio during summer heat? The beverage stays cooler longer, giving you more time to finish the drink at a nice temperature. Well, you can also use the ice cube principle to keep your birdbath cool in summer heat. First, make sure your bird basin is placed in dappled shade, under trees or shrubs. Water features are best in areas that receive some afternoon shade to naturally block out the most punishing UV rays.

As for the bath, ceramic and stone bowls are ideal. One great ceramic option is the Sunnydaze Avignon Freestanding Ceramic Bird Bath from Walmart. Exercise caution with metal bowls. A thin, cheap metal dish in direct sunlight can quickly reach temperatures that are painful to avian feet. However, heavy-duty cast iron or shaded aluminum baths can work under dense tree cover with a cooling element. There are also some excellent plastic and resin options, such as the popular Best Choice Vintage Fleur de Lis Standing Bird Bath from Amazon. With these elements in hand, you’re ready to deploy the secret weapon for thirsty birds: the giant ice cube!

Using the Tupperware Trick

Now, our ice cubes are designed to fit into glasses and beakers. These small pieces of ice would cool off the bird bath water, but only for a short period of time. Just set an ice cube on the deck in the next heatwave and see how fast it turns into a puddle of water. Instead, you need to make a large ice cube, specially for the birds. For this, you need to use a tupperware or other large, plastic container. It’s all about the surface area-to-volume ratio. Tiny household ice cubes melt in mere minutes under a hot July sun because of their high surface area. However, a dense block of ice in a standard 32 or 64-ounce Tupperware container has a much lower surface area relative to its thermal mass, so it takes a lot longer to thaw.

Ensure your container is made of flexible, freezer-safe plastic, so the frozen block slides out easily after a quick rinse under the tap. If you haven’t got any Tupperware, you can pick up packs of mixed-size food storage containers online. The Rubbermaid EasyStore 18-Piece Set from Walmart is a good option for freezing large, easy-release blocks of ice. You can also get GladWare DeepDish Containers (64 oz) in packs of three from Amazon. Fill your tub with water and freeze it overnight. In the early morning, add your giant ice cube to the bird bath. As it slowly melts, it will create chilled water for your wild birds to enjoy.

Variations on the Tupperware Trick

Alternatively, you can use small plastic water bottles to freeze the water. By freezing water inside sealed, reusable plastic bottles, the cooling effect is transferred directly through the plastic barrier without raising the water level of your bath as it thaws. Fill each one up about three-quarters of the way before you freeze them. This gives the water room to expand as it freezes. In the morning, change out the water in the bird bath. Then take out one or two bottles and lay them directly in the water. These act as big ice cubes, cooling the water in the bowl for hours. Later in the day, switch these out for new bottles and refreeze the old ones.

For an extra touch of summer fun, use your giant ice cubes or bottles of ice alongside a floating solar aerator. A solar-powered floating fountain will create sparkles and splashes to attract your birds. Furthermore, mosquitoes require still water to lay their eggs, so a moving, chilled bath disrupts their breeding cycle. Try the Mademax Solar Bird Bath Fountain Upgrade from Amazon, which can be dropped into an existing bath and runs without wiring.

Other Summer Bird Bath Essentials

Your giant ice cube will keep water cool for longer and save you loads of time at the faucet – but it’s still important to keep an eye on the general cleanliness of things every few days. Make sure your bird bath is kept free of organic debris, bird droppings, and algae. It’s a good idea to scrub your bird bath once or twice a week using a stiff brush, such as the Songbird Essentials Bird Brush from Amazon. Use a simple solution of nine parts water to one part white vinegar. Rinse and dry completely before refilling.

For a more relaxing way of keeping your bird bath water clean, try placing a copper disc into the bowl. You can pick these up inexpensively online. Our team loves the Melbree Bird Bath Purification Discs, also available from Amazon. They are a simple way of preventing algae buildup, helping to keep the basins cleaner for even longer.

Shop Bird Bath Extras

Ready to finetune your summer bird sanctuary? These curated backyard essentials are guaranteed to keep your feathered friends happy, hydrated, and returning to your yard even when summer temperatures spike. Slide these avian treasures into place as summer heats up, so birds know your backyard is the place to be!

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We have enough to do in the summer months, from daily watering chores and weeding to keeping bird feeders full. So saving time wherever we can is always a win. The last thing a gardener needs is yet another maintenance task on that never-ending list when you’d rather spend more time enjoying the garden.

One of the best parts of creating your very own backyard oasis is attracting and watching birds. Along with providing food and shelter, adding a bird bath is one of the most helpful things you can do for feathered visitors. But as temperatures rise in summer, bird baths get dirty fast. Keeping on top of algae buildup, cloudy water, and frequent scrubbing turns this relaxing hobby into another chore.

Fresh water is vital for keeping birds happy and healthy, but luckily, there is a simple way to cut down on maintenance and give you more time to enjoy your backyard visitors. Say hello to the Mellbree Bird Bath Purification Disc. This affordable Amazon find harnesses copper's natural properties to help keep bird bath water cleaner for longer.

How Copper Bird Bath Discs Work

Inspired by the old trick of adding a copper penny to a bird bath, these discs offer a more effective way to help keep water cleaner. Copper is naturally antimicrobial and slowly releases tiny amounts of copper ions into the water. These can help inhibit algae and other microorganisms, so the bird bath stays cleaner for longer.

While it won't eliminate the need to periodically empty and scrub your bird bath, it can help keep the water cleaner and clearer between refills, reducing the amount of scrubbing needed throughout the summer.

Costing just over $10, it’s a budget-friendly solution, and this two-pack from Amazon offers even better value. Use both if you have more than one bird bath, or keep one and share the other with a neighbor or friend. Chances are, they don’t enjoy scrubbing bird baths any more than you do. It also makes a thoughtful gift for any gardener and is something they’re unlikely to already own.

For even better results, pair a copper disc with a small solar fountain, like this Mademax design. The moving water helps increase oxygen levels, making it more difficult for algae to establish while also attracting more birds to your garden.

A bonus is that moving water discourages mosquitoes from laying their eggs, creating a healthier and more inviting bird bath for your backyard visitors. Better yet, the copper disc won't interfere with bird bath fountain pumps or bird bath heaters, so you can use it year-round.

How to Install

I found the disc incredibly simple to install. It only takes a minute to set up, making it one of the easiest upgrades you can make to your bird bath.

Start by giving your bird bath a thorough cleaning, removing any algae, bird droppings, and debris such as fallen leaves. Refill it with fresh water, then peel off the blue protective film from the copper disc. Place the disc in the bird bath with the three raised nodules facing down so they rest against the bottom of the basin.

That's all there is to it. It's almost surprising how such a small, simple disc can make caring for a bird bath so much easier. With almost 3,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, it seems like many gardeners are happy with the results and appreciate how easy this little upgrade is to add to their backyard bird setup.

While the copper disc won't eliminate the need for some maintenance, it can help keep the water cleaner for longer, meaning you'll likely spend less time scrubbing during the summer months. Instead of frequent deep cleanings, routine maintenance may be as simple as removing leaves and other debris, giving the bird bath a quick rinse when needed, and refilling it with fresh water for your feathered visitors.

Compatibility

As a word of caution, while this copper disc is compatible with most bird bath materials, including ceramic, concrete, stone, and properly coated metal, there are a few considerations for metal basins.

If using the disc in a metal bird bath, the inner protective coating must be fully intact and free from scratches, peeling, or damage. Exposed metal surfaces, such as stainless steel, iron, or other alloys, may react with copper ions in the water and increase the risk of galvanic corrosion. A damaged or deteriorating coating can also accelerate copper oxidation, so it’s best to avoid using the disc in any metal bird bath where the protective finish is compromised.

Build a Better Backyard Bird Oasis

A bird bath is just one part of creating a welcoming space for backyard birds. To make your garden even more inviting, consider adding a few simple upgrades that can help attract more feathered visitors and create a backyard habitat they’ll enjoy.

If summer heat bothers you in July, just think what all those scorching daylight hours do to a mama or papa hummingbird. We’re always glad to see them back in summer, but do you ever stop to think about the stress and strain of the hummingbird lifestyle in summer?

In July, the chicks are hatched and hungry, and the parents need to get them fed and to feed themselves. But that’s not all. Hummers have to get regular water as well, defend their nests, and teach their young how to feed.

While it’s great to ask how to attract hummingbirds to your yard, the more important question is how you can help them get through this hot period and prepare for the Great Hummingbird Migration that begins in August. To paraphrase President John F. Kennedy, “Ask not how to get the hummingbird show into your yard, but what you can do for these tiny creatures.”

Here are the five most important steps each of us gardeners can take to help out these gorgeous, hovering superbirds in July.

1. Change Out Feeders Every Few Days

Did you know that hummingbirds need to eat at least every hour, and sometimes as often as every 15 minutes? You have probably admired their navigational abilities and how they can fly sideways, backwards, and hover. These adaptations help them get to all of the nectar available – each bird can visit over 1,000 flowers each day! But these acrobatics are also very energy intensive.

Hatchlings need almost as much food as adult birds, but, in July it is often the mother that provides. She brings not just nectar but also insects to the babies, leaving and returning to the nest at least 200 times a day. That makes hummingbird feeders important in keeping the mother bird’s energy up.

So make up the hummingbird nectar properly – sugar and water is fine or you can buy premade nectar from Amazon. But the trickier part is to remember to change the food well before it’s gone. You need to clear out old food, clean the feeder to keep it free from harmful bacteria, and replenish it. The food spoils faster when it’s hot, so a daily cleaning in July is not out of the question. Clean at least twice a week.

2. Install a Misting Water Feature

Providing liquid food is great, but hummers also need to cool down. While a bird bath works fine for bigger birds like robins, hummingbirds rarely dip into a bath. What they really love is mist. You may see them outside in the morning, appreciating the rising fog and morning dew.

So July is a great time to install a small water fountain in your bird bath for your hummingbirds. There are even solar-powered fountains for birds available for under $10 on Amazon.

Hang the fountain in a shady location and watch the birds flock over to cool off. One option to consider is the weeping fountain, where a thin sheet of water moves over the edge of a concrete basin. You want the water shallow enough to be safe for the tiny birds.

3. Protect Hummingbird Nests

Who among us wouldn’t love to be able to peek into a hummingbird nest to watch the eggs turn into hatchlings? Resist that impulse even if an accessible nest appears in your yard. Make sure nobody – including your kids – removes branches or a leafy canopy in order to get a better view.

Like every species on earth, hummingbirds have enemies – and they are so small that, despite the fierce energy of competing male hummers – they are largely powerless to fight off attackers. So help them by leaving up branches and other protections. Keep the cat inside and the kids under control when you are hosting a hummingbird family and turning your yard into a hummingbird hangout.

4. Move Potted Flowers to the Shade

If you're anything like me, you think as much about your hummingbirds as you do about yourself when you are planting containers for the patio. I always make sure to plant trumpet-shaped and tubular flowers that hummingbirds adore in pots on the porch.

What I only recently learned was that, as summer heat rolls in, hummingbirds need to spend more time in the shade than the sun. They may perch in shade or, if there are nectar-rich plants in the shade, they prefer these to flowers in the sun.

Now I always take the time to move some flowering container plants into the shade in the heat of summer. Even dappled shade from a landscape tree works well. I’m also trying to select flowering shrubs that are dense for the backyard since they carry their own shade on the interior of the plant.

5. Add Perches for Hummingbirds

You can even go one step further and provide perches for hummingbirds in shaded spots, like an adorable DIY hummingbird swing or a hummingbird perch from Amazon. But this idea is more than just cute. It can really help the birds in a heatwave.

During a heatwave, few of us rush outside to tan. It’s just too hot to be comfortable. The same is true for hummingbirds. They seek out shade to get out of the sun, hide from predators, and conserve their energy. Hummingbird swings and perches can fill that need. Hang them from low tree branches in a shady spot, then watch and wait for the hummingbirds to come.

July days are often scorching hot. You’re more likely to be hiding out inside than working in the garden, but your backyard birds don’t have any other options. This month can be tough on birds due to the extreme heat and drought conditions, but also because parents are feeding fledglings and young birds are learning how to survive.

Attracting birds to your backyard is a worthy goal, but it’s only the first step. You also need to ensure conditions are optimal for them during the hottest, driest part of the summer.

It doesn’t take expensive gear or a lot of time to improve your wildlife ecosystem. These six simple fixes will transform your yard into a safe summer refuge.

What Backyard Birds Need in July

Your backyard birds have a few basic needs that are especially important in summer:

• Fresh, clean, and cool water
• Reliable food sources
• Shade and shelter
• Safe places to rest

Summer visitors, like robins, cardinals, chickadees, house finches, mourning doves, hummingbirds, and more, need these resources more than ever. Adding to the challenges of heat and dry weather, many birds are actively feeding fledglings. Small changes to your yard now will help adults conserve energy and give fledglings a better chance of surviving the season.

1. Adding Moving Water Sources

Clean water is a must for birds at any time, but especially in July when many natural sources dry up. They use water for drinking and cooling themselves. Birds are naturally drawn to moving water by its sound and appearance. Moving water in your yard will act like a magnet, guiding birds in the area to a much-needed water source.

A fountain is a great solution, but not strictly necessary if you don’t want the expense. A more cost-effective solution is to add a solar fountain insert to an existing bird bath, like this Mademax one from Amazon.

Alternatively, add a wiggler, a little device you put in the water to agitate it and create a rippling surface that has the benefit of deterring mosquitoes from breeding.

Another option is to add a mister attachment to a garden hose, like this Homenote mister. The birds will be drawn to the mist. Place it under a shrub or tall perennials. The water will collect and then drop from the leaves, another attractant for birds.

2. Use Heat-Friendly Foods

Both adults and fledglings need a lot of energy this time of year, but the heat of July can spoil some of the foods you might normally use, like suet.

When feeding birds in summer, you need to switch to foods that stand up to the higher temperatures. Some good options include black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower chips, white millet, unsalted peanuts, nyjer seeds for finches, and mealworms for bluebirds and wrens. Use smaller amounts of food and replenish more frequently to reduce the risk of spoilage.

Your backyard birds spend nearly all day collecting food in July to feed themselves and their fledglings. By providing heatproof food in one or more locations, you reduce the need to fly far or search for food. This helps adults conserve energy and better feed their young.

Best Summer Bird Food

3. Prevent Deadly Window Collisions

Any bird can be easily confused by the reflection of trees and sky on windows and is at risk of a collision. Young birds that are just learning to fly in July are at greater risk. Collisions with windows are often fatal for birds, both old and young, so take steps to keep them safe. Even if a bird seems fine after a strike, it might have serious internal injuries.

Window decals are inexpensive and simple to use. They adhere to windows and break up the confusing reflections. You can find decals specifically designed for this, like these attractive Anti-Collision Window Bird Stickers from Amazon, which can be applied and removed without leaving a residue on the glass. Another option is to hang strings or cords outside windows.

Adding elements to windows is one of the easiest ways to save birds in your yard. You can also position feeders in such a way as to prevent strikes. Keep food sources either within three feet of the window or more than 30 feet away from it.

4. Create Safe, Low-Lying Water Sources for Fledglings

As fledglings leave the nest, they spend a lot of time on the ground. Until they learn to fly, they can benefit from access to ground-level water. If you only have pedestal bird feeders, consider adding some shallow dishes of water or puddling areas on the ground.

Any shallow dish will work, but an easy solution you probably already have on hand is a plant pot saucer. Like this DIY bee water station, you just put a layer of pebbles in it, add water, and set it in a safe place. Water at ground level can put birds at risk for predation, so set it near or partly under a shrub so they can take cover as needed. If you have cats, keep them indoors during fledgling season and keep dogs leashed when in the yard.

If you want to watch the baby birds in action, then place a Birdfy smart bird bath on the ground, which sends 2K videos to your phone when they use it.

5. Create Cool-Down Zones

Birds can easily overheat as temperatures soar in July. You can help them cool down with strategic areas designed to provide shade and shelter. Any shady area will allow birds to lower their body temperatures, but the best areas are also safe and allow them to rest without being too exposed to predators.

Native shrubs provide some of the best shade for birds. The dense, low growth of a shrub is a safe spot and might also provide a food source for some species. If you have a patio, consider adding some potted shrubs near your bird feeders. Shrubs are also helpful near water sources, so birds can take cover if a predator is nearby.

Other garden elements that provide cooling shade include trellises and arbors with vines, small trees, layered beds with shrubs, perennials, and annuals at different heights, and stick piles. Provide several shady areas throughout your yard.

6. Add Ice to Your Bird Bath

Shallow bird bath water can get warm, or even hot, quickly in July. Birds prefer cooler water to get relief from the heat. In fact, they might not use your bird bath at all if the water is too warm. Ice is an easy way to keep water sources from overheating.

Freeze a big block of water using a yogurt container or Tupperware. Add one block of ice to the bird bath each morning. You can even add berries and seeds to the ice, which birds can access for food as it melts.

Alternatively, you can freeze water in an empty pop bottle and float it in the bird bath to lower the water’s temperature. Whichever method you choose to cool it down, be sure to clean out your bird bath regularly and to add fresh, clean water every day.

July Bird Care Essentials

July is one of the most demanding times of year for birds. Between high temperatures, dry puddles, and hungry fledglings, it can be stressful. Just a few thoughtful and inexpensive changes to your yard can make it much friendlier for your favorite backyard birds. Your outdoor space becomes more than just a garden. It’s a refuge for native wildlife.

Think you need an impressive country estate to help pollinators? Not so! Your perfectly ordinary backyard garden or urban patio can be enough to host a thriving ecosystem if you use smaller, high-reward plants. These compact, high-impact container champions offer massive value without requiring a football-field-sized space to call their own.

Anyone who has the desire to offer bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds the nectar they need can do so in a pollinator garden, no matter how diminutive the space. We’ve found the perfect plants to get you on your way – all of them small but mighty.

Choosing Pint-Size Pollinator Superheroes

When it comes to putting in a pollinator garden, think containers. These “pocket ecosystems” are ideal for smaller nectar-rich plants for obvious reasons: the shorter plants won’t get shadowed or elbowed out by taller or pushier rivals. And it’s easier to give plants in containers the soil (moist and well-draining) and the sunlight that they require. You can even move the containers around the patio as the seasons turn.

If you choose compact plants with tubular or open-stamen flowers, it’s easier for your pollinator friends to get their breakfast. If you wish to attract a specific pollinator species, pick the flower shape they prefer, e.g. deep, tube-shaped blossoms for hummers. But don’t be surprised to see a variety of different pollinators arrive.

Summer Container Planting Essentials

1. 'Blue Boa' Agastache (Anise Hyssop)

‘Blue Boa’ is an Agastache hybrid, offering showier flowers and better winter hardiness than the species plant. This cultivar, available from Plant Addicts, is loved for its aromatic leaves and frothy, lilac-blue blooms that attract the entire range of pollinators, from bees to butterflies to hummingbirds.

These bold, attractive plants are hardy in USDA zones 5-9 and need a sunny location and well-draining soil. Never plant any Agastache in clay soil or soil that retains water.

‘Blue Boa’ plants can grow to 3 feet (90 cm) high and half that wide. The pollen-rich flowers grow on 6-foot (2 m) terminal spikes, and the long bloom show lasts from June through September. Consider ‘Blue Boa’ for patio butterfly gardens or cottage gardens.

2. Dwarf Pentas (Pentas lanceolata)

Dwarf pentas – or Egyptian starcluster plants – top out at 1–3 feet (30–90 cm), forming a dome of lush green foliage. Popular varieties include the Lucky Star and Star Bright series – you can pick up a three-pack of Lucky Star plants in 'lavender', 'red' and 'pink' from National Plant Network at Walmart.

While they are hardy in USDA zones 10 and 11, dwarf pentas are often grown as annuals in cooler climes. Plant in a full sun location with good drainage.

The upright plant is topped by star-shaped flowers in a multitude of shades that range from white to crimson. The Egyptian starcluster flowering period is long, from summer through early fall, and the nectar attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

3. Large Firecracker Plant (Cuphea 'Vermillionaire')

The dense flowers of the large firecracker plant – bright orange tubular blossoms – are a magnet for pollinators, including butterflies and hummingbirds.

Available at Lowe's, Vermillionaire Large Firecracker Plant has a mounding habit and grows to 28 inches (70 cm) tall and almost as wide in both garden beds and containers.

It’s a low-maintenance gem if planted in full sun with well-draining soil. It is hardy in USDA zones 8-11, but is grown as an annual across most of the country.

4. Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)

When a plant is this easy to grow, you suspect it may be invasive, and sweet alyssum is considered invasive in some areas, where it is best kept to patio pots. This plant forms shallow-rooted mats of foliage with mounds (to 9 inches tall) of well-branched stems with lance-shaped, gray-green leaves.

It is hardy in zones 5–9 but is often grown as an annual. It needs a full sun location in cooler climates and partial sun in warmer climates.

Sweet alyssum is easy to grow from seed – pick up a four-variety pack from Seed Needs via Amazon.

From spring to early summer, the foliage is completely covered with masses of tiny, 4-petaled flowers (to 1” long). The flowers smell like honey and attract many pollinators, including bees, flower flies, stingless wasps, and butterflies. Its abundance of blossoms and long bloom period make it a particularly good nectar plant for beneficial insects.

5. Greek Oregano (Origanum vulgare var. hirtum)

Yep, the aromatic, pungent leaves of this herb are the ones that you toss into your pasta sauce – usually after they are dried. But did you know that Greek oregano also produces pretty pink, mauve, or white flowers? Flowers appear in summer and early autumn and are compelling to bees and butterflies.

It's best to grow Greek oregano from seed, and you can pick up a pack from Isla's Garden Seed Company via Amazon.

Green oregano thrives in USDA zones 5-8 and grows to about 11 feet (30 cm) tall. It needs a sunny location and well-draining soil. It is remarkably drought-tolerant and free of insects and diseases.

6. Dwarf Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

We all know and love coneflowers, and compact versions offer a dwarf stature and a long summer bloom. Atop the rigid stems, you will find lovely coneflowers, daisy-like blossoms circling around the bronze central cones. Do these attract pollinators? Of course they do. Look for butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees (that come for the nectar in summer) and birds (that come for the seeds in winter).

Good dwarf coneflower varieties include Kim’s Knee High, Tweety, and Sombrero Poco Hot Coral coneflower, available at Woodies Garden Goods,

Coneflowers are hardy in USDA zones 3-8 and can grow to 2 feet (60 cm) tall and wide. They bloom all summer, from June to August, and work well in a meadow, native plant garden, or wildflower garden. Plant in a full or partial sun location in well-draining soil.

7. Calamint (Calamintha nepeta)

A member of the notorious mint family, calamint is an herbaceous perennial in USDA zones 5–7, growing to 18 inches (45 cm) tall and wide. It forms a dense mat that seems to spread indefinitely, with upright leafy flowering stems that rise above. The leaves are aromatic while the flowers are showy: white tubular blossoms that keep on keeping on from June to September.

Calamint, available to buy online at Woodies Garden Goods, is one of the best plants at attracting pollinators! It is appealing to hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, including Monarchs!

Calamint requires sun and well-draining soil, ideally moist. It shows its mint connections with its capacity to spread this way and every way. The plants are tough and accept drought, dry soil, and rocky soil.

8. 'Lilliput' Zinnia Mix (Zinnia elegans ‘Lilliput’)

If you love zinnia plants but would prefer that they were smaller, take a look at the ‘Lilliput’ seed mix – available from Home Grown at Amazon. These fast-growing flowers are semi-dwarfed, topping out at 24 inches (60 cm) tall. They are bushy with wide growth and oodles of round, pompom flowers in a wide variety of solid shades.

Lilliput is an early-blooming zinnia, with flowers appearing in July and continuing to bloom through October. This is an outstanding and easy-care annual with bright flowers in deep red, pink, white, and purple that bees and butterflies love. Plant these zinnias in a full sun location with well-draining soil.

On a hot day, bees still need to stay busy in the garden. But they get thirsty doing it. A honeybee colony needs a steady supply of water right through summer, and not only for drinking – they use it to cool the hive and to thin out food for the brood. The catch is that the shallow puddles and damp ground bees usually sip from tend to dry up the moment a heatwave settles in.

You can help them with a quick DIY project. A pollinator water station is barely a project at all – at its simplest, it's a shallow dish with a few stones in it, filled with fresh water and topped up as it drops. You can throw one together in minutes from odds and ends already around the house, and it makes a real difference to the bees out working your flowers.

Why Give Bees Water in Summer?

Bees need water for more than a quick drink. On a hot day, a honeybee colony collects water and spreads it through the hive, then fans it with their wings so the evaporation pulls the temperature down. It's basically air conditioning, run on water. They also use the water to soften stored honey and mix food for the developing brood. When the mercury climbs, demand shoots up, and foraging bees spend real effort tracking water down.

Here's the problem, though: bees can't swim. They're light enough that the surface tension of an open bowl or birdbath can trap them. One badly judged landing on deep, smooth water and they don't get back out. A watering station gets around that by keeping the water shallow and giving them solid footing to stand, allowing them to drink safely.

What You'll Need

You don't need much to make your bee watering station:

• A shallow, wide container. Terracotta plant saucers are ideal, or even an old pie dish.
• Pebbles or glass marbles to break the surface
• A few wine corks, which float and double as landing rafts.

How to Make Your Bee Watering Station

None of this is complicated. Five minutes, maybe less, and you've got a working bee bath.

1. Start with a Low Dish

Set your container somewhere level. Depth is the thing that matters – an inch or two (2–5 cm) of water is plenty, since bees only need to reach the edge of it, not wade in. A saucer or low bowl beats anything deep with steep sides.

2. Add the Landing Spots

Fill the dish with pebbles, stones, or marbles until they mound up above where the waterline will sit. The idea is to leave plenty of dry, grippy surface for bees to stand on. Even a handful of clean gravel from the garden will work.

3. Fill it Up

Pour in fresh water until it pools around the stones but leaves their tops poking out, so bees land on the dry stone and sip from the shallow edge. Check it daily in hot weather; a dish this size can evaporate down to nothing by late afternoon, and the landing spots only work while they're above water.

Shop Bee Water Stations

If DIY isn't your thing, these bee drinking stations look great and come ready to fill.

Keeping the Water Clean and safe

Standing water and summer heat mean mosquitoes, so refresh the dish every couple of days rather than just topping it off – that breaks the breeding cycle before larvae get going. Give the stones a rinse when algae starts to film them over, and skip the soap, since any residue does more harm than the grime did. Rainwater is fine, and so is tap water; the source doesn't matter much.

One thing to leave out: sugar or honey in the water. It sounds helpful, but sugar water pulls in wasps and can spread disease between hives. Honey from an unknown source may carry pathogens that hurt the very bees you're trying to help. Plain water is what they're after. If wasps or other insects start crowding in anyway, shifting the dish a few feet (1 m) usually settles things down.

Where to Position Your Bee Bath

Position matters more than you'd think. Set the station near flowers the bees already visit, so it's close to where they're working, and somewhere with a bit of afternoon shade so the water doesn't turn to bath temperature or evaporate by noon. A little morning sun helps them find it. Out of the wind is better too – a spot tucked beside a wall or a clump of planting gives some shelter.

Once bees find a reliable source, they come back to it and bring others, so keep the station in the same place and don't let it run dry mid-summer. Raised up on a low table or wall, it stays cleaner and out of reach of pets.

Change the water regularly, and you'll have happy bees who will help your garden stay healthy and blooming.

Watching birds flock to our yard is one of the true delights of gardening, right? Most of us are nature lovers, so we get a lot of pleasure out of seeing and hearing the many varieties of local birds feed, nest, and roost in the backyard. Native plants, shelter, and food sources are important, but to attract birds and keep them healthy, a water source is also vital. A bird bath is a simple solution. It provides backyard birds with water to drink, bathe in, and cool off in.

But here is the thing: a simple basin of water left out in the blazing summer sun can quickly turn from a refreshing oasis into a stressful hazard. In the peak of the nesting season, our backyard birds aren't just looking for a casual splash; they are battling heatwaves, hunger pangs, and parasites like biting mites and ticks. To attract birds to your water station, you need to turn it into a true sanctuary. And to do this, you need to think beyond the concrete pedestal, and look at the surrounding plants.

By planting certain herbs around your bird bath, you can create a “bird spa” that offers shelter, perching spots, insect control, and even nutritious food. Most of these herbs are easy to grow and can be planted around a bird bath in summer, when birds are raising their young and seeking relief from summer heat. Setting up these aromatic plant shields now requires very little effort and can make a massive difference to the health and happiness of your garden birds. Here’s how to keep your feathered neighbors healthy all summer long.

How Herbs Help Birds

Bird baths naturally attract wildlife as a source of drinking and bathing water. Unfortunately, water sources also attract insects and pests. Standing water is a magnet for mosquitoes, gnats, flies, and more. This can make the area less pleasant and less healthy for birds (and you). Herbs around your bird bath provide a good remedy for this issue, while also providing other birdy benefits. Many release aromatic oils that insects dislike, reducing pest pressure without chemical sprays.

This summertime bird bath checkpoint is a vital moment to take action. If you leave things to chance, stagnant water can become a breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes, while the surrounding open space can leave damp, waterlogged birds highly vulnerable to swooping predators – a classic bird bath mistake. Acting quickly with herbs is a genuine game-changer (and a nice smelling one). Yes, it’s important to keep water fresh using a wiggler or fountain, such as a Mademax Solar Bird Bath Fountain Upgrade from Amazon. But planting heavily fragrant herbs creates an extra level of protection against flying gnats, ticks, and mites in a potent way.

Dense herbal foliage can offer quick cover from predators, while woody stems and flower spikes provide convenient perches where birds can preen after bathing. Flowers that produce edible seeds or berries are also useful as an additional food source. The volatile essential oils of herbs act as an organic chemical shield. When birds brush past the foliage before or after a dip, they coat their feathers in subtle traces that discourage parasites, making bathing safer and more restorative.

8 Herbs for Happy Bird Baths

Transforming your water station into a safe and clean sanctuary is simple. July is an ideal time to get these key herbs into the ground or arrange them in pots around your water feature. Just give some thought to your yard’s microclimates and possible herb locations. Aim for a layered ring design. Use low-growing ground covers at the base of the bird bath, medium shrubs at the mid-tier, and tall structural stalks further back.

Most high-potency culinary herbs in USDA zones 3-10 will crave blazing full sun and sharply drained, gravelly soil. Before planting these herbs, verify light levels around your bath with a Sonkir 3-in-1 Light and Soil Moisture Tester from Amazon. You can also use this to determine moisture levels for new plants, adding some coarse sand or horticultural grit as needed, to ensure your new plantings get the perfect balance of warmth and drainage to thrive dynamically all season long. Then have fun planting bird-friendly herbs to create a spa-like sanctuary for feathered friends.

1. Lavender

Lavender is most well known for its characteristic and strong smell. The smell comes from essential oils in the plant that deter pests like mosquitoes. The oils can even deter mites, which can be harmful to birds. As well as being a lovely fragrant plant for pollinators, their flower spikes and stems are a great height for small birds, which can use them to perch on while surveying their surroundings before taking a bath. Grow lavender in full sun with well-draining soil. You can pick up Phenomenal Lavender Live Plants from Nature Hills for a rugged, humidity-resistant variety.

This perennial evergreen subshrub thrives in zones 5-9, hitting peak oil potency during July and August. The strong, clean aroma of linalool acts as an active pest-repellent field that shields delicate songbirds (like American goldfinches and black-capped chickadees) from blood-feeding avian mites. Just don’t let the plant roots sit in waterlogged soil from bird bath splashbacks. Position on the sun-baked, windward side of your water feature to allow the breeze to diffuse the fragrance.

2. Rosemary

Rosemary is another fragrant herb that provides a good staging point for birds. This small, woody shrub has sturdy branches that even medium-sized birds can use for perching and surveying or for hiding under. The woody stems stay in place in winter, providing year-round shelter. The smell of rosemary can discourage flying pests, like mosquitoes and flies, making the entire area more comfortable. Rosemary thrives in full sun, hot weather, and soil that drains well. You can buy Tuscan Blue Rosemary Starter Plants from Amazon.

Hardy as a permanent perennial in zones 7-11 (and a great container plant to overwinter further north), rosemary’s stiff, resinous branches support the weight of heavier, highly desirable yard birds like gray catbirds and northern cardinals, giving them a perch to dry their flight feathers and preen safely. The pungent, pine-like camphor oils are most potent under the midday sun, keeping biting flies far away. Pick an upright variety like Tuscan Blue for maximum height, or a cascading type to soften a stone pedestal base.

3. Mint

The scent of mint has long been regarded as refreshing and cooling. It’s an ideal herb for planting next to a water feature. It won’t suffer from any splashback from a bird bath and it creates a lush, green border that can help deter pests. Mint is very easy to grow but it can be quite invasive, so it’s best to only grow it in containers around the edges of your bird bath to prevent it from spreading into the lawn or beds. You can buy Black Robert Mitchum’s Peppermint from Walmart for a continuous blast of refreshing pest-repelling menthol.

Mint is a lifesaver for partial shade across zones 3-11. Varieties like peppermint (Mentha x piperita) or spearmint adore heavy water splashback, thriving on the overflow from bathing robins and blue jays. Its sharp, refreshing menthol oils peak in midsummer, driving away frustrating swarms of gnats and midges. Keep it confined to heavy patio containers or window boxes placed around the base of your bird bath. Its dense, lush canopy keeps low-foraging ground birds safe from summer predators.

4. Lemon Balm

Lemon balm has a bright citrus fragrance with natural compounds to discourage gnats and mosquitoes. The essential oils are similar to those found in citronella, a natural and powerful insect deterrent. As with mint, it provides a soft and lush leafy border around bird baths. The dense leafy coverage helps birds feel safer near their water source. Lemon balm is a fast grower, so keep up trimming it to encourage manageable growth through the season. Buy August Breeze Farm’s Lemon Balm Plants from Walmart for a lush, aromatic mound of citronella-rich leaves.

This ultra-hardy perennial flourishes across zones 3-9 in partial shade. The leaves release a strong, clean lemon fragrance whenever birds brush against them, making the surrounding air uncomfortable for invasive mosquitoes. Small, skittish songbirds like tufted titmice and house finches love slipping into its soft, dense foliage to dry off out of sight. Shear the plant back hard by half in mid-July to encourage fresh leaves.

5. Fennel

Fennel is a tall herb that you can grow as part of a second ring of plants around the bird bath. The tall, feathery arches provide visual interest, but also good perching areas for birds looking to bathe safely. Another great benefit of fennel is that it attracts insects that serve as a food source for your birds – for instance, it is a host plant for swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. These (and other insects drawn to fennel) provide a high-protein buffet for backyard birds. Buy Organic Bronze Fennel Live Plants from Amazon for height, texture, and beneficial insect activity.

This architectural perennial giant thrives in zones 4-9, reaching 5 feet tall (1.5m) by mid-July. Its delicate chartreuse or bronze fronds provide a semi-transparent privacy screen that filters harsh sunlight without blocking the view. Just don’t plant it near cilantro or wormwood, as they can stunt each other's growth. Its sturdy, umbrella-like seed heads offer an ideal landing deck for acrobatic indigo buntings and chickadees.

6. Catnip

While our feline friends are drawn to this herb from the mint family, flying insects don’t like catnip. So it’s another great choice for keeping pests away from your bird bath. Catnip produces a compound called nepetalactone, known to deter mosquitoes. Plant this, along with mint and lemon balm, to create a zone that is inhospitable to gnats, mosquitoes and other pests. Buy Catnip Starter Plants from Walmart for bushy clumps loaded with high-potency, pest-repelling compounds.

Of course, one potential issue with growing catnip is that it can draw in cats. To keep birds safe, plant your catnip 10-12 feet (3-4m) away from the bird bath, on the far side of a protective barrier. This clever spacing creates an excellent, highly effective aromatic drift that purifies the air without creating a dangerous ambush point for visiting songbirds. Also, don't let it flower continuously if you want to maximize its bug-repelling leaf potency. Pink it back frequently so it keeps coming back strong.

7. Common Thyme

A popular culinary herb, common thyme is also an attractive ground cover. Grow it around the edges of your bird bath to create a natural, softer, and safer surface for birds. The edge of a bird bath can be slippery for little birds' feet. This creeping herb provides some grip to give birds confidence landing at your water source. Thyme is easy to grow, as it tolerates heat and loves full sun. It just needs soil that drains well, but otherwise it is easy to maintain in the growing season. Buy Creeping Thyme Starter Plants from Amazon for an aromatic plant mat around the bird bath.

Hardy in zones 2-10, varieties like 'Creeping Red' or 'Elfin' form dense, springy, texturized carpets that wrap around slippery stone or plastic rims. Furthermore, the warm, earthy scent of thymol is released every time a bird lands on it, creating protection against crawling pests and skeeters. Just don't allow mud or wet leaves to sit on top of its foliage, as it requires clean air circulation to do its best work.

8. Echinacea

We don’t often think of this as a herb, but echinacea is absolutely a herb, and it’s a great companion plant for a bird bath. It provides a useful food source for birds that eat seeds. Also known as coneflower, echinacea flowers produce abundant seeds in large cones in late summer. The large cones mature into nutritious seeds and will feed birds through fall and even into winter, depending on how many flowers you grow. Grow in full sun close to your bird bath. You can buy Greenwood Nursery Store Magnus Coneflower Live Plants from Amazon for vibrant bird-friendly blooms.

This must-have structural perennial, hardy in zones 3-9, bridges the gap beautifully between your water feature and the surrounding yard. While its coarse leaves offer excellent mid-tier cover during the high-heat spikes of July, the real magic happens once the petals fade and those giant, oil-rich seed cones can support American goldfinches, pine siskins, and tufted titmice. So do leave the dead flower heads intact on the stalks near your bird baths. Pair your echinacea with native grasses to create a high-reward playground right next to your splash pool.

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Elephants may be famous for having incredible memories, but don't think for one second they've cornered the market on the whole "never forget" thing. Despite weighing less than a nickel, hummingbirds remember their favorite feeding spots for years – and will return to reliable food sources again and again.

Yes, that's right. Whether it's your birth month hummingbird or some other variety, these iridescent little birds possess extraordinary memories, which is why they often make a point of sticking to the same gardens year after year.

In fact, researchers have found that hummingbirds can remember where feeders are located, using landmarks and environmental cues to navigate back to favourite feeding spots during migration. For gardeners, that's very good news indeed. Create a buzzing hummingbird hangout, then, and your yard could become a regular stop on their route.

How To Make Hummingbirds Remember Your Garden

Scientific studies have found that hummingbirds possess exceptional spatial memory; some species can remember the location of both rewarding and unrewarding flowers, for example, and banding studies have shown that some individual hummingbirds return to the same feeding sites and migration stopovers year after year.

For gardeners, that's excellent news, as it means there's a good chance your yard will become part of a hummer's regular routine. And the key to helping hummingbirds remember your garden as the hippest, most happening spot in the neighborhood? Consistency!

Yes, the easiest way to attract hummingbirds to your yard is to remember that all they are really looking for is a safe, dependable place to refuel, rest, and shelter.

And so, with that in mind, here are five simple ways to make your garden utterly unforgettable.

1. Keep Feeders Full – and Spotlessly Clean

Whether you buy yours pre-made or use a DIY nectar recipe, nothing says "don't come back" quite like spoiled nectar.

Yes, wildlife experts recommend cleaning and refilling hummingbird feeders regularly, especially during hot weather when sugar water can quickly ferment or develop mould. In cooler weather, a weekly clean may be sufficient, but during summer heat, feeders may need refreshing every day or two.

Think of it this way: if your favourite coffee shop suddenly started serving... well, let's call it questionable milk, then you'd probably find a new one. Your discerning hummingbird clientele feel much the same (and yes, hummingbirds remember when you fob them off with the dodgy stuff).

Shop Hummingbird Feeder & Cleaning Essentials:

2. Place Feeders Where Birds Feel Safe

Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but location matters just as much as nectar quality.

Hummingbirds prefer feeders positioned in partial shade, where nectar stays fresher for longer, and near shrubs or small trees that offer nearby perches and escape routes. And always, always, always hang them high enough that cats and other pesky predators will not be able to get at them.

A feeder positioned in a quiet spot with clear flight paths and a little nearby cover is often irresistible to visiting hummers. And (final tip, promise!) keep it away from other traditional bird feeders; they will avoid other birds like the plague.

3. Give Them More Than One Dining Option

They may be cute, but hummingbirds are famously feisty – or, fine, territorial, for those who prefer to use the official ornithological lingo. If you've ever watched one tiny bird chase away everything with wings, you'll know exactly what I mean.

Offering multiple feeders spaced throughout the yard reduces competition and allows more birds to feed at once. It also means that if one feeder runs dry or needs cleaning, hummingbirds still have a reliable backup nearby.

More feeding stations can also help turn your yard into an established refuelling stop rather than a one-feeder pit stop.

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4. Plant Nectar-Rich Flowers They Can Count On

Okay, we're gardeners, so let's cut to the chase; feeders are helpful, but flowers? Flowers are what truly transform a yard into hummingbird heaven.

Planting a succession of nectar-rich plants for hummingbirds ensures there is something blooming throughout the season. Native salvias, bee balm, cardinal flower, penstemon, non-invasive honeysuckle, and trumpet vine are all favourites in many parts of the US, not to mention hydrangeas.

Bright red and orange blooms are particularly attractive to hummingbirds, but diversity matters too. A yard that provides natural nectar alongside feeders is far more likely to become part of a hummingbird's regular route – and don't forget to plant low-maintenance shrubs for hummingbirds to nest in, too.

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5. Make Your Yard Easy to Spot

Hummingbirds are highly visual feeders and are especially attracted to bright colors. And while a red flag is bad news for bulls, a red flower? Amazing for hummers!

Most commercial feeders already incorporate plenty of red, so there's no need to add dye to nectar. Instead, think about making your feeding station easy to see by surrounding it with colorful flowers or placing it somewhere visible from the air.

Remember: once hummingbirds discover a reliable source of food, they're remarkably good at remembering where to find it again. The challenge isn't attracting them once – it's convincing them to keep coming back.

If you want to make sure hummingbirds remember your yard, stick to the basics: you want clean feeders, fresh nectar, safe placement, and plenty of flowers to create exactly the sort of feeding station these tiny birds are searching for.

Given their extraordinary memories, there's every chance they'll reward your efforts with repeat visits for seasons to come. And better still (if there could be anything better)? Why, they'll tell all their feathered friends, too!

Make the changers, pull up a chair (somewhere discreet), and enjoy the show that mother nature is about to put on for you. It promises to be spectacular.

As someone who owns quite a few bird feeders, I’ve grappled with indecision about buying another. My yard isn’t the biggest, but it’s one of the pleasures of my life to see birds darting past the window with tasty morsels clamped in their beaks. Trouble is, I already have a standard tube, a freestanding tray, a hanging globe, and one that says “Featherspoons” (if you’ve ever visited the UK, you’ll understand). And it’s hard to justify multiple feeders when you’re already struggling with planting space.

But I can’t deny I’m on the lookout for bird care goodies again this week, and Amazon Prime Day deals are everywhere we look. And even though I could possibly already open a shop devoted to bird feeders, I’m so very tempted by one particular purchase, and that’s the smart bird feeder. Truth is, smart feeder prices sometimes put me off. But this week, a certain “birdy cam” special is basically half price, which means a certain Amazon cart has been jiggling in anticipation. It’s a bird brand I trust, and it’s a genuine treat for beginners, because you can now grab the Birdfy Rookie Smart Feeder on Amazon for $84.59.

Trying to square an outlay of $150 is one thing, but scoring one that is currently 50% off is a bona fide birdy bargain. It’s got so much to recommend it, especially if you’re like me and have a genuine fascination with our backyard’s feathered guests. Could this finally be the week I make room for some very cool bird-friendly tech? Read on, to find out why this might be the best bird feeder camera you never knew you needed, and why now’s the time to get one while the getting is very good.

Why I Need This Bargain Feeder

I’ve been fascinated by the antics of garden birds at feeding stations ever since the pandemic. While the world slowed down and everyone became more aware of nature happening just outside their window, I impulsively hung a feeder outside my balcony window. Although I was living in a tiny apartment, I created a teeny-weeny bespoke bird sanctuary along that minuscule railing, and became fixated on the comings and goings of finches, sparrows, and even shy robins. But while I indulged in a very specific bird passion, it was clear that I could only catch brief moments.

Now, I have a backyard of my very own, but I have the same issue when attracting birds. Even with my many feeders dangling from trees and fences, I’m often teased by the very briefest glimpses of birdlife at the feeders, while listening to hedges vibrating with song and trees teaming with fluttering feathers. Trying to steal more glimpses of the private life of birds can often feel elusive. While I love those little glimpses, I wish I could enjoy more of those candid moments of bird activity when their guard is down and they think nobody is looking. This is why the lure of the smart bird feeder is so strong – and why the Birdfy Bird Feeder with Camera for Rookie set promises to be such a revelation (and at this price, such a steal) for my backyard birdwatching…

Why It’s Such a Bargain

Let’s just say it: for a long time, I’ve assumed that jumping into high-tech bird spotting meant grappling with tricky and complex setups. Happily, the Rookie is reassuringly straightforward to use. Because it comes from a trusted brand, backed by a community of over 650,000 birders, you know you are in safe hands and using something that feels like a labor of birdie love. It offers a streamlined walkthrough process that takes just minutes. You just download the intuitive app, scan a quick QR code on the camera frame, and sync it to your home WiFi.

What makes it such an unmissable bargain this week with Amazon Prime Day is how seamlessly it stuffs high-end specs into a budget-friendly (and bird-friendly) package. Normally, a continuous-charge, solar roof panel bundle like this would push towards the $170 mark. So snagging a clean 50% discount is so compelling. You’re scoring quality, zero-maintenance hardware for entry-level wonga.

Instead of standard landscape clips that require clumsy zooming, the Rookie captures footage in a modern 9:16 vertical portrait mode for smartphone viewing. Best of all, it shares the same crystal-clear 1080p camera sensor found in Birdfy's more expensive luxury lines. When you get birds flocking to your feeder, you can play back the action in a smooth 60FPS slow-motion mode. This is such a treat for candid birdy moments, letting you observe intricate textures and fleeting wildlife behaviors that would otherwise be hard to capture (and easy to miss).

What Shoppers Love

A glance through the Amazon reviews, and the overarching consensus from avid backyard bird lovers is clear. The Birdfy Bird Feeder with Camera for Rookie delivers an addictive, joyful user experience. Reviewers are vocal about how approachable the hardware is. From unboxing to syncing over WiFi, shoppers praise the ease of use and highly responsive app, confirming that even tech-phobes can have it running in minutes. One delighted five-star reviewer noted it is "so quick and easy to set up" and called it "a great feeder for both new and experienced birders."

Beyond the hassle-free installation, camera performance is a major win. Buyers love the crisp 1080p Full HD clarity, but it is the smooth 60FPS high-frame-rate playback that steals the show. Satisfied buyers repeatedly praise the visual output, with one shopper sharing that the "picture quality is great… you get clear, close-up views of the birds" without disturbing their natural patterns.

Reviewers also note how much fun it is to use the slow-motion feature to review early morning visitors. As one reviewer enthusiastically pointed out, "The 60FPS slow-motion clips look great: you can really see the little details when birds land and eat." This visual intimacy encourages a clear layer of respect among users for that extra detail, transforming the antics of local bird species into nature documentaries.

Crucially, the Rookie solves a long-term frustration that usually haunts smart feeder owners: battery anxiety. Shoppers who opted for this continuous-charge solar roof bundle report a genuinely hands-off experience, with battery levels locked at 100% week after week. Users who transitioned from older tech highlight the convenience of the new battery housing, with one buyer noting "it is very easy to remove the camera to recharge" if needed, though the solar hookup makes it entirely hands-off.

On a personal level, I also really like the subtle design and the earthy tones. This feeder effortlessly slips into a host of yard shapes and sizes (even small ones like mine). Several reviewers celebrate how easy it is to snap open the lid, top up the 1.3-liter seed chamber, and get straight back to feasting their eyes on the charming real-time avian movie.

Why Birds Love It

A critical part of a good bird camera feeder is how readily it is accepted by visiting birds. All that fancy tech is for naught if the birds don’t like it and keep away. One of the core aspects of this type of unit is to take care of birds through summer (and beyond), not scare them away. On that score, this feeder also rates highly. Happily, the Rookie is an inviting, practical bird feeding station. The architecture features a thoughtful layout, with a wide wrap-around perch that offers easy-grip points for a variety of species, from lightweight, fluttering goldfinches to heavier blue jays.

Delighted buyers note that local birds adapted to the unit almost instantly, with many reporting their first feathered visitors landing to eat within just 30 minutes of securing the feeder. Because the housing uses an easy-access, flip-top roof, the 1.3-liter seed chamber is easy to clean out. This avoids the deep, tight moisture pockets that plague standard tube feeders, protecting birds from mold and stale bacteria build-up. It feels safe, stable, and natural to them, ensuring they return day after day.

To fill your feeder, you can buy Kaytee Ultimate Nut and Fruit Wild Bird Food from Amazon. It is 35% off for Amazon Prime Day and is a great all-round summer mix for your new Rookie feeder. You can also get 43% off the C&S Suet Variety Value Pack (Peanut and Berry Bundle) from Amazon as part of Prime Day deals to attract clinging species like woodpeckers and nuthatches in supporting feeders.

Is It Right for Your Yard?

One thing to bear in mind with the Birdfy Rookie is its camera housing. More expensive bird feeder cameras offer a manual or motorized lens swivel, but the Rookie’s 1080p camera lens is locked firmly into a single wide-angle position, focused on the perch. While a few reviewers say they initially wished for a bit of horizontal adjustability to track birds approaching from the wings, the sheer panoramic scale of the integrated lens clearly compensates for it, ensuring you rarely miss a visitor. It is also worth noting that while the lightweight construction makes the unit easy to mount, it lacks the heavy, ornate presence of a larger wooden station.

However, when you weigh these minor physical trade-offs against the sheer volume of high-end features, the Rookie is a real delight for beginners. It’s easy to lift, unlatch and clean the feeder. Furthermore, while the device requires a 2.4GHz WiFi connection to stream, the signal stability inside the app is highly resilient. It provides seamless instant alerts the second a little beak crosses the frame. This is such a rewarding, entry-level leap into the world of bird feeder tech, and the Prime Day deal is a genuine gift that will bring endless joy and appreciation to your bird care. It’s highly likely you'll become a tiny bit addicted with your backyard birdies.

Other Smart Bird Feeders

While the Birdfy Rookie offers an unbeatable entry point for beginners this Prime Day, there are some fascinating variations designed to cater to specific backyard goals. Depending on your budget, yard layout, and the birds you hope to attract, your choice ranges from species-specific models to wildlife encyclopedias. So depending on your needs, these standout Prime Day bargains are also worthy of consideration.

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Is there anything more dazzling, more spectacular, more pinch me, I must be dreaming, than the sight of a hummingbird flitting from flower to flower? Why, the knowledge that you’re watching your birth month hummingbird in action, of course!

From birth month birds and birth month animals to the more whimsical world of birth month bugs and even birth month trees, there’s something irresistible about the idea that nature quietly mirrors who we are.

Among all of them, though, hummingbirds feel particularly fitting for personality pairings. Fast, bright, and endlessly energetic, hummingbirds forever hover between stillness and action, reminding us that even the smallest creatures can carry huge amounts of energy and purpose.

It makes sense, then, that they carry a kind of symbolic magic that makes them perfect candidates for zodiac-style interpretation.

All 12 Birth Month Hummingbirds

As if you needed yet another reason to turn your backyard into a true hummingbird hangout and help support these remarkable pollinators, it’s easy to see why we might fall over ourselves to meet our very own birth month hummingbird.

After all, they’re bold without being aggressive, delicate yet resilient (a balance many of us are constantly trying to strike) and wholly symbolic of spontaneity, joy, and adaptability. They are, essentially, nature’s reminder not to stand still for too long.

So, whether you’re curious, sceptical, or just here for a bit of fun, here’s your birth month hummingbird, and what it might say about you...

January – Sword-Billed Hummingbird

Unusual, striking, and impossible to ignore, you start the year with a slightly unconventional energy. Like the extraordinary sword-billed hummingbird, you don’t quite fit the expected mould, and that’s exactly your strength. You tend to see things differently from everyone else, and while it may take others a moment to catch up, they usually get there in the end.

Whether you buy it pre-made or use this DIY nectar recipe, it is always a good idea to keep hummingbird feeders topped up for these little beauties.

Shop Hummingbird Feeders:

February – Anna’s Hummingbird

Bold, charismatic, and not remotely interested in blending in, you thrive when life is colorful. Anna's Hummingbirds are known for their spectacular courtship displays, which feels fitting for someone who secretly enjoys being the center of attention.

If you want to keep yours happy and flitting, try planting this non-invasive honeysuckle that hummingbirds love.

March – Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Spring babies are all about fresh starts. Like the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, famous for its epic migrations, you're constantly reinventing yourself and rarely stay still for long.

Shop Hummingbird Essentials:

April – Rufous Hummingbird

Tiny but absolutely fearless, your birth month hummingbird never backs down from a challenge, and neither do you. Honestly, Rufous Hummingbirds are renowned for aggressively defending their territory, making this the perfect match for anyone whose motto is, "Actually, I will argue about this" (in the best possible way!).

It's not just about planting nectar-rich flowers; it's also worth considering which trees are the best nesting options, too. Personally, we favor this low-maintenance shrub that hummingbirds love to nest in.

May – Calliope Hummingbird

The Calliope Hummingbird may be tiny, but it has no trouble holding its own. If you're a May baby, chances are you're similarly determined, proving that confidence and charisma come in all sizes. Seriously, there's a reason so many people notice when you're around.

Shop Hummingbird Nesting Materials:

June – Marvelous Spatuletail

Peak summer suits you, June babies! Bold, expressive, and a little bit spectacular, you don’t do anything halfway. Like the Marvelous Spatuletail, you have a flair for making an impression, whether you mean to or not. There’s a sense of theatre about you that draws people in, not to mention a tendency to turn even ordinary moments into something truly memorable.

July – Costa's Hummingbird

Much like your birth month hummingbird, you have undeniable flair. Costa's Hummingbirds are famous for the males' extravagant purple plumage, and if you're a July baby, chances are you appreciate a little drama, glamour, and making an entrance.

If you want an easy way to keep hummingbirds happy in your yard, try planting something like these Red Sage Seeds.

August – Broad-billed Hummingbird

Confident and impossible to ignore, you tend to leave a lasting impression (exactly like your pretty birth month hummingbird does). Vibrant and energetic, too, you're often the person organising the plans – or at least enthusiastically suggesting them.

September – Violet-Crowned Hummingbird

Thoughtful and observant, you prefer depth over chaos. You're not the loudest person in the room, but people value your insight and calm perspective. And, much like your birth month hummingbird, that is more than enough to make a long-lasting impression.

October – Buff-Bellied Hummingbird

Confession time: your friendly neighborhood author is an October baby, so I have a vested interest in this particular birth month hummingbird. If this is also you, you are independent, a little mysterious, you like doing things your own way.

You're warm once people get to know you, but you don't give your energy away freely. Never a bad thing (fine, I'm biased).

November – Magnificent Hummingbird

Intense, loyal, and quietly impressive, you have a habit of exceeding expectations. You may not seek recognition, but somehow it finds you anyway... and, just like your birth month hummingbird, you do all of this calmly and methodically. Go you!

December – Tufted Coquette

Festive, imaginative, and just a touch whimsical, you have a gift for bringing joy to those around you. Like the dazzling Tufted Coquette, you're unafraid to express yourself and tend to make a splash wherever you go. Beneath the sparkle, though, lies a thoughtful side that helps you see the bigger picture when others get lost in the details.

Shop Hummingbird Nesting Essentials:

Whatever your birth month hummingbird says about you, the real joy is in the imagination of it all: turning real wildlife into tiny mirrors of personality, even if just for fun. And hey, if it makes you look up a few hummingbird videos afterwards, consider it a win for everyone involved.

Some say it is good luck when a bird poops on you, but what about if a whole flock has pooped all over your patio? Sounds like bad luck to me. Birds and their lovely songs are wonderful to welcome to your yard, but finding their droppings all over your porch furniture is an annoying, and possibly dangerous, consequence.

Even though your goal might be to stop birds from pooping on your patio, you still might end up with a stray doo drop here and there. It is important to clean up the mess safely and before it leaves any permanent marks on light-colored wood or furniture. This bird poop remover from Amazon uses enzymes to break down droppings easily or you can use a few household items you probably already have.

First, you need to put on some protective gear and wet the droppings with your cleaning solution. Bird poo carries fungi that cause Histoplasmosis and Cryptococcosis and bacteria that causes Psittacosis. Protective goggles, a mask, and gloves will go a long way to protect you from developing one of these nasty infections. And gently wetting the droppings with water or a cleaning solution will prevent the fungal spores and bacteria from becoming airborne and inhaled. Let's dive in an explore how to safely clean bird poop off your porch.

Safety First

Supplies

Step-By-Step

1. Mix your cleaning solution in a spray bottle with a gentle mist. It is important to gently moisten the bird poop so that particles don’t become airborne and inhaled.
2. Don your personal protective equipment. Safety goggles, nitrile gloves and a well-fitting N95 mask will keep you safe while cleaning and disposing of the bird doo.
3. Gently spray the bird droppings with your bleach and water mixture and let it soak for 5 minutes. This will prevent aerosolization of the droppings and also allow the bleach some time to neutralize bacteria and fungi. (If using bleach, you should test for colorfastness in a small and inconspicuous area first).
4. Use a sponge or rag dipped in your cleaning solution to wipe away the bird droppings. Work slowly so you don’t splatter bird poop all over yourself.
5. Once you have cleaned the bird droppings off the patio and furniture surfaces, dispose of the sponge or rag in the trash.
6. Gently rinse the area with water from your garden hose or a watering can to remove any residual cleaning solution.
7. Remove and dispose of gloves, and wash hands before removing your goggles and mask.
8. Enjoy your freshly cleaned patio, poop free!

As I write this, the sun is beating down on my yard and I’ve got a fan pointing at my face as I listen to the birds singing outside. Meanwhile, backyard birds also need a few things urgently in summer – specifically, to help take care of their babies, stay hydrated, clean their feathers, and rest. And as summer really heats up, they need our help more than ever. So if there’s a gap in your bird care setup, this week is a perfect time to do something good for your birds, and save money while you’re at it.

This year’s Amazon Prime Day Deals offer the ultimate opportunity to save big while quite literally saving a life. Providing safe and well stocked feeders, shelter, and clean water are your gift to your feathered pals, to keep them happy and healthy during these stifling midsummer months. And guess what? Once their fledglings settle into your yard to enjoy the perks, this really is the gift that keeps on giving!

Bird care design (and tech) has made some amazing advances in recent months, so we combed through some of the key Prime Day highlights for bird lovers to help you find the best deals. Whether you’re after a fresh bath, a cozy house, a quality feeder or some hummingbird treats, these deals can help you encourage more birds to come to your yard, and stick around for joy. The ultimate songbird sanctuary or hummingbird hangout is just a few scrolls or mouseclicks away. This is the perfect time to stock up, so check out some of the deals sitting in our shopping cart.

Smart & Squirrel-Proof Feeders

When kitting out my own yard, I’ve always believed that bird feeders should be as beautiful to look at as they are practical. This year's Amazon Prime Day deals perfectly capture that balance, offering a variety of elegant, multifunctional designs that elevate your outdoor space while keeping your feathered friends happy (and key pests from guzzling the goods). From high-tech gadgets that double as personal wildlife cams to stunning decorative lanterns, bird feeding has evolved and diversified. This is the perfect excuse to score deep discounts on gorgeous, high-performing gear that brings both style and function to your backyard.

Cozy Houses for Summer Broods

We tend to associate nesting with spring, but June and July are prime time for backyard bird families. Songbirds like eastern bluebirds, house wrens, and northern cardinals are actively kicking off their second (or even third) broods of the season, while late-bloomers like goldfinches are just getting started on building nests in mid-to-late summer to align with thistle down availability. These functional, stylish Prime Day deals are the perfect excuse to add fresh, safe shelter to your yard just in time for the midsummer baby boom, creating a real bird sanctuary.

Beautiful Bird Baths & Fountains

When an intense summer heatwave strikes, providing a reliable source of moving water is the single most important thing you can do for your neighborhood wildlife. Songbirds desperately need a place to rinse dust, pollen, and stifling heat from their feathers to keep their natural cooling systems working perfectly. It’s also important to think about the quality of your water, as it can attract breeding mosquitoes in June. These durable, highly-rated Prime Day picks make it incredibly easy to establish a safe, refreshing oasis for birdies in need of refreshment, hydration, and play.

Ultimate Hummingbird Hangout

Hummingbirds are the jewels of the summer garden, but keeping these high-energy guests buzzing around your yard requires the right setup. Because they are lightning-fast and have highly specific feeding habits, you need brightly colored gear that can withstand the intense summer heat, which can cater to tiny beaks and service their need for comfort and security as well as flamboyant colors and the finer things in life. Here are the top-tier Prime Day upgrades that can keep those little vibrating dynamos darting hither and yon through the dog days of summer.

Don’t forget to keep your eye out for any Clip Coupon boxes as part of these deals. A lot of garden brands stack an extra 10-20% off coupon on top of official Prime Day discounts to stand out in the crowd – so you might bag an even bigger bargain.

Need more ideas for getting the most from your plants, indoors and out, and looking for the best seasonal expert advice delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!

Butterflies are some of the most delightful visitors to the garden. It’s a joy to watch them flutter through the yard, stopping here and there to sip nectar from your flowers. They’re also important pollinators, so it makes sense to take steps to attract them to and support them in your garden.

June is a time of peak activity for butterflies as they search out resources for food, mating, and egg laying. Unfortunately, many modern gardens are too sterile to support these activities, but a few tweaks now can make a big difference for the rest of summer.

A butterfly garden doesn’t have to be elaborate, large, or complicated. Just follow these simple tips to create a friendlier space for butterflies right in your backyard.

1. Plant Nectar-Rich Flowers

June-blooming flowers that are rich in nectar are a huge help to butterflies. Your yard will attract butterflies from all over if you offer up abundant blooms as a food source. Hopefully, you already have some perennials that feed butterflies, such as coneflowers, bee balm, cosmos, salvia, and black-eyed Susans.

If you still need more flowers or your space is limited, add some annuals that attract butterflies or fast-growing flowers for containers. Be strategic with how you plant flowers, both bedding and container plants. Butterflies will find them more easily if they’re grown in drifts and in the sun, as they prefer to feed in warm spots.

Explore a wide array of butterfly magnet plants from Jackson & Perkins online.

2. Grow Caterpillar Host Plants

Your favorite local butterflies came from caterpillars. And in June, they’re seeking out specific native plants for laying eggs that will turn into more caterpillars and butterflies. Many species use only one or a handful of butterfly host plants, which their caterpillars will feed on once they hatch from their eggs.

Do some research on your area (your local extension office is a great resource) to determine which butterflies are native and the plants they use as hosts. Some examples include milkweed for monarchs, native violets for fritillaries, and spicebush for spicebush swallowtail butterflies. Some species need certain trees, so consider adding them for future seasons. For example, black cherry or tulip poplar trees for eastern tiger swallowtails.

You can get a variety pack of different milkweed seeds from Amazon.

3. Create a Puddling Station

Just like birds, butterflies benefit from a water source in your yard, but a typical bird bath is too deep for them. A mineral-rich, shallow, ground-level source of water is ideal for butterflies. They need both water and minerals to survive and thrive.

You can make a puddling station by burying a shallow, wide dish in the soil of a bed so it’s flush with the ground. Fill it with sand or gravel and add water plus a little compost or sea salt. Place a few flat stones in the puddle as landing spots. Check the puddling station regularly and add water as needed to keep it moist.

As an alternative to a puddling station, you can place a dish of fermenting or rotting fruit. Like the puddle, this acts as a source of water and minerals.

This adorable butterfly puddler from Amazon will fit right into any landscape.

4. Provide Rocks for Sunbathing

Butterflies rely on sunlight to stay warm, so they’ll look for flat, sunny surfaces to rest. Provide these areas by adding flat rocks to some of your flower beds. Make sure you have several of these that get sun at various times of day and that they are not too shaded by large plants.

Morning sunlight is particularly important for butterflies. They look for spots to bask early in the day in order to warm up and be able to fly and seek out food later in the day.

Explore tons of different types of landscaping rocks from Home Depot to find the right ones for your garden.

5. Make Your Yard Pesticide-Free

If you’re trying to support native species, especially beneficial insects like butterflies, it’s best to avoid pesticide use altogether. Most pesticides are generic, meaning they will kill all kinds of insects, not just the pests. June, when butterflies are very active, is a particularly risky time to use pesticides. They harm butterflies and caterpillars.

Instead of chemical pesticides, use non-toxic or safe and organic methods of pest control. For example, you can release ladybugs or praying mantises to prey on pest insects. You can buy predatory insects from Amazon that will control unwanted bugs in your garden, but leave beneficial insects unharmed. Or wash pests off plants with a strong stream of water, use traps, or hand-pick pests to avoid pesticide use.

By eliminating pesticides in your yard this summer, you’ll allow butterflies to complete their life cycle and produce the next generation.

6. Let Your Garden Go Wild

Leaving untidy corners in your garden or yard is a great way to support all kinds of native wildlife, not just butterflies. Depending on the size of your yard, you can create one or two wild garden corners. Don’t mow here and allow native grasses, flowers, and weeds to take over the space. Leave stems, branches, and leaf litter in place.

Butterflies will appreciate the native plants as well as the protected areas where they can rest and hide from predators. Some species will even overwinter in the debris in these wild areas.

These simple additions to your June garden aren’t hard to implement and the rewards are huge. More flowers, host plants, wild areas, puddling stations, and rocks help butterflies find food, lay eggs, rest, stay warm, and more. June is the perfect time to make these upgrades, so you can enjoy butterflies in the garden for the rest of the summer.

Nectar provides butterflies with energy but a mud-puddling pool gives them the vital nutrients they need for flight, bodily functions and reproduction. So, if you like to garden with wildlife in mind and already have a border buffet of nectar-rich blooms, this 10-minute project should be next on your summer to-do list. Because after growing flowers for pollinators, a mud puddling station is the single best way to help butterflies thrive in your garden.

Puddling is an essential butterfly behaviour and in the wild, hundreds of butterflies can congregate to mud-puddle. The insects seek out moist organic matter then suck up fluid through their straw-like proboscises to extract vital salts and amino acids that nectar doesn’t provide, but are necessary for survival.

Different butterfly species tend to focus on different sources for this liquid nutrition, and some have evolved to puddle rotting plants, carrion and even the salty tears of reptiles. But don’t fret: the vast majority of butterflies puddle in damp soil, hence the term ‘mud-puddling’, so it's easy to provide a puddling pool in your garden.

Offering a suitable mud-puddle is an especially important way to help butterflies in June and July, which are the peak moths for mating. Males mud-puddle far more frequently than females, and that’s because they require sodium and amino acids to produce sperm, and these nutrients are passed onto the females during mating, giving eggs a better chance of survival. To extract sufficient nutrients, a male mud-puddles at an astounding rate, flushing around 600 times its own body mass of liquid through its digestive tract in a typical day.

Butterflies also mud-puddle to hydrate, which becomes more essential as summer temperatures climb. Unable to land on open water, butterflies rely on damp areas such as stream banks and puddle edges to drink safely. Offer this valuable source of moisture in your pollinator garden, and butterflies are likely to visit more often and stay for longer.

So, creating a mud-puddling pool for butterflies is a fabulous addition to a wildlife garden, especially at this time of the year.

How to Create a Mud-Puddling Pool for Butterflies

The best way to create the just-right conditions butterflies crave is to make a puddling pool in a shallow 12-16 inch container. A plant-pot saucer is perfect, and plastic or metal is better than porous terracotta (which is fine to use – it’ll just dry out more quickly so you’ll need to refill more frequently).

Add a half-and-half mix of coarse sand and garden soil, and mix in the tiniest pinch of unrefined sea salt or pure, unscented Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). Don’t use iodized table salt, as the added iodine and anti-caking agents can be highly toxic to insects. If you have it, a tablespoon of compost is a good addition for extra minerals.

Place a few flat pebbles on top to give your guests a safe spot to rest their wings. Dark stones are best, if possible, as these will absorb the sun’s warmth. Cold-blooded butterflies rely on the environment to warm their bodies up to a point that they can fly, which is why you’ll often see these insects sunbathing with their wings spread wide.

Place the mud-puddling station in a sunny, sheltered spot, and pour in just enough water to thoroughly dampen the mix and form a few very shallow, small puddles. This is a puddling pool not a paddling pool, so the majority of its surface should be moist soil or sand, not open water. Keep the station topped up with water as necessary and, once a month, empty and refill to replenish nutrients as well as maintain hygiene.

While it’s best for the mud-puddling station to be fairly close to nectar-rich flowers so butterflies can find it easily, position your pool away from dense plant cover where predators like cats – and large spiders, who love to snack on butterflies – could hide.

As well as being a beautiful part of our gardens, butterflies play a vital role in the ecosystem as pollinators and as early indicators of environmental changes. So let's help these pretty critters all we can. Even if your garden is tiny, you can support butterflies by growing nectar-rich flowers in containers. As well as making a puddling pool, giving wildlife a home with a chic bug house, raising host plants for butterfly eggs, and putting out past-its-best fruit for butterflies to feed on will all enable these winged wonders to truly thrive.

It might sound a little goofy, but for me, spotting a robin feels like the universe’s way of telling me it’s all going to be OK. I know how that might sound, but their plucky spirit really does give me a singular joy, and catching glimpses of them when I’m volunteering at the local park does something for my mood that nothing else can match. I’ve got a few mates who do believe that seeing one is a sign that a loved one is near – and while I love many, many birds, I have a particular soft spot for robins.

Growing up with British roots, I always associated these birds with winter. But I’ve fallen head over heels for American robins, and this early summer period is peak time for these multitasking feathered friends. Right now, they are dashing through yards with beaks stuffed full of grubs, or squeezing into shrubs to tend to rapidly growing families, and all while temperatures rise. So alongside any usual measures we take to attract our birds, this is a critical moment to step up our summer care.

Extreme summer heat can quickly foil our best intentions. Untended bird baths can become stagnant or dry out, and natural sources of nourishment are in huge demand as bird numbers multiply. This puts immense pressure on harried birdie moms and pops trying to protect vulnerable babies and juveniles. Don’t worry, though – these little acts of kindness are simple, quick, and budget-friendly. Here are 5 easy ways to help American robins in summer so they survive and thrive. Consider it our collective way of letting them know that they are going to be OK.

How to Help American Robins in June

When June starts cranking up the thermostat, our backyard routines shift toward iced teas and shady patios. But for robins in summer, June isn’t a time to relax: it’s one of the most exhausting months of their lives. This is peak breeding season, and adult robins are simultaneously trying to keep themselves cool, defend territories, build nests for a second brood, and forage on a loop for hungry baby beaks.

In the spring, damp soils push earthworms to the surface. But by mid-June, allowing for your USDA hardiness zone, earthworms will burrow deep into cooler soil layers. A robin’s primary food source vanishes just as their numbers are multiplying. Growers in zones 8-11 will be dealing with rapid water evaporation and dangerously high temperatures. Even in zones 4-7, there are sudden, unpredictable June heat spikes that can quickly dehydrate feathers and overheat tiny nests.

So anything you can do to attract robins and help them combat summer heat is well worth folding into your weekend plans. These things might seem fairly small or trivial, but to a thirsty, hungry, weakened, or frazzled robin, they are a lifeline. If a robin learns that your yard is a reliable source of nutrients, shade, and comfort when the rest of the neighborhood is dry as wood chips, they will come back day after day.

Luckily, stepping up your bird care doesn’t require a massive budget or hours of hard labor. Read on to find out about little summer gestures that make a big difference. Don’t forget to grab your binoculars and keep them close once you’ve ticked these little weekend jobs off your list. If you need a cute but powerful pair, compact Occer 12x25 Compact Binoculars from Amazon can help you enjoy your robins in action.

1. Upgrade Your Water Care

A bird bath is the single most powerful way to help robins in June. But in a heatwave, a stagnant bath can be dangerous. Standing water turns into a breeding ground for harmful bacteria and mosquitoes. Also, deep or slippery basins would be a mistake for robins, as they make them feel insecure. To support robins in summer, make sure the bird bath is shallow, stable, and filled with moving water. Use a water wiggler or agitator. The Mademax Solar Bird Bath Pump from Amazon adds movement to keep water oxygenated and ensure birdies are happy.

Robins hunt and explore using sight and sound. The gentle ripples created by a wiggler catch the sunlight, acting as a sparkling visual beacon for birds. Even better, that bubbling acoustic cue lets local birds know fresh water is near, while preventing mosquitoes from laying eggs. Make sure your bird bath is in dappled shade. This keeps the water cooler and gives drenched, heavy-feathered robins a quick escape route if a cat wanders past. You can get the Alpine Corporation 28-Inch Bird Bath with Scrollwork Base from Walmart for a durable bath that you can fill with gravel or small pebbles to help birdie feet.

2. Guard the Ground for Fledglings

An American robin fledgling is an endearing sight. Speckled, fluffy, and stubby-tailed, these oversized babies leap into the unknown weeks before they can fly, landing on the lawn. This ground-dwelling phase is a natural part of a robin’s life cycle. For several days, the parents remain close by, hidden in the canopy, tracking their clumsy young and dropping down to feed them treats. But in the heat of summer, youngsters are at risk of rapid dehydration and heat stress, so adapt your growing routine a bit to give these brave little explorers a fighting chance.

Make a few compassionate gestures for young robins this month. Place a heavy, shallow saucer of fresh water directly on the ground in a deeply shaded spot near safety bushes, so low-dwelling fledglings can hydrate without having to fly up to an elevated bath. You can buy the Bakayoyo Ground Bird Bath from Amazon which sits at turf level for a shallow sip and splash zone that a juvenile American robin can enjoy in safety. Also, leave the hedge trimmers and heavy pruning alone so you don’t terrify a hidden fledgling. Stick to small pruning tools like the Fiskars Bypass Pruning Shears from Amazon to tidy paths without disturbing robin junior.

3. Plant a Summer Buffet

Earthworm-loving robins struggle to source protein-rich nibbles in the dog days of summer. To survive, they consume berries and fruits. Introducing container-grown native fruiting plants in June is a great way to supplement the American robin diet in summer in a way that also adds color and crops to your yard. Look for arrowwood viburnum, American elderberry, native highbush blueberry, mulberry or serviceberry, all of which establish rapidly and yield heavily. You can buy Autumn Brilliant Serviceberry Plants from Fast Growing Trees.

While adult robins gorge on juicy berries, hungry fledglings need soft-bodied insects like caterpillars and grubs. Add a native species that can serve as a host for larvae protein in June, before ripening into a berry bonanza in high summer. Plant native white oaks, knockout native wild sunflowers, or chokecherry. These draw in grubs and caterpillars adult robins rely on to feed second-brood nestlings. Native cherries are ideal for hosting native butterfly and moth caterpillars. You can buy 2-foot Black Cherry Starter Trees from Walmart which establishes beautifully in warm June soil.You can also leave a thick 3-inch (8cm) layer of organic mulch or fallen leaf litter under shrubs to create a thriving microclimate for beetles, grubs, and wireworms.

4. Create Cooling Zones

When summer heat waves strike, American robins are prone to heat stress. To escape the midday sun, robins crave deep, layered shade and cool microclimates. To counter this, it helps to create designated cooling zones using dense native shrubs and trees. You can buy Thuja Green Giant Arborvitae from Fast Growing Trees for a rapid growing evergreen. This can provide a rich canopy through summer. Other great choices include spicebush, oakleaf hydrangea, and American holly, all of which love dappled light and establish well in warm soil.

For smaller spaces, decent-sized container shrubs can also help. You can even plant native ferns or hostas under an existing tree, for a chilled pocket of damp soil where robins can rest. Leave a patch of your lawn under a shady tree slightly unmowed and well-watered. You can also install a gentle mister high in your shaded tree branches to manage local temperature extremes. Attach a specialized misting nozzle to an existing hose and drape it over a high, shady branch. Try Homenote’s Misting Cooling System from Amazon for fine vapor to help robins stay refreshed.

5. Open a Mud Bar for Nests

This is my favorite section because it highlights a hidden summer struggle that most bird lovers overlook: the need for mud. It’s tempting to think that the nesting season might be winding down once the first brood has flown the nest. But American robins are prolific, often raising 2-3 separate clutches of eggs between April and August. So in June, some robins are putting together new nests. For this, they need wet mud to bind twigs, coarse grasses, and fine feathers into a solid bowl. But in the baking heat, a single beakful of usable mud can become an exhausting mission.

Creating a simple mud bar in a quiet corner of your yard saves robins miles of travel and ensures their eggs have a sound, safe base. Keep your mud bar close to a water source or under a shady shrub, and make sure it is a thick, sticky consistency. Use organic materials for your mud. You can buy Burpee Organic Premium Potting Soil from Walmart as a safe base for a malleable, gooey mud puddle. Add a couple of handfuls of grit or sand, like GardenWise Fine Horticultural Sand from Amazon, to increase the integrity of nests for busy robin moms.

Shop Bird Essentials

Crafting a vibrant, safe haven for your robins comes down to a thoughtful blend of natural habitat additions and some timely supporting treats. Once you’ve got your new shade zones and damp mud patches off and running, these high-quality extras will ensure your yard is fully optimized for both busy adults and adorable fledglings. Grab this handful of colorful, robin-approved essentials to keep your backyard buzzing with color, birdsong and joyful splashing all summer long.

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As a gardener, I've always had a soft spot for plants that attract wildlife. Bees and butterflies are wonderful, of course, but hummingbirds? Well, hummingbirds feel like a special kind of reward. They're fleeting, fast, and somehow manage to make even the most ordinary backyard feel a little more enchanted.

That means I'm always on the lookout for plants that can turn my garden into a true hummingbird hangout and help support these remarkable pollinators. The trouble is that many of the flowers hummingbirds love come with caveats; some need constant deadheading, others demand perfect conditions, and a few have an unfortunate tendency to spread where they're not wanted.

Honeysuckles are a classic example. Those highly-scented tubular flowers are perfectly designed for hummingbirds' long beaks and tongues, but some species have developed... hmm, let's call it a less-than-stellar reputation in parts of the US thanks to their invasive habits. And, as much as I love a vigorous vine, I don't want to spend years battling it.

So, what's the answer?

The Non-Invasive Honeysuckle Loved By Hummingbirds

If you want to reap the benefits of a classic honeysuckle (aka more hummingbirds, in their droves!) without the headaches, you'll be pleased to know there is a truly stunning non-invasive variety that is beloved by these tiny jewel-like birds.

I'm talking, of course, about the Major Wheeler honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler').

Unlike many flowers that bloom in short bursts, Major Wheeler keeps the show going for months. From late spring well into summer (and often into early fall in warmer climates) it produces clusters of vivid red and orange trumpet-shaped flowers that hummingbirds find downright irresistible.

The flowers are rich in nectar, and their shape makes them particularly well suited to hummingbird feeding. In fact, gardeners often report repeat visits once the vine becomes established.

Better still? The blooms are followed by red berries that can provide food for songbirds later in the season.

One of the reasons Major Wheeler has become such a favorite among wildlife gardeners is that it lacks the aggressive tendencies associated with some other honeysuckles.

Unlike invasive Asian honeysuckles that can escape into natural habitats, Major Wheeler is a cultivar of the native coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). It twines politely rather than taking over, making it far easier to manage in home gardens.

That's not to say it isn't vigorous; it is still a fast-growing vine capable of reaching 6 to 10 feet or more, especially in ideal conditions... although it copes well in containers and partial-shade, too.

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Major Wheeler thrives in USDA zones 4-9, making it suitable for much of the United States. Like most flowering vines, it appreciates well-draining soil and regular watering while it becomes established. Once settled in, though, it's surprisingly low maintenance. Just give it a trellis, arbor, or fence to climb, and prune lightly if needed to keep it in shape.

If your goal is to attract hummingbirds, be sure to place it near a seating area or window; you'll be much more likely to enjoy the show! And hey, any plant that promises months of fiery flowers and supports pollinators 100% deserves that kind of spotlight, quite honestly.

June is a busy month for hummingbirds, making it one of the absolute most joyful times of the year for backyard bird lovers. These tiny, jewel-toned dynamos are operating at a dizzying pace, as adults frantically feed their newly hatched fledglings, fiercely defend nesting territories, and seek out fuel for their unique style of flight. A hummingbird’s metabolism is so high, that they must consume up to half their body weight in sugar and insects daily just to survive. So helping hummingbirds in summer isn’t just about putting out a casual treat – it’s about providing a lifeline.

Attracting hummingbirds with bright colors and tasty nectar is the first step, but keeping them coming back requires a bigger understanding of summer challenges. As June temperatures climb, a host of seasonal pitfalls can put them at risk. Natural wildflower patches face heat stress, synthetic red dyes in cheap commercial foods threaten avian health, and stagnant water can breed fungi. Furthermore, aggressive alpha hummers can turn solitary feeding stations into combat zones, driving exhausted mothers and vulnerable fledglings away from the nourishment they need.

Fortunately, just a few simple actions this month can transform your outdoor space into a safe, bustling hummingbird sanctuary. By introducing a few thoughtful extras over a single weekend, you can address their needs with care and confidence, and it doesn’t take loads of skill or money. Hummingbirds are creatures of habit, and once they know your backyard provides safe water, abundant insects, and clean nectar, they will return multiple times a day. The small things make a massive difference, so make some room for encouraging these charming tiny garden guests.

How to Help Hummers in June

June signals the arrival of the most calorie-demanding phase of the hummingbird lifecycle: rearing fledglings. While keeping a single sugar-water feeder filled is an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to attract birds and see them in action, it is far from a complete solution. Indeed, relying on one station during the summer rush can inadvertently trigger a kind of turf war. Whatever you can do to scale up over summer can help keep the peace for more feathered visitors. A bird's energy spend is everything right now, so your yard needs to evoke calm and comfort.

When it comes to supporting these micro-aviators, even a patio balcony decorated with knockout natives can make a huge difference. But core acts of kindness can go a long way as summer ramps up. Irrespective of hardiness zone and yard size, the key to nurturing a happy hummingbird sanctuary this summer is consistency and accessibility. You can do this by adding key summer flowers for hummingbirds, as well as by adding simple elements that contribute to their health and harmony.

In smaller urban gardens, natural resources may be sparse, making these backyard upgrades vital – but anyone can benefit from making these simple additions. Yes, it’s great to be keeping a high-quality nectar on standby, such as Kaytee Hummingbird ElectroNectar from Amazon, which has no artificial colors and comes with added electrolytes to keep hummers perky and healthy. But it also helps to understand a few of the seasonal behavioral habits of common hummer species, to curate an environment that nurtures them, protects them, and keeps them happy.

These simple steps can all be tackled in a few moments over the weekend, and can bring immeasurable benefits that will have these jeweled charmers vibrating hither and yon in your backyard all summer long. Don’t forget to keep a pair of binoculars handy so you can snatch a better glimpse of their dazzling, animated antics. A set of teeny-weeny yet powerful Vulness Compact Bird Watching Binoculars from Amazon help you get a better view of your hovering backyard residents as they explore your space. So let’s get into these quick-win tasks to maintain a healthy, humming haven.

1. Set Up Multiple Feeding Stations

While they seem like amiable, easygoing creatures, territory disputes come to a head for hummingbirds in June, as their food demands reach a seasonal peak. It is common for a dominant alpha male (particularly a fiery Ruby-throated or feisty Rufous hummingbird) to chase away newcomers and competitors. If you only have one nectar feeder set up, it can inadvertently cause tension, prompting exhausted females and newly fledged chicks to flee rather than fueling up.

If you want to feed hummingbirds in summer in a way that is really effective, place multiple feeding stations in separate parts of your yard. To help birds in June, aim for 2-4 feeders, positioned so a bird at one feeder can’t see another. Use trees, shrubs, and physical corners to space feeders and block lines of sight. Place them 10-15 feet (3-4.5m) apart. No matter how vigilant an alpha is, he cannot guard every station at once, allowing peaceful access for gentle Costa’s or Black-chinned hummers.

Place each one in dappled shade to prevent the sugar water from fermenting rapidly under the fierce June sun. If you’re looking to add to your collection, try the Aspects HummZinger HighView Excel Feeder from Amazon, with its cheerful red visual lure and feeding ports. Or, for a vintage twist on a bright red feeder, the More Birds Glass Jeweled Bottle Nectar Feeder from Lowe's offers vibrant yet durable feeding.

2. Add a Water Mister

While traditional bird baths are wonderful for songbirds, they aren’t always the best for a creature that weighs less than a nickel. In the wild, they prefer to clean their iridescent feathers by darting through a gentle spray of water or the ambient mist of a rushing waterfall. As mid-June temperatures climb in your area, a dedicated water source becomes vital for preventing heat exhaustion. But what they really appreciate is a way to fly through water to bathe and to cool off in hot weather.

Consider a continuous water mister to attract and help your local hummers. You can use a simple hose mister or a solar-powered fountain that produces running water and mist. You can attach a specialized misting nozzle to an existing hose and drape it over a high, shady branch. For an easy all-in-one option, try Homenote’s Misting Cooling System from Amazon to create a gentle refreshing spray for flying jewels.

Alternatively, place a floating solar fountain insert into a shallow, gravel-lined bird bath to create a bubbling, moving spray. You can get wigglers and solar pumps that spark curiosity Mr or Mrs Hummer through sound and light play. Buy the Mademax Solar Bird Bath Pump from Amazon to add instant movement and enjoyment. Keep the water pressure to a gentle, fine mist where possible.

3. Plant June Bloomers

Nectar feeders are an excellent way to support hummers, but they can’t completely replace the rich, complex nutrition found in native flowers. Hummingbirds seek out tubular, downward-facing blossoms that match the curve of their long bills. Planting a rich mix of midsummer flowers for hummers provides them with key micronutrients, pollen, and native insects that sugar water alone cannot replicate.

Look for robust perennials that are ready to bloom. Key hummer-friendly options include salvia, fuchsia, bee balm, cardinal flowers, penstemon, honeysuckle, and trumpet vine. Group these summer flowers in clusters of 3-5 plants. Grab pre-started Jacob Cline Bee Balm Plants from Nature Hills for a burst of high-nectar blooms that Ruby-throats adore. You can also buy Hirt’s Gardens Trumpet Vine Plants from Walmart to keep hummers topped up on good vibrations through to early fall.

Use a mix of plants that bloom early and later to provide continuous food sources, and plant a mix of varying heights. If you have limited space, containers of these blooms can still be highly effective. These species thrive in zones 4-9 as long as you give them at least 6 hours of sunshine daily to maximize nectar production.

4. Create Safe, Shady Perches

We are so used to seeing hummingbirds suspended in mid-air that it is easy to forget that they do need to stop and rest. They will often need to perch on branches or other landing spots to conserve energy and digest food. However, perching out in the open in June heat leaves them vulnerable to heat stress and predators. They need shady perches, ideally near food sources, so they can eat, rest, and repeat.

Place feeders near trees and shrubs, so the birds can perch on small branches within sight of food sources. Make sure you see a few fine twig-width stems. Place perches deep within the protective foliage of a deciduous shrub like a dogwood or viburnum to shelter birds from predatory wind and sun. Grow vining plants over trellises where birds can perch under the leaves. Perches should be between 5 and 15 feet (1.5-4.5m) from food sources.

Make sure any perch is thin enough for little bird feet, about the width of a wire hanger. Our team loves the Copper Heart Hummingbird Perch from Uncommon Goods. There are also some lovely copper swings such as the Pop’s Birding Hummingbird Swing available on Amazon, which you can place above or alongside your primary feeder. This gives females and shy fledglings a hidden, shaded vantage point while they wait for a safe moment to dart in and drink.

5. Provide Protein for Fledglings

While pure sugar water provides the raw fuel required for hummingbird flight, they need protein to survive, grow and repair muscle. This need skyrockets in June, as newly hatched fledglings leave the nest. A rapidly growing chick relies entirely on a diet of soft-bodied insects, and an adult mother bird will spend hours hawking for fruit flies, gnats, mosquitoes, and spiders to feed her brood.

You can make this job easier and more efficient for your hummingbirds by putting out a fruit fly trap or protein buffet in a quiet corner of the yard. Fruit flies are the ideal size for little hummers. Put some overripe banana peels, melon rinds, apple cores or other fruit scraps in a shallow, open-air hanging dish. Within a day, the fermenting sugar will attract a cloud of tiny fruit flies, providing an easy hunting source for adult hummers.

To keep the setup sanitary, place this dish away from your patios, and replace the scraps every few days. Allow small areas of your lawn to grow wild and native, as these undisturbed spaces are natural breeding grounds for gnats. You can buy Autumn Brilliant Serviceberry Plants from Fast Growing Trees. Its summer fruit naturally attracts soft insects while providing excellent nesting structure.

6. Clean Nectar Feeders Regularly

As temperatures heat up in June, nectar in feeders can go bad quickly. Keeping feeders clean is one of the most important tasks of the summer to help your hummingbirds stay healthy. Sugar water is an ideal breeding ground for black mold, wild yeasts, and deadly bacteria. Pathogens can be dangerous, even fatal, to little birds. Replace nectar and clean feeders at least every two days in hot weather.

Keep a rotating stock of spare feeders on hand, so you can easily swap out dirty units for fresh ones instantly. When cleaning, empty any remaining sugar water and scrub the internal chambers using hot water and a dedicated bottle brush. For a safe, deep sanitize, use a simple solution of 1 part white vinegar to 4 parts water. Thoroughly rinse with cold water to ensure no vinegar scent remains behind.

If you’re looking for good brushes to keep your stations pristine, the Perthlin Store Hummingbird Brush Set available from Amazon features ultra-slim micro-brushes designed to reach into tiny feeding ports. If you are making homemade nectar, use a strict ratio of 1 part plain white granulated sugar to 4 parts clean water, and never add red dye. Don't use raw cane sugar, honey, brown sugar, or artificial sweeteners.

7. Add Red Accents to Guide Visitors

As you probably know, hummingbirds are most attracted to the color red, as it signals a food source (like trumpet creepers and columbines). This is why hummingbird feeders are usually red. Adding bright, eye-catching red accents to your yard will act like a billboard for hungry beaks, guiding passing migrants and inquisitive fledglings straight to your backyard.

You can easily leverage this natural instinct without using harmful artificial dyes in food (which you definitely shouldn’t do!). In addition to red feeders and red flowers, you can add red hanging baskets, red garden art like globes, red flags, and red ribbons tied to garden furniture, to signal your yard is a friendly place for hummingbirds. Add red cushions to your patio space, hang crimson ribbons from trellises, or position red glazed planters near your primary feeders.

You can get pretty suncatchers, wind chimes and garden mobiles with red accents to attract hummers. Try the KingDuhu Hummingbird Suncatcher with Red Wings from Amazon (just don’t hang it too close to a window). This is a lovely way to help create a hotspot for little hummers. Tackle these tips this weekend, and before you know it, you’ll have an abundance of beautiful birds.

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June is when the yard suddenly fills with the joyful, chaotic sound of baby birds; half-feathered, clumsy, and utterly clueless, hopping along garden gates and begging relentlessly from worn-out parents. These first weeks out of the nest can be the most dangerous they’ll face. And here’s the secret that catches many backyard birders off guard: what to feed a fledgling bird almost never means seed mixes.

During early summer, nearly every songbird species rears its young on live insects, favoring protein-rich caterpillars above all. A single pair of Carolina chickadees might need between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars to fledge one brood. That’s a staggering number of bugs, and traditional feeders barely scratch the surface of a growing fledgling's daily caloric demands. So what to feed a fledgling bird comes down to smart growing strategies. While supplemental feeding always has its place, essential bird food options are often tied directly to your garden habitat during summer.

Key flowers and native plants are major sources of nourishment for fledglings. They act as hosts to caterpillars, invite beneficial predatory insects and yield early-summer berries for vulnerable birds. Stack the plantings by height, and you ensure something stays on the menu at every level, from the canopy right down to the leaf litter. Making small, thoughtful planting adjustments is a win-win for hungry young birds as well as your personal tastes. Try these plant combinations, and you’ll be rewarded with a new generation of feathered friends to fill your summer with song.

Plant Combinations for Baby Birds

Think of each of these curated plant combinations as an exquisite, three-course meal for your baby birds and fledglings, meticulously pitched at varying heights to cover different food groups at once. One layer pulls in dynamic insects. Another keeps nectar-seekers happy, while a third holds hard seeds and rich berries for later in summer. Really, knowing what to feed a fledgling comes down to planting the right company rather than topping up a tray all the time.

Pick even one of these planting companion trios this June, and your yard starts doing the work on its own. Of course, these combinations are adaptable, depending on your growing zone and yard size. The core objective is simply to minimize your feathered forager’s energy spend – and once they know that the good stuff is readily available in your yard, you can just sit back and enjoy the show. If you’re in need of a cheep and cheerful way to watch them from indoors, Vulness Compact Bird Watching Binoculars from Amazon lets you enjoy the action from a distance.

June is your prime window to establish these plant trios, allowing their root systems to develop at pace, while foliage flourishes and serves as a hunting ground. No matter your zone or yard size, these low-maintenance knockout natives and high-reward planting combinations create a secure, sustaining and vibrant source of fledgling bird food right outside your window. Birds are creatures of habit, so once you establish a one-stop-shop that offers safety from predators and easy-to-digest food, you’ll see an immediate increase in activity and diversity.

1. Serviceberry, Elderberry & Wild Strawberry

Serviceberry (Amelanchier) goes by the name Juneberry for good reason. It yields masses of succulent fruit earlier than almost any other native woody plant, dropping its bounty in the thick of fledgling season. These sweet purple pomes are highly compelling. American robins and sleek cedar waxwings arrive in droves, and you’ll also see gray catbirds, wood thrushes and Baltimore orioles stripping branches.

At ground level, native wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana) fruit across the same summer window, providing easy foraging for ground-dwelling fledglings learning the ropes. American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) runs on a slower clock. Its broad, flat flower heads open through June, pulling in bees and beetles to feed insect-eating birds. The berries mature in late summer, offering a vital lifeline just as many bird species begin rearing a second brood.

Plant them in a sunny to partly shaded location with well-draining, acidic to neutral soil (zones 3-9). Avoid planting elderberries in high-traffic footpaths, as their sprawling nature requires room to stretch. Applying a 2-inch (5cm) layer of organic hardwood mulch in June keeps soil moisture stable and encourages sweet fruit production. You can buy Autumn Brilliant Serviceberries from Fast Growing Trees for an abundant summer crop and refreshing cover, and Proven Winners Black Lace Elderberry from Nature Hills for that high-impact flurry of bugs and berries.

2. Trumpet Vine, Bee Balm & Salvia

A nectar garden often looks like it feeds hummingbirds liquid sugar and nothing else. Adult hummers do run on nectar, and a stand of trumpet vine (Campsis radicans), bee balm (Monarda didyma), and perennial salvia helps them to stay energized, but their nestlings require protein. A mother hauls in thousands of gnats, mosquitoes, and soft-bodied spiders. These flowers concentrate these insects into one zone.

Bee balm pulls double duty: beyond the nectar reserves, its aromatic foliage serves as a vital host plant for several native moth caterpillars. Prioritize a location featuring full, blazing sun and rich, moist soil (zones 4-9). Trumpet vine comes with a warning, though. It climbs hard and spreads harder, and it’ll want a sturdy support plus room to misbehave before it swallows a fence.

For the bee balm and salvia, deadhead the first spent blooms in late June to spark a secondary wave of bug-attracting flowers that will carry your local birds safely through August. You can buy American Beauties’ Jacob Cline Bee Balm from Nature Hills. And you can buy Hirt’s Gardens Trumpet Vine Plants from Walmart, guaranteed to anchor nesting hummingbirds to your yard for the summer.

3. Sunflowers, Cosmos & Zinnias

Most baby birds can’t handle seed, but there’s one cheerful exception, and this trio is it. All summer, sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), cosmos and zinnias hum with pollinators and caterpillars that chew their foliage, an insect buffet for nesting songbirds. Then, as summer matures, comes the seed. American goldfinches are some of the latest seasonal nesters, holding off until midsummer for a reason: they raise their chicks on a protein-rich seed mash harvested from plants like these.

So whatever you do, don’t deadhead or tidy up your spent flower heads as summer begins to wane. Leaving these stalks standing tall transforms a row of sunflowers into a bustling goldfinch nursery come August, while native sparrows, indigo buntings, and house finches will eagerly work the drying seed heads well into fall.

This trio thrives in a sun-baked garden bed with well-draining soil (zones 2-11). June is the perfect time to direct-sow these seeds or plant nursery starts, as the warm soil triggers rapid growth. Select multi-branching sunflower varieties like Autumn Beauty, which produce dozens of seed heads that juvenile finches can easily grip. You can buy popular Sensation Mix Cosmos Seeds from Eden Brothers, and Autumn Beauty Sunflower Seeds from Burpee to cultivate those delectable seedheads.

4. Dogwood, Highbush Blueberry & Native Ferns

Native flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is one of the better caterpillar producers around. It’s a big host plant for spring azure butterflies and giant silk moths. It’s these soft-bodied larvae that provide easily digestible, nutrient-dense goodness for nestlings.The berries are a fall event, feeding migrating thrushes and bluebirds.

Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) contributes its own native caterpillars, alongside early-summer fruits that you and your juvenile birds will compete for. Ferns such as the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) don’t fit the pattern at first glance, but their work happens at ground level. A stand of ferns creates a cool, damp microclimate that sustains spiders, beetles, and cutworms. On bare ground, a couple of bags of LeafGro Leaf Compost from Home Depot jump-start this layer.

This structural trio thrives in partial shade, favoring rich, organic soils (zones 4-8). You can buy Ostrich Ferns from Walmart, so young fledglings can safely practice foraging for beetles and ground spiders. Alongside this, you can buy Blue Jay Highbush Blueberry Plants from Nature Hills for that tasty bug and berry combo.

5. Wild Rose, Blackberry Brambles & Purple Coneflower

Native wild roses (Rosa carolina) and blackberry brambles (rubus) grow into a thorny, tangled thicket, and that’s exactly the point. Almost nothing pushes through. This makes them about the safest nesting cover a clumsy fledgling could hope for. Cardinals settle deep inside, along with catbirds, thrashers and song sparrows. The food side holds up too. June blossoms attract a wealth of native pollinators, while juicy berries provide a continuous sugar rush.

Occupying the sunny perimeter, purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) gracefully bridges the seasonal gaps. Its prominent center cones are landing pads for bumblebees and butterflies in June, eventually drying into seed-stuffed goodies that finches will pick clean by late summer. The thorns are the real gift. They give the smallest birds a fighting chance while feeding on the collective treats.

Plant in an open, sunny border with well-draining soil (zones 3-9). Prune brambles selectively only after fruiting, ensuring you do not disturb any nests. Let it flourish along property lines, creating an invaluable fortress of food. Buy Purple Coneflower Seeds from Eden Brothers for the ultimate native snacking. You can also buy Apache Blackberry Plants from Amazon for a dense, berry-rich summer thicket.

6. Spicebush, Coral Bells & Foamflower

Shade doesn’t have to be a dead zone for birds. The workhorse is native spicebush (Lindera benzoin), the main host for the spicebush swallowtail and other native moths. Its aromatic foliage will attract caterpillars through the season, and the glossy red berries in late summer are a gorgeous draw for thrushes, vireos and catbirds.

Around it, coral bells (heuchera) send up airy spikes that shade-dwelling hummers work for nectar hits. Meanwhile, foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) carpets the ground, its frothy blooms opening early to sustain vital pollinators. Using a north-facing wall, a shadowed side-yard alley, or a dense tree canopy can end up doing just as much for your local birds as any sunny flower bed.

This trio requires moist, rich soil in partial shade (zones 4-9). Apply a generous layer of decomposed leaf mold or shredded bark mulch around the spicebush. You can buy a phenomenal range of Coral Bells from Nature Hills to bring vital nectar and small insects to shaded spaces. Plus, you can buy a Greenwood Nursery Spicebush from Amazon, the definitive shade-loving host plant for swallowtail caterpillars.

Make a Start This Season

Nurturing a thriving sanctuary for summer fledglings does not require a big overhaul. One serviceberry by the patio, a patch of bee balm along a fence or a few ferns tucked into a shady corner will help both birds raising families and the fledglings making their first forays into foraging. Buy The Harvest Company’s Compressed Coir Bricks from Lowe’s for a compressed soil amendment to retain moisture around your baby bird-friendly plants. Mother nature handles the tricky timings; your primary task is to get these living resources into the soil.

Along with food, give a little thought to water, shelter, and safety. Because baby birds cannot fly well, they can’t easily reach elevated bird baths, leaving them vulnerable to ground predators. Add an extra water dish that you can keep near ground level. Make this wide and shallow, filling it no deeper than 1-1.5 inches (2.5-4cm) so fledglings can drink and bathe safely. You can buy the lovely Bakayoyo Ceramic Shallow Ground Bird Bath from Amazon. Add a flat stone to the base so they don't slip.

You can give this bathing spot extra curiosity and fascination for young birds with a water agitator, wiggler, or solar pump. You can buy the Mademax Solar Bird Bath Pump from Amazon to add instant movement and enjoyment to your bird bath. The continuous ripples catch the light and emit a unique sound signature, while also preventing mosquitoes from laying eggs – adding to the allure and security of your bird-friendly yard.

Other Essentials for Baby Birds

Crafting a vibrant, safe haven for young birdies comes down to a thoughtful blend of natural goodies and some well-selected supporting treats. Once you’ve got your plants and flowers off and running, these little extras will ensure that your yard is optimized for a broad range of young feathered guests, including juvenile hummers – and best of all, they are great for budget-friendly yards. Grab this trio of baby bird extras to keep your backyard busy and thriving with birdsong all summer long.

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The warm weather and soft breezes lure us outside in the early summer and beg us to take advantage of our patios, porches and outdoor living spaces. But things take a frustrating turn when you see that your friendly local birds have left some not-so-friendly marks on your patio furniture.

Attracting birds to your backyard is a wonderful way to support wildlife and add beautiful birdsong to your environment, but finding bird doo on your patio or porch is less than ideal. Of course, you could cover your porch furniture (Amazon has a surprisingly good selection of covers!), but there are a few easy steps you can take to protect your patio from bird droppings in the first place.

Let’s explore five ways to bird poop-proof your patio so you can enjoy the season without having to clean up bird poop.

1. Sparkle and Startle

Birds are flighty little creatures (pun intended) and are easily startled by moving objects. Add a little sparkle and they really take off. You can use DIY methods like hanging old CDs or strips of aluminum foil around your patio that will spin in the breeze and flash startling reflections. There are also reflective mylar ribbons, available from Amazon, that will startle birds away from your porch or any vulnerable parts of the garden.

2. Predator Decoys

Decoy predators are another bird deterrent. A hand-painted fake owl with glass eyes, available from Amazon, will make birds think twice about coming near your patio. Owl decoys work best for bird and pest deterrence when they are moved around every couple of days. If the decoy is stationary, the birds won’t be fooled and will carry on as normal.

3. Trim Limbs

Another easy way to keep birds and their poop off of your patio and outdoor furniture is to trim back any overhanging tree limbs around the area. A stray branch provides a perfect perch for our feathered friends to sit on and poo from. Even a brief visit to the branch can result in messy splatter on the deck below. June is a great time to prune trees and shrubs that have already bloomed so it is a win-win! Our editors love Fiskars 28” loppers lower pruning jobs and Fiskars extendable tree pruners and pole saw for the hard-to-reach limbs (both are available on Amazon).

4. Relocate Feeders and Baths

In addition to the finding the perfect perch, birds might be gathering around your porch because of feeders or bird baths nearby. Creating a bird sanctuary in your backyard with bird feeders and bird baths is great, but you may want to consider relocating these elements. Find a location in your yard for the bird bath and feeders that is away from where you and your family gather outdoors. A simple move can make a massive difference. However, you should relocate them thoughtfully to avoid any bird bath placement mistakes like moving them into full sun or too close to dense shrubs.

5. Move Fruiting Shrubs

If you have tried all the other ways to keep birds from pooping on your patio and they are still going at it, it might be time to make some landscaping changes. Planting berry-producing shrubs helps give backyard birds a wonderful feast, but it might also be making your patio messy. We’ve all seen it; berry-filled bird poo is not only gross but it stains everything it touches. Transplanting that wonderful serviceberry away from the patio should help reduce the amount of droppings you’re cleaning up. Just be sure to water your transplanted shrub or tree regularly and apply mulch to help retain moisture and reduce transplant shock.

A few simple changes like trimming your trees, relocating the bird feeder, and placing reflective ribbons around your patio will help to stop birds from pooping on your patio. I hope you have a bird poop-free summer!

I've always been fascinated by birds of prey. Whether it's the silent flight of an owl, the astonishing speed of a falcon, or the commanding presence of an eagle soaring overhead, there's something undeniably captivating about them.

Unlike many birds, raptors seem to carry an air of mystery and confidence. They're hunters, problem-solvers, and survivors, each perfectly adapted to thrive in their environment. Little wonder, then, that watching one in the wild always feels like a special occasion.

With that in mind, then, what if every month had its own bird of prey? What might it reveal about the people born under its wings?

All 12 Birth Month Birds Of Prey

Now, we’re already familiar with the idea of a birth month bird, birth month animal, and birth month bug (yes, bug!), but how might the unique traits that make each raptor so remarkable play into our personalities?

Some birds of prey are known for their patience, others for their speed, intelligence, resilience, or leadership. And while you may not have talons or a six-foot wingspan, you might be surprised how closely some of these feathered personalities match your own.

So, which bird of prey belongs to your birth month? Grab yourself a motion-activated wildlife camera with night vision, like the GardePro on Amazon, then, and let's find out what's going on.

January – Great Horned Owl

If you're born in January, your bird of prey is the Great Horned Owl – one of North America's most adaptable and formidable hunters.

People associated with this owl are often seen as resilient, independent, and wise beyond their years. Like the Great Horned Owl, you tend to remain calm when others are flustered, preferring to observe a situation carefully before making your move. While you may not always be the loudest person in the room, your quiet confidence means people naturally look to you for guidance.

Great Horned Owls can thrive in everything from deserts to forests, and January-born personalities often share that adaptability. You have a knack for finding your footing wherever life takes you and rarely let setbacks keep you down for long.

At your best, you're thoughtful, dependable, and fiercely protective of the people you love. What better reason, then, to buy yourself an Owl House from Amazon?

February – Snowy Owl

February belongs to the Snowy Owl, a bird famous for its striking appearance and cool-headed nature. If this is your birth month bird of prey, you're likely someone who values independence and isn't afraid to follow your own path.

Snowy Owls thrive in some of the harshest environments on Earth, and people associated with them often possess a similar inner strength. As such, you tend to be observant and intuitive, noticing details others miss. While some people rush headlong into decisions, you? Well, you prefer to take your time, quietly assessing situations before acting.

Like the Snowy Owl's brilliant white plumage, there's often a calm, composed quality about you that others find reassuring. Beneath that peaceful exterior, however, lies remarkable determination. You're proof that strength doesn't always have to be loud, basically.

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March – American Kestrel

The American Kestrel is the smallest falcon in North America, but don't let its size fool you. People born in March often share this bird's energetic, curious, and adaptable nature. Which means, yes, you're the sort of person who enjoys learning new things, exploring fresh ideas, and embracing opportunities that come your way.

Kestrels are known for their agility and quick thinking, and March personalities often excel at finding creative solutions to unexpected challenges. You don't tend to dwell on setbacks for long, preferring to focus on what comes next.

Your enthusiasm can be infectious, inspiring others to see possibilities where they once saw obstacles. Life rarely feels dull when an American Kestrel personality is around.

April – Osprey

If you're born in April, your birth month bird of prey is the Osprey – a master fisher renowned for its determination. April personalities are often adventurous, resourceful, and highly focused. Once you've set your sights on a goal, you're not easily distracted.

Like an Osprey scanning the water from high above, you have a knack for spotting opportunities others overlook. You're willing to put in the work necessary to achieve what you want and rarely expect success to come easily.

At the same time, Ospreys are remarkably adaptable birds, thriving in coastal areas, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. People born under this bird often possess a similar ability to adjust and flourish in changing circumstances, and you combine ambition with practicality, making you someone others trust when challenges arise.

May – Barn Owl

May belongs to the Barn Owl, one of the most graceful and enchanting birds of prey (not least of all because it will forever be synonymous with David Bowie in Labyrinth).

If this is your birth month bird, you're likely compassionate, thoughtful, and deeply intuitive. Barn Owls are famous for their silent flight, and people associated with them often possess a quiet strength that doesn't demand attention but is impossible to ignore. Because, much like the Barn Owl gliding effortlessly through the darkness, you often navigate life's challenges with calm and grace.

You tend to listen more than you speak, preferring meaningful conversations over small talk. Friends and family often turn to you for advice because you have a gift for understanding situations from multiple perspectives. And your empathy? That is one of your greatest strengths.

June – Red-tailed Hawk

The Red-tailed Hawk is confident, focused, and endlessly determined – making it a fitting birth month bird of prey for June, as people born in this month often know exactly what they want and aren't afraid to work hard to achieve it. You have a natural sense of direction and a strong ability to stay focused on long-term goals.

Red-tailed Hawks spend much of their time soaring high above the landscape, and June personalities often share that big-picture perspective. You're able to step back, assess a situation, and identify the most effective path forward.

When challenges appear, you're not the type to panic. Instead, you rise above them, keeping your eye firmly on the horizon... just like this truly beautiful bird of prey.

July – Bald Eagle

If you're born in July, your birth month bird of prey is the Bald Eagle – a symbol of courage, strength, and leadership. As such, July personalities often possess a magnetic presence. You're confident without being arrogant and naturally inspire others through your actions rather than your words.

Like an eagle soaring high above the landscape, you prefer to see the bigger picture. You have a strong sense of purpose and aren't easily swayed by short-term distractions. Even when faced with obstacles, you rarely lose sight of your goals.

At your best, you're bold, generous, and capable of achieving extraordinary things. And at your worst? Still one of the most mesmerising creatures to ever take to the skies, quite frankly.

Want to welcome more birds of prey to your yard? Keep the area as natural and inviting as possible, then, with plants like these:

August – Peregrine Falcon

August belongs to the Peregrine Falcon. If this is your birth month bird of prey, chances are you're driven, ambitious, and always ready for the next challenge. You thrive on momentum and often have more projects, plans, and ideas than you know what to do with.

Peregrines are renowned for their speed and precision, so yes, you had best believe that August personalities often share those traits. You're quick to make decisions and rarely hesitate when an opportunity presents itself. And, while your energy can sometimes feel relentless, it also allows you to accomplish remarkable things.

You're a natural achiever, basically. One who prefers action over procrastination.

September – Cooper's Hawk

September's bird of prey is the Cooper's Hawk, a clever and highly adaptable hunter.

People born in September are often strategic thinkers. Rather than charging ahead blindly, you prefer to analyze situations carefully before making your move. And, much like the Cooper's Hawk weaving expertly through trees, you have a talent for navigating complex circumstances and finding creative solutions to problems.

You're observant, perceptive, and rarely miss important details. Friends often describe you as dependable because you have a habit of thinking three steps ahead. No wonder, then, that your greatest strength lies in your ability to remain flexible while keeping your ultimate goal firmly in sight.

October – Barred Owl

October is the spookiest of all the months, so it makes perfect sense that it belongs to the Barred Owl, a bird surrounded by mystery and folklore.

If you're born this month, you're likely imaginative, intuitive, and endlessly curious. You enjoy exploring ideas, asking questions, and looking beyond the obvious. After all, Barred Owls are known for their distinctive calls and nocturnal habits, and people associated with them often possess a rich inner world that others find fascinating.

Much like your birth month bird of prey, you value creativity and authenticity, preferring meaningful experiences over superficial trends. No wonder, then, that people describe you as being insightful, thoughtful, and wonderfully original... and wonderfully intense.

November – Golden Eagle

November's birth month bird of prey is the Golden Eagle – a powerful, independent, and fiercely resilient creature. People born under this bird often possess remarkable inner strength. You're capable of handling challenges that might overwhelm others and rarely back down when something truly matters.

Golden Eagles are known for their confidence and self-reliance, qualities that November personalities often share. You prefer forging your own path rather than following the crowd.

While you may appear tough on the outside, those closest to you know you possess a deeply loyal and protective nature. And you are, without a shadow of a doubt, the kind of person who can weather any storm and emerge stronger on the other side. Be srue to keep your eyes peeled for one with a pair of TSO Polar HD 10x50 Binoculars from Amazon.

December – Northern Harrier

Last but not least, December belongs to the Northern Harrier, a patient and highly observant hunter. If this is your birth month bird of prey, you're thoughtful, determined, and often underestimated. Like the Northern Harrier gliding low over fields in search of opportunity, you excel at noticing things others overlook.

You tend to approach life with patience rather than urgency, trusting that good things come to those who are willing to wait for the right moment. And that calm demeanor of yours? Well, it might make you seem reserved at first, but it belies a sharp mind and quiet determination.

When others rush, you remain steady – and more often than not, that proves to be your greatest advantage!

Whether you’re born under an introspective owl or soaring eagle, lean hard into how your birth month bird of prey connects your personality with nature. Take care to provide fresh water, leave leaf litter where possible, and plant native shrubs and perennials to keep a thriving ecosystem in your backyard.

After all, it is incredibly easy to find meaning in nature. It is harder, though, to follow this through with an attempt to make a meaningful impact on the world around you. Good luck!

A single water source can change the character of a garden more than almost any planting decision. And, if you want to get birds flocking to your garden, a good bird bath is absolutely the answer.

Garden birds need water year-round – for drinking, bathing, and feather maintenance – and in summer, when natural sources dry up and temperatures climb, a reliable shallow pool in a safe spot becomes a hotspot... and not just with birds. All of our beneficial garden friends; pollinators, frogs, and other beneficial garden friends (the ones that rarely get credit for the work they do) will find and use a bird bath if it's accessible enough.

The basics of attracting birds to a water source come down to three things: shallow edges so small birds can wade in without going under, moving water if possible because birds locate it by sound, and placement away from spots where a cat could creep up on them. Get those right? Well, then the bird bath does the rest!

Honestly, a good wildlife gardening setup doesn't need to be elaborate to work; water is often the single most effective addition, especially as summers are running hotter, and shallow standing water is disappearing from gardens and hedgerows faster than it used to. All the more reason, then, to find a bird bath that fits your yard.

The 7 Best Bird Baths

Some people stumble into the world of bird watching; they look up their birth month bird, find out it's a goldfinch or a bluebird, and suddenly that species has their full attention. A bird bath, though? That is often what turns casual interest into a daily ritual.

Yes, there is a little bit of maintenance involved, but bird bath cleaning can be simple, and there are some hacks out there to help: rinse and refill regularly, scrub weekly, and avoid anything chemical that leaves residue. Beyond that? Well, the choice of bath is mostly about the garden and the gardener.

These seven bird baths span styles, materials, and situations. Some are for full-sized gardens, a couple work well on balconies or small patios, and all of them are available online right now.

1. VIVOHOME Solar Pedestal Bird Bath with Reservoir

This VIVOHOME solar pedestal bird bath from Amazon solves a specific problem (solar baths that stop running on cloudy days) with a built-in battery and pedestal reservoir that runs the fountain 5 to 6 hours on a full charge.

The 20-inch (51cm) bowl sits at 2.6 inches (6.6cm) deep, wide and shallow enough for a broad range of bird sizes.

Three interchangeable nozzles adjust the spray to something birds land near rather than flee from. UV-resistant ABS, no extension cord required.

It's a solid all-around option for a garden, essentially. One that gets decent sun and wants moving water.

2. MUMTOP Mosaic Hanging Glass Bird Bath

For a small space – a courtyard, a balcony, a branch near a window – this MUMTOP mosaic glass hanging bird bath from Amazon is a different kind of option.

The 12-inch (30cm) handcrafted glass bowl catches light well and gets noticed: birds locate water partly by sight, and something this colorful helps. The shallow slope suits smaller garden birds like finches and sparrows.

Hanging placement naturally reduces predator access. It is, though, always worth checking that the hanging point is sheltered from wind; a glass bowl swinging in a gust empties fast.

3. Sunnydaze Façade du Soleil GFRC Pedestal Bird Bath

Glass fiber reinforced concrete looks like real stone but weighs significantly less, which is useful for anyone who's tried repositioning a traditional concrete bath mid-season.

This Sunnydaze GFRC pedestal bird bath from Walmart has a 21-inch (53cm) bowl, 2 inches (5cm) deep, with a protective sealant that handles weather without the cracking that traditional concrete develops.

At 26 inches (66cm) tall it's high enough to discourage ground predators while staying accessible for smaller birds. Plus, the blue-grey finish reads as natural stone from a distance.

4. Monarch Abode Pure Copper Deck-Mounted Bird Bath

Deck and balcony gardeners without ground space have fewer options, and most deck-mounted designs compromise on the bowl.

This Monarch Abode copper deck-mounted bird bath from Home Depot uses a hand-hammered pure copper bowl that develops natural patina over time. Genuinely antimicrobial, this slows algae growth between cleanings.

The adjustable steel clamp fits railings up to 1.75 inches (4.4cm) thick. Copper bird baths aren't completely maintenance-free, but they're noticeably less work than plastic or resin equivalents in warm weather.

5. VINGLI Antique Copper Solar Fountain Pedestal Bird Bath

A solar fountain built into the pedestal solves the moving-water problem without separate pumps or cables. This VINGLI antique copper solar fountain bird bath from Home Depot uses high-grade resin in an antique bronzed finish that holds through frost and UV.

At 28 inches (71cm) tall, the bowl sits well above ground-predator reach. The fountain runs when sun hits it, moving water during the hours birds are most active. It is best placed, then, where it gets direct light from mid-morning onward.

6. Best Choice Products Solar Pedestal Bird Bath with Planter Base

The hollow column on this Best Choice Products solar pedestal bird bath from Walmart can be filled with sand or gravel for ballast, which keeps a lightweight resin bath stable in wind without permanent anchoring.

The 20-inch (51cm) bowl holds 0.8 gallons; the pedestal reaches 44 inches (112cm), well above ground predator reach.

Better still, a solar lantern in the base runs up to 8 hours, making the bath visible after dusk. And that weather-resistant polyresin? Yes, it handles year-round outdoor use.

7. VIVOHOME Deck-Mounted Solar Bird Bath

No garden, no ground, just a railing; this VIVOHOME deck-mounted solar bird bath from Amazon clamps directly to a fence, railing, or balcony edge and runs a solar fountain from the same basin. The 1.45-gallon capacity is generous for a rail-mount, and the solar pump needs no wiring.

For flat-dwellers or paved courtyards that still want moving water and a reliable stop for garden birds, this covers the brief without permanent installation. Pair it with a nearby planter for perching cover, as birds use an exposed water source more readily when there's somewhere close to retreat to.

Even the smallest outdoor space can support birds and wildlife with nothing more than a clean, shallow water source in a safe spot.

A balcony railing bath, a hanging glass bowl, a small ground-level dish with a pebble in it? All of these work. Honestly, the gap between a garden that birds visit occasionally and one they use every day is often just consistent water.

Start there, and the rest of the wildlife garden tends to follow.

Bees are humming, butterflies and moths are fluttering, and hummingbirds are zipping. By June, pollinators are in full force and you can be ready for them by planting nutrient rich flowers, offering nesting options, providing water, and avoiding pesticides.

June is National Pollinators Month, so what better time to plant gardens full of brightly colored flowers to attract bees, butterflies, birds, and other pollinators. These pollinators are looking for nectar and pollen to feed themselves or their young but not any flower will do. Studies show that the more hybridized and fancy flowers, such as double-flowered plants, offer less nourishment.

We owe it to the pollinators to provide food for them, because if they did not pollinate the plants for us, particularly fruit, nuts, and vegetables, we would have a very limited food supply. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “75% of the world's flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops” are pollinated by animals such as bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, wasps, bats, and birds.

5 Ways to Support Bees and Other Pollinators in June

To make your yard more pollinator friendly this summer, here are five ways you can help the bees, butterflies, and other pollinators find food, shelter, and water.

1. Offer a Diversity of Nutrient Rich Flowers

Offer a variety of nectar and pollen rich flowers in different colors and different shapes and sizes to appeal to more pollinators. Purple, blue, yellow, white, pink, and orange are good color choices. Bees do not see red very well, so if you include red flowers, choose bi-colors or those with contrasting centers.

Some pollinators prefer flat top or daisy-like landing pads, whereas others prefer tube shapes. By including a diversity of flowers and shapes, you will attract a wider variety of pollinators. Nutrient-rich flowers include aster, catmint, bee balm, coreopsis, garden phlox, purple prairie clover, and yarrow. Shrubs such as butterfly bush and chaste tree bring the pollinators into your yard.

Also be sure the bloom times overlap to provide nourishment from spring to fall. And letting a few weeds go in the corner of the yard will keep pollinators happy. Perennial dandelion blooms prolifically in the spring, but also blooms off and on all summer. It spreads by seed, so remove the seed heads if you want to contain them to a small area. White and red clovers bloom most of the season and are valued by bees.

2. Include Native Plants

Be sure to include native plants in the landscape as they will serve other wildlife as well and are acclimated to your region’s climate. Many species of butterfly host plants the caterpillars need include native varieties. For example, you can include milkweed for monarchs, Dutchman’s pipe for pipevine swallowtails, and passion vine for fritillaries, to name a few.

Native plants are the best source for nectar and pollen because they have evolved with the pollinators to offer the nutrition they need at the right time. Native plants such as pale purple coneflower, bee balm, black-eyed Susan, liatris, goldenrod, golden alexanders, and heath aster are a few pollinator favorites.

3. Provide Shelter and Nesting Sites

You can help native bees find nesting places. About 70 percent are ground nesters so you can leave a bare spot of soil so they can dig in, preferably in a sunny area facing south. The females excavate tunnels and brood cells underground, then fill them with nectar and pollen.

The other 30 percent are wood and cavity nesters who build nests in old beetle tunnels in downed wood. You can help them by leaving logs or stumps on your property. You also can make bee nest blocks out of a block of untreated wood. Drill small holes close together in varying sizes. Or, collect a bundle of dead, hollow stems and tie them together. You can purchase a readymade pollinator hotel from GardenOutsideTheBox on Etsy.

Plants such as bee balm, milkweed, anise-hyssop, and Joe Pye weed have hollow stems. Place the nests in an area sheltered from weather and where they get morning sun.

4. Maintain Water Sources

Butterflies and bees need shallow sources for water. Butterflies sip nutrients from mud puddles along the sidewalk or from wet sandy spots in the ground. Referred to as “puddling” you can see them on a sunny day visiting wet spots. To mimic that in your yard, create a sandy area in the ground or in a shallow container and keep it moist.

Bees need a shallow container with “stepping stones” so they can sit while drinking - they can’t hover to drink. You can fill a small bird bath or plant saucer with clean pebbles and fill it with water to create a pollinator water station. Or, float some wood or cork in the water for them to cling to.

Bee Cups are another alternative that only hold a teaspoon of water and are textured so the bees can sip without falling in. Bee Cups are handmade and use a bee-attracting ultraviolet glaze to vector them in. You can find Bee Cups bee watering stations on Amazon.

5. Avoid Pesticides

Pesticides will kill bees and other pollinators at every life stage. Even non-insecticides, such as herbicides and fungicides, can have a detrimental effect on pollinators. Organic pesticides also can kill the non-target pollinators. It is best to eliminate pesticides entirely, but if you must use them occasionally, choose the least toxic.

As part of integrated pest management, pesticides are only used as a last resort when the threat of insect damage is higher than the threat of using pesticides. And then, only spray pests in the evening after the bees have gone back to their nests. And never spray flowers.

There are few sights more magical than fireflies on a warm summer evening. Even now, they still feel slightly unreal to me; all of those tiny floating lanterns drifting through the dusk as though a handful of fairies have escaped into the garden? It makes me feel like I've tumbled into a wonderland of my very own, Alice-style.

As a gardener, I've spent years trying to make my outdoor space more welcoming to wildlife, from bees and butterflies to birds and bats. But if I'm honest, fireflies have always held a special place in my imagination. There's something wonderfully nostalgic about their soft golden glow, turning even the very dullest backyard into something that feels enchanted.

Of course, attracting fireflies isn't just about leaving the porch light off (although that certainly helps). No, these fascinating insects need food, shelter, moisture, and safe places to complete their life cycle. In other words, they need habitat. Is it any wonder, then, that fireflies love this native flower so much?

Fireflies Love This Native Flower

Whether they are your birth month bug or not, firefly larvae are beneficial predators, which means there are plenty of reasons to want these pretty little insects in your garden.

The easiest way to lure them in? Well, according to Firefly Conservation & Research, one native flower in particular can help create the kind of conditions that fireflies love.

Yes, I am absolutely talking about goldenrod. One of North America's most valuable native wildflowers, goldenrod (aka solidago) is a powerhouse plant for wildlife.

Despite its reputation for causing hay fever – a misconception that's actually caused by ragweed blooming at the same time , the bright yellow flowers provide nectar and pollen for a huge range of beneficial insects, helping to support the wider ecosystem that fireflies depend on. More importantly, goldenrod thrives in the naturalistic, slightly untidy habitats where fireflies feel most at home.

No wonder, then, that Firefly Conservation & Research lists goldenrod among the native plants that can help support firefly habitat, alongside asters, cardinal flower, and boneset. Rather than attracting fireflies directly in the way a flower might attract a bee, goldenrod helps create the healthy, biodiverse environment these insects need to survive.

The Best Flowers for Fireflies:

Beyond its wildlife credentials, goldenrod is simply a beautiful garden plant (and the birth month native plant for those of us born in November). Its tall stems and golden flower plumes bring movement and color to borders from late summer into fall, when many other flowers are beginning to fade.

Better still? Well, the blooms seem to catch the evening light, glowing softly as the sun drops lower in the sky, and they do so without demanding endless work from you. In fact, it's remarkably easy to grow, with most goldenrod varieties hardy across a wide range of USDA zones, able to tolerate drought once established, and returning year after year with very little fuss.

For gardeners hoping to support fireflies, remember this: there's no single plant that can guarantee a backyard full of flashing lights. By choosing native flowers like goldenrod and creating a more wildlife-friendly garden overall, though, you can give these magical insects a much better chance of sticking around.

And if you're lucky, you might find yourself watching their golden glow dance above your own golden flowers on a warm summer evening. Win win, right?

It happens to the best of us. You get a beautiful new bird feeder, you set it up, and you wait for the wildlife to start flocking. First you get a chickadee, maybe a cardinal. Things are going great. Then a squirrel shows up. Then so do his cousins. And boy oh boy can they eat.

Before you know it, you're flying through bird seed just to keep the local squirrel population fat and happy, and the birds you hoped to feed get shouldered out.

Not all "squirrel proof" bird feeders are created equal. Squirrels are clever, relentless, and surprisingly athletic. Read the reviews of literally any product, and you'll find at least one poor soul who says their squirrels outsmarted it in an afternoon.

But these are the squirrel proof bird feeders that'll give you the best chance, plus some added deterrents for good measure. Give them a try, and get back to attracting birds to your backyard.

The Heavy-Duty Ones

The Fun Ones

The Baffles

If you want a truly squirrel-proof feeder, you can't put it in a tree. They'll just climb or drop straight down to get it. The best place for a feeder is in the middle of an open space, on top of a long pole with a baffle. What's a baffle, you say?

The Bird Seed

June bird activity looks different from the nesting frenzy of spring. Fledglings are tumbling out of boxes and shrubs for the first time, parents are running themselves ragged keeping up with demand, and the summer heat is starting to put real pressure on natural supplies of water and food. A yard that worked well in spring may need a few tweaks to stay useful as we move into the hotter months.

Right now, your yard is likely filled with the charming, clumsy antics of adolescent birds learning how to navigate the world, alongside exhausted parent birds working double shifts to keep them fed. If you want to attract birds in June and ensure your backyard remains their favorite daily pitstop in summer, just a few conscious adjustments will help keep your feathered guests happy and healthy.

Knowing how to take care of birds in summer keeps your favorite regulars happy and also keeps the next generation of gorgeous species close. Fresh water, the right food, and a little cover all go a long way toward making your yard a reliable stop both for resident birds wrapping up the breeding season and migrants moving through. Let's dive into the simple gestures that will guarantee a front-row seat to the best backyard bird show of the season.

What Backyard Birds Need in June

As we lean into the heat of June, we need to make some seasonal adjustments to align with nature's rhythm. In many USDA zones and regions – from the humid southeast to the arid west – natural water sources are beginning to dwindle just as adolescent bird numbers peak. This creates a competitive environment for young avian families. By understanding the unique challenges your local birds face, you can tailor your yard setup easily, ensuring your space remains safe and productive.

The secret to successfully feeding birds in summer lies in understanding that quality beats quantity. Parent birds are expending massive amounts of energy protecting and nourishing their young, so they will abandon yards that require too much risk or effort. Simple adjustments, like repositioning your favorite feeders to catch the afternoon shade or adding a moving water feature, quickly improve the appeal of your yard. These small acts of hospitality act as a beacon for passing species, signaling that your yard is safe, cool, and abundant.

These summer strategies all fit seamlessly into your existing bird care rituals for the most effective, stress-free ways to support your feathered neighbors. So get ready to witness some truly spectacular wildlife interactions right outside your window. Here are the 7 essential bird care wins to implement this June.

1. Keep Water Fresh and Refill Daily

Access to pristine surface water is vital for survival once the heat settles in. A stagnant birdbath quickly turns into a warm haven for bacteria and mosquitoes, which smart birds like Eastern bluebirds and robins instinctively avoid. Rinsing and refilling daily is the single habit that makes the most difference to yard traffic in summer. Every few days, give the basin a quick scrub with a stiff brush to knock back algae without soap or residue. A simple solution of nine parts water to one part white vinegar to keep it perfectly sanitary and safe.

While a still pool of water will attract casual visitors, moving water is the real draw. Warblers and thrushes that might skip feeders entirely will stop for a drip or a ripple. They find water by sound as much as sight. A solar birdbath fountain, such as the Mademax Solar Bird Bath Fountain Upgrade from Amazon, can be dropped into an existing bath and runs without wiring. Introducing this simple moving water element will draw in shy, canopy-dwelling species and turn even a modest space into a genuine summer attraction (and a delightful splash zone).

2. Put Out High Protein Food for Fledglings

June is the peak of the fledgling season in the US. Young birds out of the nest have enormous energy demands and need massive amounts of protein to develop their feathers and muscles, and parents are foraging constantly to keep up with their young’s insatiable demands. Offering a dedicated source of mealworms (either live or dried) is one of the greatest gifts you can provide. Species like tufted titmice, robins, house wrens, and bluebirds will eagerly gather these protein-packed treats, especially if you place them in a shallow dish close to protective shrubbery.

While high-quality black-oil sunflower seeds are an excellent staple for finches and chickadees, pure protein is the ultimate nibble for successfully feeding birds in the summer. If you prefer the convenience of dried mealworms, give them a quick soak in warm water for 10-15 minutes first. This helps parent birds hydrate and makes the food easier for tiny bird throats to swallow. By establishing your yard as a reliable high-protein hotspot, parent birds will bring their fledglings directly to your garden for easy-to-watch feeding lessons. You can buy Kaytee Dried Mealworms from Walmart.

3. Offer Nesting Material for Late Breeders

While it is true that many backyard birds are wrapping up their initial nesting cycles in June, goldfinches are just getting started, and they're not alone. Several birds raise a second brood, which means nesting material is still worth putting out. Go for dry grass clippings, clean pet fur (not sprayed with chemicals), and natural fibers. Leave a loose pile somewhere accessible, or hang up a dedicated fluff feeder such as the Songbird Essentials Alpaca Nesting Heart from Amazon. Keep pieces under 4 inches (10cm), as longer strands can tangle around legs or nestlings.

A mesh suet cage also makes a decent holder, as the material stays visible and doesn't scatter. Pack your nesting material loosely into an empty wire suet cage hung near a fence line or dense shrubbery, allowing birds to pluck materials while remaining safe from predators. Never offer dryer lint to your backyard birds, though. While it may seem soft and convenient, this mats down into a soggy, brittle mess when exposed to rain, creating a damp, unstable nesting environment. Stick to raw, natural items to help nesting birds and give late-season families the best start.

4. Keep Feeders Clean in the Heat

Warm weather and full feeders stuffed with dense, oil-rich bird seeds can be a dodgy combination if left unmanaged. Seed sitting through a few hot June days can go rancid or grow mold. Birds will generally stop visiting, and if they do stick around, the mold can make them sick. Weekly cleaning matters more in summer than any other season. Take the time to completely empty your feeders, scrub them thoroughly with a solution of warm water and white vinegar, rinse them until pristine, and allow them to dry in the sun before refilling.

Where the feeder sits in June can matter just as much as what's in it. Full afternoon sun in summer is a different situation than the same spot in March, as seed can spoil faster. Shifting to afternoon shade slows spoilage considerably and encourages birds like grosbeaks and cardinals to linger longer. Dodge this feeding mistake with a quality tube feeder such as the Woodlink Seed Tube Bird Feeder from Home Depot, which has removable base ports, makes the weekly clean faster than fixed-bottom designs.

5. Let Some Areas Go a Little Wild

June is a time of mass insect abundance, which is fantastic news because most garden birds rely exclusively on soft-bodied insects and caterpillars to nourish their nestlings. But if your outdoor space is manicured to perfection or treated with broad-spectrum chemical sprays, it may have noticeably less insect activity than one with rougher edges. So, leave a small, hidden strip of lawn unmowed along a back fence line, or build a simple brush pile out of fallen twigs, to create an invaluable, insect-rich foraging space that birds will seek out.

Leaving a few native perennials to do what they want is also a great draw. If you have room for a few more natives, be sure to plant some native black-eyed Susan or coneflower seeds, such as Purple Coneflower Seeds from Eden Brothers. A yard with insect habitat draws birds that draw more birds. Insectivores like wrens and warblers that never visit feeders will work through a yard with good ground cover all day. By letting nature take the reins in a few select spots, you provide a diverse, self-sustaining food web that keeps your backyard highly competitive.

6. Check and Clean Nest Boxes

Once a successful brood fledges, their abandoned nest box requires quick human intervention before a new pair moves in. Old nesting material quickly becomes a breeding ground for parasitic mites, blowfly larvae, and lingering bacteria. Some species will flat-out refuse a box that hasn't been cleared, and those that do reuse it may lose chicks to what's left behind. Pop the box open, pull out the old nest, and wipe down the interior. This ensures the house is safe for secondary bird breeders.

If you have a nest box that has been hanging empty for more than one season without maintenance, June is the perfect time for a thorough deep-clean using warm water and a stiff scrub brush, avoiding any harsh chemical cleaners. If you don’t have a good stiff brush, you can buy the highly rated Songbird Essentials Bird Brush from Amazon. Once dried, mount the box back up immediately. When positioning your boxes, ensure the main entry hole faces away from the punishing afternoon sun to help with interior temperatures through the hot stretch ahead.

7. Reduce or Pause Pesticide Use

The same broadcast spray logic that applies to butterfly caterpillars applies here. Insects that look like pests may be exactly what a parent bird is hunting to feed chicks. June is when that trade-off matters most. A yard running low on insects is a yard that fledgling-season birds will skip or abandon quickly, regardless of how good the feeders are or how many premium seed blends you provide. So choosing to pause or heavily restrict chemical applications is a major win for local birdies.

When something genuinely needs treating, evening applications do far less harm than midday sprays. Bird foraging drops off, and by morning the treated area has had time to settle. Spot-treat rather than broadcast, and give the area a few days before birds work back through it. Giving nature just a week or two of grace during peak fledgling season allows your local birds to act as a highly effective organic pest control team, keeping your yard balanced, healthy, and filled with song.

Shop Bird Essentials

Ready to fine-tune your summer bird sanctuary? These curated backyard essentials are guaranteed to keep your local feathered friends happy, hydrated, and returning to your garden all summer long. Slide these key goodies into place as summer heats up, and they’ll maintain order, security, and sustenance for months. Grab this trio of sweet tweety treats so birds know your backyard is the place to be!

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Feeders work, but they’re not the only way—or sometimes not the best. These simple ideas give hummingbirds what a plastic bottle of sugar water can’t: food, shelter, nesting material, and reasons to stay.

Hummingbirds don’t need a feeder to show up. They need a yard that’s worth visiting. Nectar, water, cover, somewhere to perch. A feeder is a shortcut, and it works, but a yard built around what they actually look for can hold them longer than a sugar bottle does.

The strategies behind attracting hummingbirds is less about any single thing and more about layering the yard so there’s always something to come back for. The six ideas address that from a few different angles.

1. Plant Natives That Bloom in Sequence

A feeder runs out or gets forgotten. Native flowering plants don’t. What matters is the bloom sequence. This means staggering plants so nectar is available from the time hummingbirds arrive in spring through their fall departure, not just during one peak week in July. Trumpet vine, bee balm, salvia, and cardinal flower are reliable draws; the timing of what flowers when is more important than any single plant.

Tubular flowers are the shape hummingbirds are built for. Their bills and tongues adapted to reach nectar other pollinators can’t get to easily, which is part of why the relationship is so reliable. Red and orange pull them in first, but they learn a yard quickly and will visit other colors. Native availability varies a lot depending on region, so local native plant societies are a useful starting point for species selection.

2. Add a Flowering Vine to a Fence

Vertical space in most yards is either empty or given over to fencing. A vine trained up a trellis or arbor produces nectar without taking any ground space. Trumpet vine is the classic choice since it blooms heavily, but it spreads and needs serious support. Coral honeysuckle is a calmer option in most regions and still draws hummingbirds reliably.

For warmer climates, corkscrew vine is worth trying. The twisted purple flowers catch hummingbird attention fast, and it covers a trellis in a single season. Trumpet vine produces more nectar but it'll take over if you let it; the well-mannered options like coral honeysuckle and corkscrew vine do just as well without the cleanup. You can find corkscrew vine seeds from Park Seed.

3. Add a Water Source They Can Actually Use

Hummingbirds bathe and drink, but not from the deep basins that work for larger birds. They want something very shallow. A mister, a drip over a rough surface, or a birdbath where water moves in a thin layer near the edge. Moving water is more likely to pull them in than still water; a solar-powered fountain pump from Amazon added to an existing birdbath handles that cheaply. Near flowering plants works better than a water feature sitting alone across the yard.

A mister aimed at a leafy shrub is probably the simplest option of all. Hummingbirds fly through the mist and rub against wet leaves to bathe, and this seems to be what many of them actually prefer. Twenty minutes in the morning, when they’re most active, is enough to make the yard a regular stop.

4. Plant a Nesting Tree

Hummingbirds are choosy about nest sites. They want a downward-sloping branch, some canopy overhead, and proximity to food. The female doesn't leave the nest much while incubating. Oaks, maples, and alders are commonly used, though the branch structure matters more than the species.

Keeping mature trees rather than removing them is one of the more practical things a yard owner can do for hummingbird habitat. A large deciduous tree means nesting sites, perching spots, and insects. Hummingbirds eat a fair amount of small insects and spiders for protein, especially when raising young, and a feeder doesn’t cover that at all.

5. Leave Them Nesting Material

Hummingbird nests are built from plant fibers and held together with spider silk. This combination makes them elastic enough to expand as chicks grow. Providing the soft materials they look for is a low-effort way to make a yard more useful during nesting season. Plant fibers, small amounts of cotton, and dried moss are all things they’re picking up when you see them hovering near ground level.

A small mesh bag or open basket filled with natural fibers, left near flowering plants or a tree canopy, is all it takes. Avoid synthetic fibers or anything chemically treated which can harm nestlings. Dandelion fluff and cattail down are used naturally; a slightly less manicured corner of the yard gives hummingbirds something to work with without any effort on anyone’s part. You can even clean out the cat brush from your feline friend and leave the fur in the garden or purchase alpaca wool from Etsy to leave out.

6. Hang a Hummingbird Swing

Hummingbirds are territorial and spend more time perching than many may realize. They’ll perch for feeding bouts, watching for rivals, and reading the yard. A small swing like these from Amazon near flowering plants gives them exactly the kind of high, open spot they’re looking for. You can also make a DIY hummingbird swing from a few inches of wire bent into a small loop—they really don’t need much.

Position it somewhere open with a clear sightline. They won't use a perch they can't see from. About five to eight feet (1.5-2.4m) up works well, near flowering plants but not hidden by them. Once one bird starts using it, that's where the action in that corner of the yard will be.

A birdbath draws attention: it’s highly visible and easy for us to notice and appreciate, especially when our local birds cluster around it with exuberant splashes. Yet, water is only half the story when it comes to backyard bird bathing. Dust bathing is the quieter part of their wellness routine, and most backyard habitats skip it without realizing it. For many species, rolling in dry, loose earth is critical hygiene: it affects how their feathers stay functional, lightweight, and flight-ready.

So if you’re keen on attracting birds to your yard then you need to go beyond the decorative water bowl and include a bird dust bath, too. This is the time of year when many adult birds are nesting and fledglings are winging, so bird activity is likely more pronounced in your area. This creates that extra need for timely resources to help give birds a pick-me-up. From newborn fledglings learning to preen to busy parents keeping up appearances, bird dust bathing helps them stay in peak condition.

Popular songbirds like house sparrows, northern cardinals, and energetic wrens actively seek out dry earth. And it’s oh-so-simple to give them this dusty treat. A curated dust lounge can help you to elevate your garden from a pitstop into the avian destination. So if you want to see your local birdlife do a joyful, feather-ruffling dance in the dirt, this easy weekend project is a must. Here’s how to turn your backyard into a vibrant birdie disco with some well appointed dust.

Why Dust Baths Are Important

Feathers need quite a bit of upkeep to keep them looking and performing at their best. Birds naturally produce preen oil from a gland near their tail, which helps with waterproofing, conditioning, and keeping the intricate feather structure aligned. However, during humid spring months or heavy nesting periods, this oil builds up. Feathers start to clump, mat, and lose flexibility. This leads to degraded insulation and comfort, and reduced flight efficiency. Dust pulls that excess oil right out of the feather structure, much like dry shampoo works on human hair. It helps birds in spring, because it is absorbent, mechanical, and requires absolutely no water.

Parasites represent another big problem for spring birds. Mites, fleas, and lice live deep within the under-layers of feathers and in spring they are hard to manage by preening alone. These pests can multiply rapidly during breeding season, causing stress to nesting parents. Dusty particles work their way deep into feather shafts, disrupting the environment these parasites need to survive. Dust bathing birds carry fewer parasites over time, allowing them to focus on raising healthy clutches. A dust bath isn’t just about pampering. Without access to dry dirt, birds try to dust themselves in flowerpots or patches of parched lawn, often exposing themselves to predators. So a good bird dust bath helps them keep moving safely and happily – and is easy to sort out.

The Perfect Dust Bath Setup

Crafting your dust bath is about balancing material needs and location possibilities. In the wild, a bird has to search far and wide for the ideal micro-climate: a patch of earth that is perfectly dry, finely grained, and securely placed. Placing one in an open lawn would be a bath mistake, as your birds would feel far exposed to aerial predators and ignore it.

Furthermore, if the material you use is too coarse or rocky, it won't penetrate their downy feathers. Don’t worry, though, as these things are easy to get right, breaking the dusting area down into simple, everyday elements to create a secure, soothing environment. Here’s what works and why, and how to get yours sorted.

1. Dust Box Frame

The primary job of the frame is containment. Left to their own devices, enthusiastic dust-bathing sparrows, finches, or juncos will shimmy with such vigorous joy that your carefully sourced bath material will scatter into the lawn. A sturdy container keeps the fill from scattering or blowing away in spring breezes, and gives the birds a defined, comforting boundary.

Depth is key: aim for 3-4 inches (7–10cm) of loose material, so birds can submerge their bellies and fluff up to their wings. Pot or terracotta saucers can work, as long as they are sturdy and the correct depth. You can buy HC Companies 16-Inch Saucers from Amazon that are 3 inches (8cm) deep, sturdy, and charmingly rustic. A shallow, upcycled wooden fruit crate or a clean recycled tire work, too. Ensure your frame has ample weep holes. If rainwater pools inside, your dust bath might turn into mud.

2. Fine Sifted Sand

Sand is the structural base layer of your dust bath, making up roughly 40% to 50% of the total volume. It provides the grit that physically dislodges stubborn parasites from the quill bases, while moving smoothly through the feathers without packing down or caking under the bird's body heat.

Avoid coarse construction sand or sharp polymeric joint sand, which can have jagged edges that damage delicate feather shafts. Instead, look for fine-sifted play sand, like Quikrete Play Sand from Walmart. Play sand is pre-washed, screened and non-toxic, and has a soft, rounded particle size. Pour this into your container first to establish a solid foundation.

3. Dried Top Soil

While sand provides excellent mechanical cleaning power, birds actively crave the earthy, mineral-rich properties of real soil. In the wild, birds will bypass pure sand to roll in organic loam; there is a complex profile of trace minerals, clay elements, and natural deodorizers in genuine topsoil that birds instinctively seek out to balance their skin chemistry. You can buy Scotts Organic Topsoil from Amazon.

Moisture is the thing to watch. Topsoil straight from a commercial bag or dug up from a shaded garden bed during a wet spring often holds a lot of ambient humidity. So spread the topsoil thinly across a baking sheet and let it sit in the hot afternoon sun for a day, or bake it in a low oven at 200°F (93°C) for an hour. Once it is bone-dry and easily crumbles into a fine, smoky powder, mix it into your sand layer.

4. Wood Ash

Wood ash is an amazing super ingredient in a bird dust bath, mimicking some of the natural conditions birds seek out in the wild. Foraging birds will actively flock to recently burned forest fire sites or cold campfire rings to coat themselves in leftover ash. Wood ash possesses a naturally high alkaline pH, creating hostile conditions for mites and lice.

However, be selective: use only cold, fine ash harvested from untreated, unpainted hardwood logs. If you don’t have any wood ash to hand, you can buy KIH Organic Wood Ash from Walmart. Add a light, delicate layer scattered across your box and work gently into the sand-soil. Think of it as a supplement, not a base ingredient.

5. Diatomaceous Earth

A tiny sprinkle of food-grade diatomaceous earth provides an extra layer of organic parasite control. It feels like soft baby powder to us, but on a microscopic scale, these particles feature razor-sharp edges that pierce the protective wax coatings of insect and mite exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate without introducing toxic chemicals to your local wildlife.

All you need is a tiny, light dusting mixed deep into the sand. Because it is an ultra-fine powder, adding too much can turn the bath into a cloud of airborne dust that can act as a respiratory irritant. Make sure you get food-grade diatomaceous earth. Pool-grade or industrial filter types are structurally altered, highly toxic and inappropriate for wildlife use. You can buy food-grade Harris Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth with Powder Duster from Amazon.

Placement and Perimeter

Where the bath goes matters almost as much as what’s in it. Birds are exposed while dust bathing: on the ground, distracted, and their flight feathers are weighed down. So place the station roughly 10 feet (3m) away from dense perimeter shrubs or low-lying ambush cover that outdoor cats and stalking predators use to hide. A nearby branch affords a perch so they can survey the space, and it gives them somewhere to head for if something startles them mid-bath.

Place in a spot that catches early morning sunlight. Warm dust draws them much more reliably than cold, damp shadow. To amplify solar benefits, arrange a few large, dark, flat slate stones around the perimeter. These absorb thermal energy from the sun throughout the day and radiate that cozy warmth into the dust bath. You can buy Natural Gray Slate Slabs from Home Depot which double as a tidy border.

Adding a Rain Cover

A single heavy spring downpour can instantly ruin a pristine dust bath, transforming your carefully blended, ultra-fine powder into a dense, compacted puddle of sludge that can take days to dry out. To ensure your backyard birds have reliable year-round access to their favorite dry shampoo station, add a rain shield. This can be a simple plywood board propped at an angle, a patio umbrella positioned overhead, or a large flat flagstone on a couple of bricks.

You can even buy a popup MasterCanopy Tent from Amazon.Your goal is simply to deflect overhead water away from the box without making the station feel hemmed in. If you live in highly active storm zones like the midwest or the southeast, a modern outdoor canopy is recommended. This keeps the bath dry during torrential downpours and creates a sheltered viewing area where, if you are lucky, you can watch your feathered friends enjoy their spa routine.

Shop Spring Essentials for Birds

Now you’ve got your dust bath sorted, your birdies are primed for other treats – so keep them sweet with nibbles, drinking, and nesting treats. Combine your dust lounge with fluffy nesting support, takeaway feeding, and well placed hydration stations to foster a vibrant avian community and protect vulnerable young families. Add these hand-picked spring essentials to your cart, and watch your backyard birdies thrive.

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Butterfly season doesn't really announce itself – it just shows up. May is when overwintered adults start ranging farther, when the first migrants push through, when newly hatched spring generations take their first flights. Many gardens aren't ready for any of it, which is a shame, because the gap between a garden butterflies use heavily and one they mostly skip isn't that wide.

A butterfly garden doesn't need to be a formal thing – no dedicated beds required, no full redesign. A few additions in the right places, just one or two things left alone that would normally get cleaned up. That's pretty much the whole formula. What follows is where to put the effort this month.

What Butterflies Need in May

Supporting butterflies in May doesn't require a big overhaul. Most of what they need is already achievable in an afternoon – a few additions, maybe one deliberate choice to leave something alone, and the season starts working in their favor.

1. Plant Nectar Sources Now for Peak Bloom Later

Nectar is the obvious starting point, but timing the plantings matters quite a bit. Put in mid-to-late summer bloomers now – coneflowers, Joe-Pye weed, native asters – and they'll be peaking right when butterfly populations are at their heaviest. Garden centers are well-stocked in May and these plants go in without much fuss.

Flower shape pulls in different species too; flat-topped blooms give some butterflies a platform to land and walk, while tubular flowers suit others. A mix of forms over a long bloom window pulls more variety than a single mass planting, however popular the plant.

2. Set Out a Water Source

Butterflies don't drink like birds do. They puddle – touching down on damp soil or wet sand to pull up moisture and minerals, especially trace minerals and sodium – and open water isn’t very useful to them. Sand or fine gravel in a shallow dish, kept consistently damp, is all it takes to water a butterfly.

A butterfly puddling dish from Amazon has the right depth and texture without collecting enough standing water to become a mosquito issue. Put it somewhere sunny and near the nectar plants – a puddling station in the shade gets ignored.

3. Add Host Plants for Egg-Laying

Nectar pulls butterflies in to feed. Butterfly host plants are what keep them around long enough to reproduce – and without the right ones, they won't.

Female butterflies are picky about where they lay; each species needs specific plants for its eggs where its caterpillars can eat, and if those plants aren't somewhere in the garden, breeding just doesn't happen.

Monarchs and milkweed is the pairing that is widely known. Swallowtail caterpillars go after parsley, dill, or fennel. Fritillaries need native violets. Even one or two host plants tucked in somewhere makes a garden part of the local cycle rather than just a feeding stop on the way through.

4. Ease Up on Pesticides

Broad-spectrum sprays don't sort between the insects a gardener wants and the ones they don't. Butterfly eggs, caterpillars, and adults are all vulnerable, and May is when caterpillars from early-season eggs are actively feeding. Chewed-up leaves on a host plant aren't damaged – that's the whole point of having host plants.

Where pest pressure elsewhere genuinely needs attention, spot treatments in the evening do far less harm than a broadcast spray. Reach for targeted controls first; a general spray that doesn’t discriminate between a caterpillar and an aphid isn't really solving the problem.

5. Create Sunny Resting Spots

On cool May mornings, butterflies can't fly until they've warmed up – they spread their wings and angle toward the sun, sometimes for a while before doing much of anything. Flat garden stepping stones from Walmart work well as basking surfaces and pull double duty as path material – dark-colored ones absorb heat faster, and that difference shows in how much traffic a spot gets.

A patch of dark bare soil in a sunny corner does the job too, if hardscaping isn't in the plan. A garden with a few good basking areas sees activity start earlier in the day – which is a small thing, but it adds up over a season.

6. Leave Some Corners Alone

The urge to tidy everything up in May is understandable, but it's worth resisting in at least one corner of the garden. Some species are still finishing out winter as chrysalises in the leaf litter or pupae just under the soil surface – raking things out too aggressively can destroy them before they get the chance to emerge.

Loose soil and a bit of debris pull double duty as puddling spots and basking patches anyway. A deliberately rough corner costs nothing to maintain and tends to support more butterfly activity than things added on purpose. Leave it messy. That's the point.

7. Reduce Mowing Near Flower Beds

Lawn right up against garden beds creates a kind of dead zone – mowed grass offers nothing to butterflies and acts as a barrier between habitat patches. Even a foot or two (30–60cm) of unmowed edge changes that. Clover moves in fast on its own, and violets aren't far behind – both happen to be host plants, which is a bonus. The border looks intentional once things fill in, not neglected, though that probably depends on the neighbors. Either way, the butterflies aren't judging.

Most mornings and screen breaks are currently stuffed full of birdsong and avian chatter. Hedges are vibrating with the nimble dexterity of nest-building birds and beaks full of mealworms, and clumsy fledglings are trilling and wobbling on fences. But now and then, there’s a more frantic, agitated sound – less the sound of sweet tweets, and more the ruckus of two birds standing off and flapping angrily… And just like that, it’s bird wars!

It can seem incongruous to see birds fighting, squabbling and clashing beaks during this most optimistic and inspiring of seasons. We can get so wrapped up in attracting birds to our yards with vital treats that we rarely consider how it may cause avian conflict. But bird fighting is entirely natural, especially when territorial instincts, resource shortages, and mating hormones are running high. So what exactly can backyard bird lovers do to keep the peace when feathers fly?

Do we have to rethink the way we approach our “bird friendly” treats? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting you confiscate your feeders or put the bird baths in storage. It’s all about understanding the triggers behind these birdie scuffles, so you can adapt or finesse your current birdcare with a view to diffusing the tension and restoring harmony. So if you want to keep your feathered friends sweet, it’s time to deal with angry birds!

Why Backyard Birds are Fighting

When a squabble breaks out in your yard, it's easy to view the situation through a human lens and assume a neighborhood bully is being mean. But birds don't fight out of malice, they fight out of biological necessity. In spring, the natural world operates on a strict timeline of survival. Issues of territory, food and babies are intense and all-consuming. So a serious bird fight or escalation is usually a response to a perceived shortage of any life-giving assets your yard provides.

Recognizing how and why spats arise can help you determine whether to step back or referee. Mild disputes usually involve dramatic posturing. A northern cardinal might lower its head and point its beak defensively, while a blue jay might fan its tail or emit a sharp rattle, and wing-flicking among goldfinches is a warning for a neighbor to back off. These are jarring, but in most cases, birds resolve minor tiffs in seconds. However, when posturing escalates into sustained physical lunging, locked talons, or a dominant bird relentlessly chasing a smaller species away from the yard, it's time for a thoughtful intervention so your bird sanctuary remains blissful.

One of the most common feeding mistakes bird lovers make is clustering all their treats in one location. When you place high-energy suet, premium seed mixes, and fresh water side by side, you create a bottleneck, which in turn creates unnecessary pressure in agitated times. Dominant birds can lock down a zone, leaving smaller, gentler foragers stressed out. So to help birds in spring, consider different species.

You can alleviate tension by varying your “bird zones” with extra feeders – for instance, with a floating or platform option away from a standing model. Woodlink’s Going Green Platform Feeders from Amazon are great recycled open-platform options for smaller birds to feed away from a single dominant bird on another feeder. By expanding your options and choosing species-specific approaches, you can spread the wealth, lower the visibility of rivals, and ensure every visiting songbird gets its fill. Here are the 5 key reasons for bird wars in your yard, from territorial sparrows to bully grackles, and the mindful interventions that can save the day.

1. Real Estate and Rivalries

The real estate market can be cutthroat in the avian world. For several weeks, male birds have been establishing boundaries to secure prime nesting sites. Northern cardinals and robins are prone to border disputes, leading to eccentric behaviors, like fighting their own reflections in windows. And perceived housing shortages for cavity-nesting species can get bolshy. House sparrows or bold tree swallows may try to evict eastern bluebirds from established bird houses.

To alleviate nesting disputes, it’s wise to pair beneficial birdhouses. Place two bluebird boxes within 15-20 feet (4.5-6m) of each other. You can get bird boxes that are fully approved by the North American Bluebird Society, such as the Nature’s Way Cedar Bluebird Box by Home Depot. This has a bespoke entry hole and an integrated predator guard to keep families safe. Tree swallows and eastern bluebirds are territorial against their own kind, but tolerant of neighbors, so will nest side by side, teaming up to defend the immediate area from invasive house sparrows.

Border wars are often escalated when a yard has lots of high, exposed branches. Territorial birds like mockingbirds will claim these lookouts to belt out songs and aggressively declare their rights. To reduce these disputes, try planting dense shrubbery boundaries using native species like American holly or dense dogwoods. You can buy ‘Cherokee Brave’ Dogwoods from Fast Growing Trees. These act as natural privacy screens, breaking up critical lines of sight so a passionate male cardinal can't spot his rival from across the lawn.

2. Mating and Dating Jealousy

Avian courtship can turn a serene backyard into a battleground, with high-speed aerial chases and intense courtship friction. The high-octane energy of birds choosing mates can be bewildering and muddled, and is prone to spilling over into avian conflict for goldfinches, bluebirds, and usually peaceable mourning doves. Multiple bedazzled males can lock onto one female, launching into synchronized flight shows accompanied by furious wing-flapping and indignant chattering. Mourning dove males puff out their chests, stomp around the patio, and engage in wing-slapping matches in the manner of a duel. These relentless romantic rivalries require monumental amounts of stamina, not to mention a few lost feathers.

A lack of food for refuelling can turn courtship bickering into genuine food fights. So in this situation, your role is to keep those key foods in multiple spots where different species can readily chow down. Make sure feeders are stuffed with high-calorie fuel in multiple, distinct spots in the yard. Choose black oil sunflower seeds (preferably shelled) and high-fat suet cakes like C&S Products No-Melt Peanut Delight Suet Dough from Amazon, as well as protein-rich foods like Kaytee Pet Mealworms from Walmart so exhausted birds can top up fast without having to fight for it. Sensible spacing of feeding stations means birds won’t have to defend their dinners and can put more energy into raising a family.

3. Feeder Etiquette and Food Squabbles

While certain seasonal events (like breeding) bring high-octane drama, a smart bird feeder also operates on a year-round social contract. You could call this a kind of feeder etiquette. And sometimes agitation at the feeder can indicate that the social contract has gone awry. Within one flock of the same species, a natural social hierarchy dictates who gets the first bite. Where a dominant black-capped chickadee or a spunky tufted titmouse needs to draw the line with a hungry subordinate, you might hear sharp, scolding trills, rapid wing-flicking, or sudden defensive posturing.

This is a natural expression of the accepted pecking order, but one crowded feeder can exacerbate things. Compounding this internal flock friction, there’s also the classic mixed-species size rivalries. We’ve probably all seen that one woodpecker chowing down while patient finches and sparrows hover nervously, watching food disappear. To handle the same-species hierarchy of chickadees and finches, ditch the single-perch setups and transition to multi-perch tube feeders. Caged tube feeders give small birds extra protection. You can buy Audubon Caged Tube Wild Bird Feeders from Amazon for finches and chickadees to dart through in peace.

On the opposite side of your yard, set up a secondary suet station with a tail-prop design, such as Nature's Way Tail-Prop Cedar Suet Feeder from Lowe’s for woodpeckers. You can further reduce dining panic by mixing specialized seed mixes directly on the ground. By separating your assets based on bird size, you ensure everyone eats in perfect harmony.

4. Avian Gangs and Bullies

While etiquette has its place, and pecking orders are generally obeyed, sometimes you will have to deal with total avian anarchy. Get ready to rumble, because in mid-late spring, you’ll likely see spats when highly social, opportunistic birds form massive feeding packs. This is mob rule at its finest and manifests as a flock of metallic-sheened grackles or a rowdy mass of house sparrows, descending on a feeder and overwhelming peaceful, solitary birds. You can also get larger solo bullies like the blue jay, hogging a seed dish and shrieking at smaller bird species.

To manage these backyard mobs, try clever menu swaps and weight-activated security gates. You can alleviate a grackle or starling takeover by switching food sources to bully-proof options like pure safflower seed or tiny nyjer thistle. While northern cardinals, grosbeaks, nuthatches and black-capped chickadees, and house finches adore safflower, starlings and grackles find its bitter taste unpalatable and swiftly move on. You can buy Kaytee Safflower Wild Bird Food from Walmart.

You can handle heavy crowds with weight-sensitive feeders. Devices like the Perky-Pet Squirrel-Be-Gone Max Squirrel-Resistant Metal Wild Bird Feeder with Flexports from Home Depot use a spring loaded, weight-activated perch system. When heavy birds like blue jays or grackles try to crowd the bar, their collective weight pulls the security shield down, locking the food vault until they leave.

5. Parental Protections and Family Feuds

Sometimes, what we see as domineering or bullying behavior can be a loving parent trying to protect its vulnerable bumbling chicks. This last instance of bird fighting kicks in during late spring and early summer, with the arrival of baby birds and fledglings. Where anything threatens bumbling juveniles making awkward first flights and feeds, normally mild-mannered songbirds swoop in like angry feathered jets. This hyper-protective stance is common in robins, mockingbirds, and gray catbirds. If you see a pair of robins flapping and screaming at a confused goldfinch, you’ll probably see a plump toddler hopping across the lawn nearby.

The best thing to do here is dedicate a patch of your yard to cushiony plants where vulnerable chicks can safely nestle. Cultivate thick patches of creeping thyme, wild ginger, lush hardy geraniums, or wild strawberry, so young chickadees, bluebirds, and robins can practice their hops in safety. You can buy ‘Purple Beauty’ Creeping Phlox from Nature Hills to help protect clumsy, ground-dwelling fledglings (it also looks gorgeous and keeps weeds at bay). With some pretty cover in place, parent birds can spend less time dive-bombing and more time foraging to feed their brood.

Shop Bird-Friendly Peacekeepers

Worried about grouchy birds in your backyard? To maintain a serene sanctuary, you can easily introduce a few little upgrades in order to diffuse high-stakes territory disputes, alleviate stressful feeder traffic jams, and protect vulnerable families. Adding these peace-keeping extras gives your local avian community a low-stress destination for safe nesting, happy dining, and refreshing bath times. Add these curated picks, and watch those neighborhood tensions melt away.

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Hummingbirds are a delight to watch as they dart and dash around the garden. To attract hummingbirds to your yard, consider planting a garden specifically to support these beautiful pollinators.

Whether you're not sure where to start and asking yourself, “How do I attract a hummingbird to my garden?” or you just need some inspiration for your existing hummingbird garden, then you're in the right place. I'll walk you through the basics of attracting hummingbirds, including their favorite plants, how to help them during migration, and what you need to provide a welcoming environment for these tiny birds.

Here are the top tips from our team of gardening experts that will make birds flock to your yard, especially adorable hummingbirds. The ideas below will not only help support these important pollinators, but they will help you grow a gorgeous garden as well.

How to Attract Hummingbirds

When attracting hummingbirds to your garden, you should keep in mind that these animals prefer to feed in shady areas. They also need plenty of open spaces for flying. Adding appropriate feeders and flowers will also attract these helpful pollinators to your yard.

1. Provide Feeders

An easy method of attracting hummingbirds to the garden is to hang hummingbird feeders. Hummingbird feeders, like this simple option from Walmart, can provide the same amount of nectar as 2,000 to 5,000 flowers.

Hang feeders at varying heights between 3 and 5 feet (1-1.5 m) off the ground and fill them with a homemade nectar recipe made from 4 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Change the mixture in the feeders every three days and clean your bird feeders every week with hot, soapy water.

2. Plant Flowers Hummingbirds Love

Some of the best plants for attracting hummingbirds to the garden include those that are orange or red in color and have tubular blooms. It's also good to choose native plants that hummingbirds can't resist. Here are some of the best plants to create a hummingbird hangout in your yard:

• Bee Balm Also known as Monarda, this stunning perennial herbaceous plant is characterized by clusters of vibrant tubular flowers that bloom in shades of red, pink, purple, or white.
• Columbine Renowned for its distinctive, bell-shaped flowers, columbine (Aquilegia spp.) blooms in an array of colors, including shades of blue, purple, pink, yellow, and white. These delicate flowers often feature contrasting spurs that give them a unique and elegant appearance. Columbine foliage is typically fern-like, with a light and airy texture.
• Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis, also known as the cardinal flower, is known for it's vibrant red tubular flowers that stand atop tall, erect stems and bloom in dense spikes, creating a stunning display of color in late summer and early fall.
• Jewelweed A wildflower in the impatiens family, this plant tolerates growing conditions that few others will tolerate, including deep shade and wet soil. The flowers, which bloom in mid to late summer, are trumpet-shaped and dangle from slender stalks, typically in shades of orange or yellow, with reddish-brown spots or streaks.

Hummingbirds also visit many other flowers in the garden, such as various types of lilies. Many non-native annul and perennial plants, trees, shrubs, and flowering vines are also good at attracting hummingbirds. Some of the best plants to try are:

• Scarlet sage
• Daylilies
• Honeysuckle
• Cannas
• Bouncing bet
• Silk tree
• Spider flower
• Morning glories
• Petunias
• Fuchsias

You can shop a wide variety of high-quality plants that attract hummingbirds online from Wayside Gardens.

3. Create a Welcoming Habitat

The best way to attract hummingbirds is to create a welcoming habitat for them to live, eat, and nest. Follow these tips to create a low-maintenance hummingbird sanctuary in your yard.

• Provide trees and shrubs near the feeding area to give the hummingbirds a place to rest and shelter from predators and weather.
• Ripe fruit left near the feeding area makes the site more attractive to hummingbirds and it attracts gnats – an important source of protein for hummingbirds.
• Hummingbirds also need water. A bird bath no more than 1.5 inches (4 cm) deep, like this beautiful handmade hummingbird bath from Amazon, provides plenty of water for pollinators. If the bath is too deep, fill the bottom with coarse gravel.
• Nectar provides only part of a hummingbird's nutritional needs. Many species also eat large quantities of small bugs for the protein they provide. You can attract bugs to your garden with a small weedy patch or wildflower area. Be sure never to use insecticides in gardens where hummingbirds feed.
• The best flowers for attracting hummingbirds are those with long throats that hang in clusters beyond the foliage. Flowers that are too close to the foliage force a hummingbird to beat its wings against the leaves as it feeds. The plants should have several open flowers at a time, too. There are plenty of great hummingbird plants for sun and for shade, depending on your landscape.
• Another great way to encourage more hummingbirds to visit your yard and stay is to provide them with plenty of nesting materials. Hummingbirds need fluffy, natural fibers to build nests. You can supply them with wool, coco coir, or even pet fur from your most recent grooming session.
• Give hummingbirds a place to rest during their great migration that spans over 4,000 miles. You can create a DIY hummingbird swing for them using materials you probably already have on hand. They can sit and relax a while and you can get an up-close look at these beautiful birds in your backyard.

Hummingbird Garden Essentials

Hummingbirds love fluff. You’ll likely know they crave nectar-rich tubular flowers and that they are fond of the color red. But what is less well known is that they have a serious soft spot for fluffy things, especially during nesting season. So if you want to entice hummers to set up home in your backyard, the easiest thing you can do this spring is to give them special fluffy treats – by making what I like to call a fluff-cloud.

Put simply, a fluff-cloud is a curated selection of nesting ingredients that mimic the soft, airy and stretchy bedding hummingbirds seek out in the wild. You could say it’s a boutique hummingbird nest bedding service for your teeny visitors. This fluff-cloud is the perfect way to attract birds to nest in your yard, and it can be as basic or as couture as you like, with materials both throwaway and bespoke, and all tucked into a thoughtful container for nimble beaks and multiple visits.

It sounds whimsical, but the principle behind the fluff-cloud is vital. Giving a nesting hummer a helping hand is critical as she darts this way and that for construction materials. By making this part of her adventure a little easier, you will be rewarded with a season of joyful, vibrating color. And who doesn’t want to see a hummingbird with a tiny cloud of fluff in its beak?

Why Hummers Need a Fluff-Cloud

To understand why a fluff-cloud is so important, consider the architectural beauty of a hummingbird nest. These tiny cups are often no larger than a walnut shell, yet must meet several key needs. Hummingbird nesting materials need to be insulating to keep eggs warm, and water-resistant to prevent the nest becoming a soggy sponge during spring showers. They also need elasticity so they can stretch as chicks grow. While a ruby-throated or black-chinned hummer might use different local lichen for camouflage, they all need soft, moisture-wicking interiors.

Our fluff-cloud meets all these needs by providing a one-stop shop of hummingbird nest material that can be hard to find in a tidy yard. In the wild, a hummer can spend days hovering over thistles or milkweed to gather down. By providing a curated dispenser, you’re offering the black-chinned, Anna’s and rufous hummingbirds all they need in one place. It works for most North American species, which are all looking for that perfect balance of strength, lightness, warmth, and yield.

Kitting out a fluff-cloud is an easy win for us gardeners wanting to help nesting birds, and it’s a lovely alternative to a messy yard. Making a fluff-cloud keeps a yard primed for action, whether you're in a damp coastal region or a dry desert area. So let’s grab those fluff-cloud ingredients to give local hummers the cozy materials they need, so they bring the next generation of zippy jewel wildlife straight into our backyards.

1. The Fluffy Nest Fillers

Hummingbirds are connoisseurs of softness. To a nesting mother, soft material isn't just a luxury but a necessity for her tiny, jellybean-sized eggs. While she’ll naturally forage for bits of moss or cottonwood seeds, our curated fluff-cloud elevates her search by offering premium materials that provide superior drainage and lightness. These fibers offer a crucial baseline of comfort, but also ensure the nest stays airy and dry, even after a spring downpour, so chicks stay warm and safe.

Sourcing hummingbird nesting material is surprisingly simple and affordable. A great base is raw alpaca fiber. This is a hummer favorite because it’s exceptionally soft and lacks the heavy lanolin found in sheep’s wool, so it’s safe and easy for tiny beaks to manipulate. The key is to leave out materials with a high loft: these are fibers that stay bouncy and don't clump together when damp. This small investment turns your yard into the most desirable one on the block for nesting hummers.

Shop Fluff Cloud Trio

The best materials for your fluff cloud dispenser will cover the lightness and fluffiness that keeps birds insulated while being portable and airy. It will also include good options for water resistance (to prevent rots) and strength in the base, as well as elasticity and malleability. Here is a great fluff cloud trio for your hummer dispenser.

2. The Fluff Cloud Holders

While hummingbirds aren’t picky about where they find their finery, a well-chosen holder makes the trip much easier for them. The ideal dispenser strikes a balance between stability and accessibility. It needs to be sturdy enough to withstand spring breezes, yet open enough for a bird to pluck a single fiber while hovering mid-air. For the best results, hang your fluff-cloud at eye level, around 4-5 feet (1.2-1.5m) high, in a sheltered spot that is visible to the birds but protected from heavy rain.

Some of the most charming dispensers are multifunctional, like copper spirals or grapevine balls that blend into your garden’s aesthetic. It’s just important that the gaps in the dispenser are large enough, around an inch (2.5cm), to allow hummers to grab and go. And obviously, make sure it hangs where you can enjoy watching one of nature’s most delightful construction projects. Just check every few days to see if the stash needs a top-up, especially after a windy day or busy morning.

Shop Fluff Holders

These cloud holders are all hummer friendly, but take slightly different approaches to how your birdies access their goodies. Some work with natural textures that afford discretion, while others are manmade designs that provide weather resistance, drainage, and plenty of gaps.

3. Fluff Cloud Extras

Now we have the main fluff-cloud elements, but every bed deserves special extras – and what hummingbirds consider a treat might surprise you. You’d be amazed what hummers like in the stuff we might have lying around. Word to the wise, though: some people talk about dryer lint in hummingbird nesting season. Please don’t use this: it holds moisture like a sponge (which can chill chicks) and often carries detergent residue. One thing that is safe and likely hanging around is a spider web. Hummers use spider silk for elasticity, so leave those webs alone.

For a truly next-level cloud, add a few extra treasures from your home. You can use raw cotton or chemical-free pet fur, harvested from pets who haven't had recent flea or tick treatments. These free items add a personal touch to your fluff-cloud. By mixing household gifts with bespoke finds, like pet bedding or botanical treats, you’ll be offering everything a hummingbird needs for her nesting masterpiece.

Shop Extra Fluffy Bits

Every cloud has a silver lining, and every hummer fluff cloud has extra fluffy bits. You may be able to source some of these from items you already have. From pet brushes that supply free fluff, to unusual animal shavings, and exploding treats, this trio of fluff cloud extras will give your hummer a bounty of treasures to line that nest.

Make the Ultimate Nesting Sanctuary

Building a fluff-cloud is a joy and a real necessity of the season, but don’t forget to keep you hummers happy with the basics. Since hummers are visual creatures, make sure you include some red accents nearby, hanging red ribbons or ornaments near your fluff dispenser. For hydration and high-energy, try a Red Jewel Hummingbird Feeder from Wayfair or a few Mini Blown Glass Feeders from Amazon placed within sight of the nesting area. To keep mom’s feathers in top flight condition, a mister or pump like the Mafemax Solar Mowered Mister from Amazon is ideal. Hummers adore flying through a fine mist before settling back into their nests.

Adding a landing pad like the Copper Heart Hummingbird Perch from Uncommon Goods gives a tired mother a pretty place to survey her work and guard her territory between flights. Finally, think about the months beyond nesting to keep your hummers nearby. Spring-blooming shrubs like flowering currant or quince provide early nectar, while trees like western red cedar or Douglas fir offer dense, high-altitude shelter. And drop in some bee balm, salvia, and trumpet vine for a steady stream of hummingbird plant nibbles come summer. That way, you’re creating the ultimate home from home. May your yard be filled with tiny clouds of fluff.

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Firefly populations have been declining across North America for decades. There are several main causes including habitat loss, pesticide use, and building development. But there’s one mistakes you may be making in your backyard that is keeping them away from an otherwise ideal environment: outdoor lighting.

A yard filled with mature trees, some moisture, and minimal chemical use may still be devoid of fireflies on a summer night, if your landscape is illuminated with artificial light. The fireflies may be nearby, but they just can’t find each other because of the light. Understanding why this common landscaping mistake keeps fireflies away requires a quick look at how these beneficial insects communicate.

Attracting lightning bugs usually requires focusing on building a good habitat for them – lots of leaf litter, moisture, and no pesticides – and that’s all valid advice. But outdoor lighting is an important factor that can cancel out everything else. Luckily, it’s also one of the easiest problems to fix. Here's how to do it.

Why Fireflies Light Up at Night

Fireflies don’t flash randomly. Each species has a specific pattern. It could be a precise rhythm of flashes, a particular color, or a characteristic flight path. Male and female fireflies use these signals to identify each other across a dark yard.

A male flies and flashes. A female perched in the grass watches, then responds with her own flash at a timed interval. That exchange, repeated a few times, is how they locate each other in order to mate.

You can help prevent firefly population decline by creating a welcoming environment for them. That means one that is actually dark at night, so they can carry out their mating ritual.

The #1 Mistake That Prevents Fireflies

Ambient outdoor lighting disrupts the firefly lifecycle at a basic level. When your yard is illuminated with artificial lights – even with what may seem like a dim porch light or a low-wattage path footlight – it makes a firefly's flash much harder to see.

The male firefly is still flashing and the female may still be responding. But neither signal carries far enough through the brightness to register. It’s not that the fireflies leave your yard, it’s that they're unable to find each other in order to reproduce.

One failed mating season leads into another and over time the population decreases. Artificial light doesn’t kill fireflies. It just makes them invisible to each other for mating and increases predation risks.

How to Attract More Fireflies

There are a few simple ways you can help out fireflies, though. It doesn't mean totally getting rid of all the lights in your yard either. Here are some easy tips to follow to encourage firefly activity in your landscape.

1. Don’t Use Bright LED Lights

Warm-toned outdoor lights – amber, yellow, or low-color-temperature bulbs – interfere less with firefly signaling than cool white or blue-spectrum lights do.

Firefly bioluminescence typically falls in the yellow-green range, around 550–580 nanometers, depending on the species. Cool white LED lights emit strongly in the blue-white range that creates the most contrast interference.

That said, even warm lights cause some disruption if they’re bright enough or pointed in the wrong direction. The color temperature matters, but so does the intensity and where the light is aimed.

2. Direct Lighting Downward

Redirecting light downward is one of the higher-impact changes available without replacing any fixtures. Most path lights and flood lights throw light in all directions, including horizontally and upward, which creates the kind of diffuse ambient glow that interferes with proper firefly signaling. Uplighting is one of the worst ways to illuminate your landscape, if you want to minimize light pollution.

Downlighting with shielded light fixtures keeps illumination where it’s actually needed and significantly reduces light scatter. Downward-facing shielded outdoor path lights from Amazon are worth swapping in along walkways and garden edges. These kinds of lights, rather than ones that direct light upward, help reduce light pollution in your yard.

3. Don’t Leave Lights on All Night

Turning off decorative string lights, landscape uplighting, and any non-essential fixtures during peak firefly hours – roughly 9 p.m. to midnight in June and July – costs nothing and can produce noticeable results in as little as a season or two. Firefly populations will recover slowly once you start turning off outdoor lights at night.

A smart plug or basic outlet timer makes it automatic without you having to remember every night. The goal isn’t total darkness – it’s just a reduction of the continuous ambient glow that turns your yard into visual static. A yard that goes dark at the right time gives fireflies a fighting chance to find each other.

Motion-activated lights like these from Amazon are another good option. A light that comes on briefly when someone walks to the door and then goes off does far less cumulative damage to firefly activity than a fixture that runs from dusk to dawn. Plus, leaving lights on all night isn't good for plants or other wildlife either.

4. Create a Firefly-Friendly Habitat

Reducing artificial light helps most in yards where a good firefly habitat is also present. Firefly larvae are ground-dwelling and spend one to two years in moist soil before emerging as adults. That means bare, compacted, or frequently disturbed ground doesn’t support these beneficial insects regardless of how dark your yard is at night.

Leaf litter left in place through winter, unmowed edges, native plants that attract fireflies, and areas of consistently damp soil give larvae somewhere to develop. Without that, there’s no population to protect.

The combination of reduced artificial light plus a reasonable larval habitat is what brings fireflies back to yards where they’ve gone dark. Neither fix works particularly well without the other.

A dark yard full of compacted turf still won’t have as many fireflies and a yard with good habitat but lights blazing until midnight won’t either. Get both right and you should see results within two or three seasons. It's a slow return, but it is so worth it to have those beautiful twinkling bugs flitting around the summer sky at night.

As spring ripens into May, hungry hummingbirds are returning to our yards. It’s magic to see the flash of color, hear the chirps and trills, plus the hum that comes from the rapid beat of their tiny wings.

If you are ready to start attracting hummingbirds to the garden, then a red hummingbird feeder for sugar water is a great starting point (you can even buy one with an HD camera, like this popular Birdfy one on Amazon), but, really, that’s just the bare minimum. We humans need water to survive, but that doesn’t mean you would want to live on water alone. Just so, hummers appreciate sugar water for the quick energy it provides, but it’s not enough to meet their nutrient needs.

If you want to help the hummingbirds that appear in May, you need to think about other foods you might offer them – particularly protein. Many of the migrating hummingbirds are running on empty after their long flight and crave protein, the building block that makes for strong feathers and gets them through the breeding season.

There are many other ways to meet the needs of our hummingbird friends in May, Here’s a handy list of ways you can help hummers – and keep them in your yard. That way, you can watch them hovering and even flying backwards for many a happy month.

1. Plant Nectar-Rich Wildflowers

Hummingbirds love nectar, and wildflowers are the best source, so plant a garden bed or a meadow full of vibrant wildflowers. The best choices are red, orange, and pink blossoms, as these colors appeal most to hummingbirds.

What flowers are best for hummingbirds? Their beaks are made to poke into long, thin, tubular flowers – like trumpet honeysuckle, fuchsia, bee balm, and coral honeysuckle, wild bergamot, cardinal flower, scarlet sage, and hummingbird sage.

The key to using wildflowers to feed the hummers is to select blossoms that flower at different times. In May, you want plants that flower in May. But you’ll also need plants that flower in June, July, and August.

Best Hummingbird Wildflower Seed Mixes

2. Plant Shrubs and Small Trees

Everyone knows that sugar water attracts hummers, but planting shrubs and small trees for hummingbirds can do even more to encourage them to stay. These tiny birds will only nest where they can quickly get to protective cover. Almost any bushy shrubs provide that cover, and limbs of small deciduous trees are great structures for tiny, expandable hummingbird nests. The nests are often built of spider webs and lichens, as well as strands of fluff for warmth. Leaving out a fluff-cloud can help.

Not sure what shrubs to plant? Flowering shrubs not only provide cover for hummers, but also bring insects into the garden. You could choose hibiscus, rhododendron, buddleia (that also attracts butterflies), or azalea.

One of the best shrubs to add to your yard for hummingbirds is the Temple of Bloom Seven Son Flower Tree (USDA zones 5-9), available at Nature Hills. It is a real beauty offering plenty of color, fragrance, and year-round interest.

3. Give Them Rotten Fruit

A big part of a hummingbird’s diet is protein – but we aren’t talking about sirloin steaks or hamburgers. Hummingbirds get most of their protein from insects, including gnats, flies, mosquitoes, and spiders. So instead of clearing these bugs out of your backyard, attract them for hummingbirds.

One way to entice bugs is to leave out a bowl or basket of overripe fruit. Super-soft bananas, strawberries, or cantaloupes can bring in the fruit flies.

4. Hang Two – or More – Feeders

If you watch regular birds at a bird feeder, they often feed together happily. But don't expect the same from hummingbirds. These guys are territorial, and they often fight over sugar-water feeders, trying to scare each other away. Hummingbirds in the wild feed on blossoms – blossoms that offer a limited supply of nectar – so they’ve learned to protect the source, even when it's a sugar water feeder.

The simple solution is putting up two feeders, or three, or even four, and filling them with homemade hummingbird nectar. Place them where a hummer on one cannot see a hummer on another. Try putting up multiple feeders that can’t be seen from one another. Space them at least 15 feet apart, if possible, since males are extremely possessive.

Best Hummingbird Feeders

5. Add a Water Source

All birds need water, both for drinking and for bathing. While hummingbirds get some of their liquid from sugar-water feeders, they can’t bathe in them. And these small birds like to bathe frequently. I’ve seen them sometimes dipping into pools of raindrops on leaves.

Don’t make them wait for rainfall. Instead, install a drop fountain attachment or a fine misting device. These provide a constant source of water that they can count on. A small, solar-powered fountain is another good option, like this Mademax Solar Bird Bath Fountain Pump on Amazon.

6. Provide Perches

Hummingbirds seem to be in perpetual motion, but of course they aren’t. Even hummingbirds need resting areas. Planting trees and bushes is one answer – they provide both natural resting places and shelter for the little fliers – but you can also add some swings or platforms if you like. The hummers spend a lot of time resting and will appreciate different places to perch.

It's easy to make a DIY hummingbird swing, or you can buy a sweet design without spending too much money.

Best Hummingbird Swings

One final tip to support hummingbirds is to keep chemicals and pesticides out of your garden and, even better, out of your landscape. Hummingbirds are very vulnerable to chemicals and toxins and any type of chemical can kill them off. Instead, adapt organic gardening methods. You can count on your hummingbird guests to eat backyard bugs, helping with natural pest control while they are in the garden.

You’ve likely seen more bird activity in the last few weeks, but it really steps up a gear through May. The survival-mode feeding of late winter is behind them, and what’s happening now is faster and more demanding: bird boxes are being selected, nests are going up, eggs are hatching, and parent birds are running themselves ragged trying to keep chicks fed. A backyard that worked fine all winter may not be set up for birds in spring, and the high-performance nesting frenzy now taking place.

For bird lovers, this can be the most rewarding time of the year, but it requires a few little special extras to your usual bird care routine. What worked during the frost won't sustain a nest full of demanding, growing chicks. A handful of small changes go a long way toward attracting birds during this particular stretch of the season. By making a few small adjustments now, you aren't just caring for this year’s birds but taking an active stake in the survival of the next generation of songbirds. Oh, and you’re also ensuring that yours is the backyard they come to first for nibbles, treats and tweets: win-win!

Birds are surprisingly loyal once they identify a place that keeps them safe, protected, nurtured and happy. Meet their specific needs, and they mark your yard as a safe zone that they come back to day after day, year after year. It's very easy to meet these needs, and you don’t need lots of space. Here’s how you can help your local birds thrive during this important month – and how to ensure they keep coming back for more.

What Backyard Birds Need in May

May signals the arrival of the most calorie-demanding phase of the year for many bird species (outside of migration), and that is nesting season. Existing bird-care rituals like filling the seed hopper are a great start, but they do need to be extended with a view to boosting nourishment in more specific ways – as well as assisting with the nesting process and the very early stages of nurturing the next generation.

For instance, in smaller urban gardens, birds may struggle to find the natural diversity of materials they need to create and fill nests (and the multiple hungry beaks inside them), so any extra support you can give is vital. Size doesn't limit the impact. A single native host plant in the tiniest suburban setting can create instant security, diversity, and sustenance at this peak time. This doesn’t mean that more rural areas have fewer pressures. There will still be more demand for fewer resources as more eggs are laid, which is where you come in.

The real trick to helping your nesting and fledgling bird numbers is consistency and accessibility. Birds are creatures of habit, and during May, they don't have the time to go searching for resources. If you can provide a sanctuary that offers safety, easy-to-digest food, comfort, nesting options, and clean water, you’ll see an immediate and continued vibrancy in the local bird community you help to nurture.

Every calorie a bird saves on a foraging flight is a calorie they can put into feeding their chicks. So put these quick wins into effect this month, and you’ll ensure that your backyard remains a bustling, joyful hub of activity through the nesting season and beyond. From soft protein and nest supplies to accessible water and somewhere vital to land that doesn’t feel exposed, they all keep your garden birds happy, healthy, and coming back day after day.

Bird Feeding Essentials

This spring season is a time when every good bird feeder needs to be stocked up for nesting and fledgling season. Grab these tasty treats for a backyard bursting with activity – and make sure you keep the next generation where you can enjoy them.

1. Shift to Protein at the Feeder

Parent birds in May are hunting soft-bodied protein, not fat. High-oil seeds are fine as a supplement but relying on seeds alone now would be a key feeding mistake. What nestlings need to build muscle and feathers is animal protein. Dried or live mealworms tend to be the most effective. Bluebirds, robins, wrens, and chickadees all take them, and a mealworm dish during nesting season will disappear super-fast. You can buy Kaytee Pet Mealworms from Walmart.

By offering dried or live mealworms, you are providing a concentrated source of the exact amino acids needed for feather development and muscle growth. If you use dried mealworms, try soaking them in a little warm water for 15 minutes before putting them out. This rehydrates the protein for nesting birds, making it easier for parent birds to digest and softer for tiny chick throats to swallow.

Suet cakes are another quick source of protein and energy. Brands like Audubon Park pride in spring-specific blends to help mother birds. You can buy Audubon Park Berry Suet Cakes from Amazon.

2. Make a Nesting Material Buffet

May is basically construction season for birdies. Any that aren’t already filling nests may well be looking for materials to build their own. And a bird burning calories on a long foraging flight to find one beak-full of nesting fiber is a bird that isn’t tending to its eggs, so it stands to reason that it will favor places where stuff is easy to find.

Pack a wire suet cage or mesh bag with fur, short natural-fiber string, dried grass, twigs, or burlap scraps to give nesting birds a reliable local source. Hummingbirds are looking for fluffy materials for nests, so why not make a fluff-cloud in your yard? You can buy Alpaca Fleece Nesting Material from Amazon for a snuggly boutique treat, or try putting out a few white feathers. Tree swallows love to line their nests with them and play with them in the air before taking them to their dens.

You can even use pet fur as long as it hasn’t been treated with flea chemicals. Cotton-based materials are fine to include, but synthetic fibers and dryer lint aren’t. They mat when wet and cause problems in a finished nest. I like the rustic heart-shaped cages you can get, such as the Zhangsen Nesting Hearts from Walmart. You can also use a suet cage if you have one going spare! Just be sure to put this somewhere the birds can spot it and access it easily.

3. Create Shallow Water Spas

Most standard birdbaths run too deep for fledglings, and May turns up a lot of fledglings. An inch (2.5cm) of depth to your water, with a rough or gravelly bottom, is perfect. This is plenty to drink and splash, and shallow enough that a young bird can get out on its own. If you have a deep birdbath, simply add a large, flat landing stone in the center that breaks the surface. If you are looking for something new, a good shallow-basin option is the Vivohome Antique Bronze Bird Bath from Amazon.

Mosquitoes move fast in warm standing water, and birds tend to notice when something is off, so keep your birdbath clean. A small dripper or surface wiggler can help to draw birds in and keeps algae from taking hold. A clean birdbath with a solar-powered bubbler or wiggler, such as the Bobigny Solar Powered Pump from Wayfair, prevents the water from becoming stagnant and attracts more species. Remember to change the water every couple of days.

4. Add Plants for Caterpillars

A single clutch of chickadees consumes between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars in order to fledge successfully. Those caterpillars have to come from somewhere, and for a lot of hungry birds (and their resourceful parents) they come from native plants. Oaks support more caterpillar species than any other tree in North America, and native willows, cherries, and serviceberries aren’t far behind.

By planting these host plants (the trees and shrubs that caterpillars eat), you are growing the birds' food directly. Even one addition to a yard can change how much insect food is available to nesting birds nearby, and it can add up quickly. A yard with even one or two well-chosen native plants will be noticeably busier with birds during nesting season. Buy ‘Autumn Brilliance’ Serviceberry Shrubs from Walmart for a vibrant native specialist (the flowers and berries are pretty, too).

5. Create Visual Safety Perches

Fledglings are clumsy flyers, and they need somewhere to sit between feeder attempts that isn’t totally exposed. Make sure these little perches offer overhead cover and decent sightlines, and are close enough to make a short flight. Go for a brush pile, a low branch, or a few stakes with a crossbar within 10 feet (3m) of the feeder. Adult birds use these spots too, especially at a busy feeder.

You don't need to spend money here; a simple brush pile in a corner of the yard, some plant supports, or a bundle of long branches leaning against a fence provides perfect cover. You can also deadhead or prune key shrubs in a way that leaves some inner ladder branches for birds to hop up. Even a simple wooden dowel or a garden stake placed near a water source can act as a lookout post for parent birds like blue jays or mockingbirds to scan for danger before they let their young approach.

6. Put Up a Nest Box If One Isn’t Up

May is late for some cavity nesters, but not all. House wrens, tree swallows, and chickadees may still be looking for suitable spots well into the month. Indeed, some species like bluebirds can double-clutch, so will be possibly raising a second brood. Choose a plain nest box with the right entry hole diameter: this needs to be 1.25 inches (3.2cm) for wrens and 1.5 inches (3.8cm) for swallows and chickadees.

Place your box 5-10 feet (1.5-3m) off the ground and make sure it is in a semi-open spot. Go for an untreated cedar or pine option like the Nature’s Way Cedar Box Bird House from Amazon if you don’t fancy building one. Face the entry hole away from prevailing wind and direct afternoon sun. If you see a male bird singing near the box, he is likely trying to convince a female your yard is the perfect place to raise a family.

7. Avoid Pesticides in Nesting Season

This is perhaps the most important gesture you can make for your backyard birds this May. Routine, broad-spectrum pesticide spraying is devastating to a bird-friendly yard. When you spray for pests, you are inadvertently killing the very caterpillars and soft-bodied larvae that nesting birds depend on. If you have a genuine infestation, try spot-treating or using organic alternatives, but if you can tolerate a few holes in your host plant leaves, the birds will reward you.

A healthy bird presence is your best form of pest control, particularly during nesting season. A single pair of nesting birds will consume thousands of insects a week. By skipping the chemicals during May and June, you allow the natural balance of your garden to take over. Don’t forget to keep your binoculars close so you don’t miss out on any of the activity. You can get great binoculars with tripods for flash bird spots, such as the Usogood Binoculars from Walmart.

Shop Bird Essentials

Creating a haven for your feathered neighbors is one of the most rewarding things you can do in May – it’s low effort, but such a high reward to see birds darting in and out of feeding, nesting and bathing stations. These curated products are built to last for years, so add these bird-friendly extras and send a clear signal to local birds that your yard is a premium destination for return visits.

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Slug damage has a way of catching us off guard. The hostas might look decent enough one week, but by the next, they're suddenly riddled with Swiss cheese-style holes. It’s a heartbreaking sight, and while chemical pellets might be able to control slugs in isolation, they can often come at a cost to birds, hedgehogs, and the very soil life we work so hard to cultivate. And the thing is, there is a better option that works for free while you sleep, and it’s far more effective than any store-bought trap.

For anyone serious about organic controls, a settled toad is one of the best ways of getting rid of slugs. These quiet backyard buddies are capable of eating dozens of slugs a night and upward of 10,000 pests across a single season. Yes, you read that right. We’re talking slugs, snails, beetles, grubs, and whatever crosses their path after dark. They are also amazing soil boosters. Their presence helps aerate the earth and provides a natural fertilizer that keeps plants thriving. So not only are toads great for organic slug control and flower power, they are also great for soil health.

A toad doesn't cost a dime, never needs recharging, and quietly patrols your beds for years if treated well, eating thousands of slugs every season. He is one of the most dependable slug control methods going. All he asks for is a decent place to sleep. Early spring is when these resourceful and efficient slug controls are looking for somewhere to land – so you might as well make it your yard they choose for their annual feast. Here’s how to make sure they settle in your patch, what they need, and how to keep them happy – so you can keep your summer garden vibrant and strong.

Why Toads are a Great Slug Control

Toads run on their own schedule, and it lines up almost perfectly with slug activity. Both are nocturnal. While the garden is dark and quiet, a toad that's taken up residence can work its way through the beds without any prompting. Nothing to apply, nothing that washes away, nothing that harms pollinators in your garden. Wiping out thousands of insects in one summer is no mean feat – and all from a single toad. This isn't just a slug fix, either. Vine weevils, cutworms, earwigs, and a range of soil-dwelling larvae are all on the list. If it crawls after dark, it’s on the menu.

The numbers are pretty striking. An American toad or common toad can clear 50-100 insects on any given night, and an April-to-October season adds that up quickly. The beauty of toads as slug control methods cannot be overstated. Not only are they effective and organic, they require zero ongoing maintenance. Unlike beer traps that need cleaning, or copper tape that eventually tarnishes, a toad is a self-sustaining system. They also possess an incredible homing instinct. If a toad finds a suitable abode in April, they can return to that same spot for up to 10 years.

They don't stick around most yards, though, because most yards don't give them what they're after, which is somewhere shaded, a little damp, quiet enough to wait out daylight hours undisturbed. Considering how simple their needs are, it’s high time you make room for these little guys in your yard. You can take advantage of all the benefits of toads quite easily, and reap the rewards for years with minimal effort.

Common Garden Toads that can Visit

In North America, the American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) is the one most likely to wander into your backyard. They are stocky, warty, and surprisingly unbothered by people, and they are widespread across the eastern half of the continent. In the central and western states, Woodhouse's toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii) takes the lead. Across the pond in the UK and Europe, the common toad (Bufo bufo) is the garden standard. They are longer-lived than most people realize, with certain toads known to work the same patch of ground to control slugs for decades.

Despite their rugged appearance, toads are sensitive indicators of a healthy garden environment. If you have toads, it follows that you have good soil and a clean ecosystem. What they all have in common is a need for moisture-retentive skin. Unlike frogs, toads don't live in water, but they drink through their skin by sitting in damp soil or shallow pools. They need cool cover during the day, water nearby for breeding, and a corner that won't get dug up or trampled. This is why a toad abode is so critical if you are keen to entice these slug hunters to stick around in your yard. This abode will prevent them from desiccating during hot afternoons. If you want them to stay (and feed), their needs are few – and easy to arrange.

What Exactly is a Toad Abode?

A toad abode is a refuge, a cool, dim and slightly damp pocket that a toad can slip into during the day and come back to night after night. Wild toads find this under flat rocks, in root hollows, or beneath dense ground cover. The toad abode we are talking about just puts this somewhere useful on purpose. It’s our way of helping them enjoy something in our yards that they seek out in the wild. By creating a specific abode, you are essentially providing a luxury suite that mimics these natural conditions, keeping them safer from lawnmowers and domestic pets.

Nothing elaborate is required. An upturned terracotta pot with a notch chipped into the rim works fine, as does a loose stack of flat stones with a gap underneath. The essentials are shade from the afternoon sun, a little retained moisture, and a position where the toad can reach the beds it will be working through after dark. USDA zones don't limit where toads can live, but the design of your abode can help them adapt.

In hotter southern regions, a toad abode should be buried slightly deeper into the soil to keep it cool. In northern zones, providing a stack of stones nearby helps the toad find a place to overwinter once October frosts arrive. The goal is to create a dim, damp, and predator-proof pocket that stays about 10-15 degrees cooler than the ambient air temperature. And honestly, it’s very easy to make this happen.

Creating a Simple Toad Abode

The pot method is the simplest place to start. Grab a terracotta pot, 6-12 inches (15-30cm) in diameter, and chip a curved entry notch into the rim. A brick corner or old chisel will work fine. You want the opening to be about 2-3 inches (5-8cm) wide, wide enough for the toad to get through. Flip it upside down onto bare, damp soil, somewhere sheltered. Clay pots stay naturally cool, hold a bit of moisture and produce the sort of dark snug interior a toad will appreciate. Terracotta is lovely, because it is porous, meaning it breathes, and stays cool through evaporation.

There’s also a stone version, which uses a bit more material, but disappears into the garden naturally. Find a sheltered corner, drop a flat stone down as a floor, prop a couple more on either side as walls, and bridge them with a larger flat stone for a roof. Pack some moss or damp leaves around the outside, and within a week it will look like it grew there. Toads also prefer a back door. If you can leave a tiny gap at the rear of your stone abode, the toad feels safer knowing it has an escape route.

Whichever option you choose, set your toad abode on bare or lightly mulched soil, as toads want direct ground contact to regulate their moisture levels. If you're not the DIY type, by the way, there is another option. You can buy cute toad houses online that are ready to go. For something on a budget, try the Mushroom Toad House from Amazon, which is designed for amphibians in tanks but works just as well outdoors. Or, for something a little fancier, try the gorgeously glazed, naturalistic and very snug Ceramic Toad House from Uncommon Goods, with colors perfectly suited to the needs of your shy and weary toad.

Where to Set the Welcome Mat

In some ways, placement can matter more than build. Afternoon sun is the main thing to avoid. A toad abode in full sun through the hottest part of the day will turn into an oven, and no toad will stay there. Aim for north or east-facing spots, and anywhere sheltered by a wall, or tucked behind a dense shrub like a boxwood, a hedgerow, or a compost heap. The cooler and damper, the better. The best locations are damp hollows, those low spots in the garden where moisture naturally lingers after a rain.

Proximity to your suspected slug buffet is also key, so factor in where you might have spotted plenty of slug damage. Place your toad abode near a vegetable bed, or a perennial border with known pressure, to put the toad right at the source of the slug problem, somewhere its nightly patrol can do the most good. Creating a little water source is also appreciated by Mr (or Mrs) Toad, so try to place your abode near a water supply. Fill a shallow dish, like the Small Rock Water Bowls from Walmart, with a little rain water. Toads don't need to swim, but they do need to soak and rehydrate.

Toad-Friendly Plants to Grow

The right plants act as umbrellas for toads, providing the shade and humidity they crave. Toads are attracted to plants with broad, low-hanging leaves that create a micro-climate at the soil level. Ferns, hostas, and columbines are perfect for this, as their foliage arches over the ground to trap moisture. Large-leaved sage (Salvia macrophylla) is another winner. Its large, textured leaves provide excellent cover, while its flowers attract the insects toads love to snack on. You can find some lovely hostas at Nature Hills, including ‘Elegans’, ‘Big Daddy’ and ‘Earth Angel’ varieties – perfect for shape (and it doesn’t hurt that they are alluring to slugs).

Texture matters more than fragrance. Toads prefer soft, non-spiny plants at the ground level. Wild bergamot and sedges provide the dense, grass-like cover that helps toads move through the garden unseen by predators like hawks. You can buy EverColor ‘Everillo’ Sedge Plants from Walmart. Avoid planting toad abodes near heavy-fragrance deterrent plants like rue or lavender, though, as the strong oils can sometimes be off-putting to their sensitive skin.

How to Make a Toad Friendly Yard

The abode gets a toad through the door. The rest of the garden is what keeps it there. Pesticides and slug pellets are the biggest threat: metaldehyde in particular is toxic to toads. Even if they don’t eat the pellet, eating a poisoned slug can be fatal. Some iron phosphate products can also harm toads, and a territory full of poisoned prey isn't one worth defending. If you are tempted to double your efforts with pellets, switch to something safer, like Garden Safe Slug & Snail Bait from Walmart.

Another toad-friendly addition are wild zones. A pile of logs in a corner, or a patch of leaf litter, can provide secondary hunting grounds and breeding spots for the insects that toads eat. Dense ground cover and rough edges are assets from a toad’s point of view. Water is the single biggest draw. Toads breed in standing water in spring, and a garden with a small pond is far more likely to keep a toad around than one without. A half-barrel, a sunken washing-up bowl or a wide shallow dish can help transform your yard into a toad haven. Just ensure there is a sloped edge or a ramp (like a few stacked stones) so your toads can get in and out safely.

More Slug Control Methods to Try

A settled toad handles serious slug pressure on its own, but a multi-layered approach to pest control can make life easier. Copper tape around raised beds puts up a barrier slugs don't much like crossing. You can buy Lovimag Copper Tape from Amazon. Sharp grit or crushed eggshells around vulnerable plants won't stop every slug, but they can help as an extra preventative measure, especially if the pieces are large, uneven and pointy. Nematodes (microscopic organisms that go after slugs underground) are dependable organic slug control tools to use in tandem with your toads. These can be watered into the soil to target slugs before they even surface.

Beer traps earn their keep in high-pressure spots. A container sunk flush with the soil and filled with cheap beer pulls slugs in and they don't come back out. Torch patrols on warm damp evenings with a bucket of salty water are unglamorous, but they can also work. None of this should replace a good toad, but layered together, it amounts to a chemical-free approach that actually holds and keeps your garden going strong. As a small note, diatomaceous earth should be used sparingly: it can be abrasive to a toad’s skin if they have to crawl through it. Otherwise, a few good options can bring reassurance, fewer slugs, and healthier plants.

How Toads Help Boost Your Soil

While the slug-munching is a serious advantage all on its own, a single toad’s contribution to soil health is a lovely bonus which is well worth factoring in. While toads aren't deep-diggers like earthworms, their habit of burrowing into loose soil and mulch to stay cool during the day helps turn over the top layer of earth. This shuffling allows oxygen and water to reach plant roots more effectively, preventing soil compaction in high-traffic beds. This natural soil aeration is a significant boost to plant health over a continued growing season.

And let’s not dismiss the impact of all that toad tea that will be getting deposited into the earth. As toads consume thousands of nitrogen-rich insects, they deposit waste that acts as a concentrated, organic micro-fertilizer. This toad tea is delivered directly onto the soil at the base of plants. It’s a slow-release nutrient boost that happens entirely behind the scenes. Having a resident toad is like having a tiny, mobile composting unit that deposits fertilizer exactly where it's needed.

Furthermore, toads are amongst the few predators that tackle ants. If you’ve struggled with ants protecting (also known as farming) aphid colonies on your perennials, a resident toad is your best line of defense, intercepting the ants before they can climb your stems. All this for the price of a pot or a few stones? Sounds like a win to me. Happy slug busting!

Shop Toad Friendly Essentials

Turn your backyard into the place to be for passing toads. By combining a cozy shelter with excellent coverage and hydration options, you're creating a balanced ecosystem that sets the scene for exciting slug-busting adventures. These top-rated essentials will help you roll out the red carpet for your new favorite garden guests.

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I'm always looking for unique, practical garden gifts for my family. For my dad's recent birthday, I decided to skip the standard hand tools and gloves and get him something a little different: a cedar bat house from Amazon. Honestly, it was a massive hit. He absolutely loves watching them swoop around at dusk, but the real benefit of this gift is the more that the bats are a natural form of pest control.

If you hate dealing with summer bugs, you need to know this one simple fact: bats are absolute mosquito-eating machines. By providing a safe place for them to roost, you can completely transform your summer evenings.

Bats are Nature's Pest Control

When we talk about preparing our yards for spring and summer, pest control is always at the top of the list. But if you hate using harsh chemical bug sprays, sticky traps, or smelly citronella candles, you need a natural alternative.

Bats are nature's ultimate pest control team. A single small bat can eat over a thousand bugs in just one hour! They effortlessly clear the air of mosquitoes, moths, and gnats while you sleep. But how do you get these elusive nighttime heroes to actually visit your patio? The answer is simple: installing a high-quality bat box will attract them right to your yard.

Where To Hang Your Bat House

Unlike spraying harsh chemicals or setting up a mosquito trap, attracting bats takes a little bit of patience and strategic placement. When we set up my dad's gift, we learned that bats are actually quite picky about their real estate!

To make your yard as welcoming as possible, you want to mount your bat house at least 12 to 20 feet off the ground to protect them from predators. They also love warmth, so aim for a spot on a pole or the side of a building (rather than a shady tree) that faces east or south to catch that crucial morning sun. Finally, make sure to keep it away from bright patio lights that might disturb them at night.

It can sometimes take a full season for a colony to discover your new house, but once they move in, they will return year after year. It's an incredibly rewarding, zero-effort solution to your mosquito problems — and it's so much fun to watch them take flight right at dusk!

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Bringing beneficial wildlife into your backyard will help control mosquitoes, ants, slugs and snails as well as pollinate veggies and fruit trees for abundant crops. And, while a food supply will attract these helpful critters, providing habitat will keep them in your garden and support their lifecycles, ensuring sustainable, natural pest control for years to come.

Birds like swallows, martins and bluebirds are aerial insectivores, meaning they’re highly skilled at catching food on the wing – and mozzies are on their menu. Bats, too, eat an enormous amount of mosquitoes. And even a tiny house wren will eat up to a thousand bugs and spiders per day.

Toads have a huge appetite for garden pests, too, and estimates suggest a single toad eats over a hundred slugs, snails and insects every night. And while toads needs to visit a pond to breed, this amphibian can live up to three miles from a water source so provide a damp, shady abode and one might move in and keep on top of your garden slug and snail population.

Ladybugs are incredibly efficient at controlling aphids, another common garden pest. An adult ladybug eats around 50 aphids in a day, and their larvae devour twice that amount. Add bees and butterflies, both to pollinate vegetable plants and form part of the food chain to feed birds, and you create a backyard ecosystem that will naturally take care of your garden pest control. This is a boon, especially if you garden organically so don't want to use chemical solutions.

So, no matter how big or small your backyard, making room for a wildlife house is a wise move. Spring is a great time to add habitat to your garden as lots of creatures are actively looking for shelter. Here’s my pick of habitats that are as stylish as they are snug, so they work as outdoor decor as well as supporting the critters that’ll keep on top of garden pests.

Stylish Toad Abodes

Site your toad house in a quiet, shady and damp spot in your garden, ideally facing north away from direct sun.

Bonny Birdhouses

Location is key to birds occupying a nestbox. Site the box 5–12 feet high, preferably on a north- or east-facing wall to avoid direct sun and wet winds. It’s vital that birds have a clear flight path to and from the box.

Snug Ladybug Nooks

Ladybugs will shelter, breed and hibernate in any safe, dry nook or cranny in your garden. It’s easy to make your own ladybug habitat by stuffing any natural material that creates a multitude of small spaces, such as pinecones, dry leaves and hollow stems, inside a waterproof container such as a plant pot, laid on its side in a sheltered spot. Or plant some natural shelter that brings garden good looks as well as favored cover for these natural pest predators.

Border Pollinator Palaces

Push a staked mixed bug hotel into a border full of nectar-rich blooms for pollinators to add accommodation to the buffet already on offer. All these bug hotels will support ladybugs and lacewings as well as solitary bees and butterflies.

Brilliant Butterfly Shelters

Butterflies don’t eat any garden pests but they do produce caterpillars which will attract birds who do. A surprising number of butterflies hibernate, and providing habitat will also offer them shelter from bad weather and predators.

Handsome Bat Boxes

A bat can eat the equivalent of half its bodyweight in insects in a night, so it makes good sense to give them a place to roost if your garden is plagued with mozzies.

Solitary Bee Barns

While bees don’t control pests, they contribute greatly to a garden food chain, for an effective pest-prevention ecosystem. Solitary bees are docile and don’t swarm – males don’t even have a sting, and females only sting if handled roughly – so are considered safe in gardens. Different species like to use holes of different sizes to lay their eggs, so always look for a bee hotel with variously sized tubes. Site your bee hotel in a sunny, sheltered, south- or south-east facing spot, 3–6 feet above the ground, for plenty of guests.

Many of us try to eat certain types of food in order to stay healthy or fuel a workout. One of the most popular regimens is the high-protein diet, where a significant portion of daily calories comes from sources like lean meats, eggs, beans, and nuts. Hummingbirds are the ultimate athletes of the avian world, and they, too, favor a high-protein diet. In fact, during the breeding season, around 80% of their diet consists of protein and meat. But their version of a protein shake isn't one you’d want to share. Their primary protein sources are soft-bodied insects and spiders, which provide the essential amino acids needed to repair flight muscles and produce eggs.

If you spy a returning or nesting hummingbird in your yard in April, it is often running on empty. It has either crossed the Gulf of Mexico and been traveling up the coast, or it has been scouring the neighborhood for tasty treats for hungry nippers. While nectar provides energy for flight, protein is a vital building block. By providing a protein station to attract hummingbirds, you're actively participating in the survival of a species that weighs less than a nickel. Yes, of course nectar is important. But if you want the hummers to stay in your yard rather than just passing through, you need to offer them a full-course meal.

Hummers migrate on a strict internal clock. Depending on your latitude, they can arrive as early as February in the Pacific Northwest or as late as May in the higher elevations of the Rockies. It’s a good idea to put out your feeders and protein stations at least two weeks before the expected arrival date. This ensures that the first birds to arrive (known as the scouts) mark your yard as a reliable food source – and makes it far more likely they will nest near you (if they haven’t already) and keep coming back for more tasty treats. Here is how to create a protein-rich fruit fly buffet for these precious jewel-toned visitors.

Why Hummers Need Protein Now

Hummingbirds are very hungry birds. To put this in perspective, they need to consume roughly half their body weight in sugar and hundreds of insects every single day to feed their high metabolisms. A nesting female may spend up to 80% of her day foraging for insects to feed not just herself, but her rapidly growing chicks. Nectar from feeders and key hummer-friendly flowers can provide the glucose that keeps them darting like tiny, self-powered paper airplanes. But hummingbirds cannot live on nectar and sugar-water alone.

They also need to build and maintain muscle, and that requires protein. Furthermore, protein also helps these fast-flying pollinators grow their iridescent feathers. Without it, they cannot maintain the structural integrity that allows them to hover. In April, this need reaches a fever pitch. Female hummingbirds are in construction mode, using spider silk to weave tiny nests and preparing to lay eggs. The eggs themselves require significant protein and calcium stores from the mother's body. Protein gives the kick to help mama hummers get through the breeding and nesting season.

Providing a protein bar has another purpose. On chilly April nights, hummingbirds enter a state of suspended animation to save energy. When they wake up, they need a massive influx of proteins to reboot. So how can you do your bit, and what exactly is this protein buffet, anyway?

How Your Fruit Bowl Can Help

Setting out fruit bowls can help local hummers get protein. Fruit that contains protein, you might be asking? What I’m referring to are the swarms of insects that want to share the contents if they get left a little too long. These are mostly fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and ants, and it is these small bugs that give hummingbirds protein. The hummers will happily devour the protein-rich fruit flies and the ants that treat the fruit bowl as a siren song.

Take the term “fruit bowl” loosely. For your garden-based protein bar, you can use anything that works – the key is elevation and accessibility. As part of a respectable hummingbird sanctuary, I like to use a hanging basket to hold overripe fruit scraps. Think of it as a homemade hummingbird feeder that costs you zero dollars. Use the peels, cores, and mushy bits of bananas, melons, or berries. These are just pieces of fruit you would otherwise toss, so this birdy buffet needn’t cost you a dime.

You can also place the fruit in a mesh bag, then hang the bag near your nectar feeder. Soon, it will be surrounded by a cloud of fruit flies, and hummers will come in for a meal. They love to catch the bugs mid-air (a behavior called hawking) and these flying protein snacks are packed with the fats and proteins hummers crave. By hanging the 'protein bar' directly above the nectar, you create a multi-course meal. The birds will sip their sugar, then dart upward to catch the fruit flies that naturally escape from the jar’s vents. It’s effortless, tidy, and keeps the meat and sugar courses perfectly aligned for a hungry hummer.

If you don’t want to DIY this, you can use a high-quality saucer-style feeder to house the fruit. The Aspects HummZinger HighView Hummingbird Feeder, available from Amazon, has a simple, leak-proof design. The feeding ports provide the perfect exit for protein-rich clouds of fruit flies. Place a few bits of fruit in the bowl, snap the lid back on, and hang on a hook near or above the nectar feeder. Because the HummZinger has a perch, the hummingbirds can sit and pick the flies right out of the air as they emerge from the ports, or dart up from the nectar feeder below.

Or, if you fancy something even more bespoke for hungry hummers, you can treat yourself to a Humm-Bug Hummingbird Feeder. This unique feeder, available via the Wild Bird Store, houses fruit scraps while allowing flies to exit through small holes for the birds to harvest. This keeps your yard looking tidy, while generating a constant supply of live protein. It comes with a cable to hang it near nectar rich flowers.

Great Protein Buffet Nibbles

But that’s not all, folks! There are other protein dish options. If live insects for hummingbird feeding freak you out, you can buy dried insects and puff them up in water. Yes, still a bit icky, but to a hummingbird, these reconstituted bugs are natural treats. Another real-insect option is a box of live mealworms. You can purchase these at the garden store. Take the box home then release the mealworms on the bird feeder. The hummingbirds will have a blast hunting them down and eating them.

Another low-ick option is a commercial hummingbird food with added protein. This can include any number of common ingredients, like egg white powder, high-protein spirulina powder, or even brewer’s yeast. To help you transition from simple sugar to a full-spectrum diet this spring, these curated items can help you provide the meat course your nesting hummingbirds need:

Unwanted Pests and Other Problems

No great garden treat comes without a little risk, even your modest fruit fly buffet. While rotting fruit is great for attracting protein, it can also attract uninvited guests like wasps, yellow jackets, larger birds, and raccoons. To keep bees at bay, ensure your nectar feeders have bee guards, small mesh covers that prevent bees from reaching the sugar, but which allow long hummingbird tongue through. When it comes to wasp proofing, wasps are often attracted to the same fermenting smells as fruit flies. If they become aggressive, move your fruit-fly station 10-15 feet (3-4.5m) away from your nectar feeders. This decoy strategy often works beautifully. The wasps stay with the fruit, while the hummers can enjoy the nectar in peace.

While hummingbirds do eat ants, a massive trail can crawl into nectar feeders and drown, fouling the water. Use an ant moat (a small cup of water that sits above the feeder) to create a barrier they cannot cross. You can get pretty tulip-style shaped ant moats such as Holahoma Glass Ant Moats, available from Walmart, to add an effective moat and also a pretty hummingbird station accent. Finally, be mindful of “bully birds” like blue jays or crows. They might be attracted to the fruit or activity. If your feeders keep getting tipped over, look for models without perches. Hummingbirds are perfectly capable of hovering while they eat. Many larger birds are not, and will find the perchless feeders too much work to bother with.

Other Ways to Help Your Hummers

Avoid the urge to over-prune in April. Those dead flower stalks and leaf piles are where spiders (a primary protein source) hide. A balanced diet for a hummer includes nectar from wildflowers, sugar-water from the feeder, small bugs and insects for protein. This combination is important to keep them in top form. As spring kicks in, be sure to add to your nectar-rich flowers and plants to give hummingbird friends a helping hand.

Check your cleaning habits. If your feeders have been in the shed all winter, soak them in a 1:10 solution of bleach and water, then rinse thoroughly. Mold (black spots) can be fatal to hummingbirds, causing tongue swelling that prevents eating. Before spring flowers bloom, try a few visual decoys to make your protein buffet even more desirable (and visible!). Tie 10-inch (25cm) lengths of red tape or ribbons to branches. This acts as a signal to high-flyers that your yard is the hot spot for tasty treats, even if your pollinator-friendly perennials are still waking up.

Shop Hummer Essentials

You've sorted out your protein bar, prepped your sticky fruit slices for the fruit flies and ants, and stashed away some mealworms for good measure, but if you still need some help with the core staples, try these hummer-friendly essentials. From natural fibers to sugar-rich nibbles, these curated finds bring balance to your hummingbird sanctuary.

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Did you know you have a birth month bug? From glowing fireflies on warm summer nights to industrious honeybees working tirelessly across the country, insects are the unsung characters of our natural world. And just like birds or blossoms, they carry their own deeply symbolic meanings.

Oh yes, we know; we’ve long been told our personalities can be shaped by the stars, flowers, even the animals we’re born under. Birth month birds, birth month animals, and even birth month butterflies have all had their moment in the cultural spotlight, offering whimsical (and sometimes surprisingly accurate) reflections of who we are.

Insects, though? Well, insects are among the oldest and most successful land creatures. They were the first animals to develop flight and colonize land. They pre-date dinosaurs by over 170 million years . They are absolutely integral to life on this planet – so, yes, it makes sense they have a lot to say about our place in the natural world.

All 12 Birth Month Bugs

It's far easier to swoon over your birth month tree than it is a teeny insect, but size isn't everything; after all, these small but essential garden allies help pollinate, protect, and balance our outdoor spaces.

So whether you’re tending a backyard plot in the Northeast or a year-round garden in the South, it's well worth reading up on your birth month bug. It might reveal something surprisingly charming about your personality, not to mention your place in the natural world.

Time to set up a bug hotel, grab yourself a drink, and settle down for a read...

January – Lacewing

Sensitive, observant, quietly intelligent, and far more powerful than you first appear, you tend to move through the world with a kind of careful awareness – watching patterns, noticing shifts in mood, environment, and energy before anyone else has clocked them. People may underestimate you and your birth month bug at first, but that’s usually their mistake.

In the garden, lacewings are silent protectors, as their larvae are voracious predators of aphids, mites, and other soft-bodied pests. In fact, it might be better to think of them as one of the most effective natural pest controls. Plant dill, fennel, coriander, and yarrow to attract them, and avoid using broad-spectrum pesticides that disrupt early-season populations.

February – Firefly

Born in February? Then your birth month bug is the firefly, making you a romantic, nostalgic, and quietly magnetic person who carries a sense of wonder that never quite fades with age. There’s something luminous about you, even in stillness, and you tend to believe in small magic: timing, intuition, and moments that can’t quite be explained.

Fireflies are indicators of healthy ecosystems and low light pollution, as their glow is entirely dependent on balance in the landscape. To attract them, reduce outdoor lighting, keep long grass or meadow patches, and incorporate native plants that retain moisture like these...

March – Ladybug

March babies everywhere, good news; your birth bug is the ladybug (or ladybird, depending on your preference). Optimistic, protective, and quietly unshakeable, you tend to be the person others rely on without even realising it – largely due to your habit of restoring balance wherever things feel off.

Ladybugs are among the most beloved beneficial insects across the world, acting as natural pest controllers by consuming vast numbers of aphids and scale insects. Treat them, then, like the good friends they are, and take care to grow pollen-rich flowers not to mention provide shelter through leaf litter or insect hotels.

April – Praying Mantis

April-borns have a humdinger of a birth month bug to brag about: the praying mantis! Much like your special soul insect, you are focused, deliberate, and intensely perceptive, and you don’t rush decisions (quite the opposite, in fact). There’s something almost meditative in your ability to wait for the right moment, and when you act, it tends to matter. People often find you intriguing because you reveal very little, but see very much.

Praying mantises are apex garden predators, helping control everything from beetles to caterpillars. Show them some love by planting tall grasses and shrubs for egg-laying sites.

May – Ground Beetle

Grounded, dependable, and quietly heroic, your birth month bug is the ground beetle, which means you’re the kind of person who keeps things running without needing recognition. You’re practical, steady, and deeply connected to the idea that consistency is its own form of strength. You prefer doing over performing.

Guess what? Ground beetles are essential nocturnal predators, feeding on slugs, snails, and other soil-dwelling pests that damage roots and seedlings. Make sure you leave mulch, logs, and stones for them to shelter in, and keep soil slightly undisturbed.

Shop Insect Houses:

June – Spider

Arachnid. We know it's an arachnid, not an insect – but the spider went to the Ugly Bug Ball, so we say it's a bug. And, as it so happens, it's the birth month bug for June babies everywhere. Much like the creative, independent, and deeply strategic spider, you build your life carefully (thread by thread!), trusting your own design more than outside instruction. You’re resourceful in ways people often only notice in hindsight, when everything you’ve built quietly holds together.

Spiders are natural pest controllers across all USDA zones, reducing fly, mosquito, and moth populations without chemical intervention. Try to plant shrubs, tall plants, and ground cover so you create lots of natural habitats for them, and avoid disrupting webs unless necessary.

July – Honeybee

Congratulations on your birth month bug, July babies; if there's ever a big that gardeners love wholeheartedly, it's bees. Hardworking, social, and purpose-driven, you thrive when there’s meaning behind what you do. You’re collaborative by nature, often acting as the glue in your community, even when you don’t realise it. There’s a steady, rhythmic energy to you... and you create a real buzz wherever you go.

Honeybees are critical pollinators, supporting both wild ecosystems and food production systems, so plant nectar-rich flowers like lavender, sunflowers, echinacea, and borage, and avoid pesticide use during bloom periods.

Keep Bees And Bugs Happy:

August – Hoverfly

Is your birth month bug a hoverfly? Amazing news! Adaptable, light-hearted, and deceptively important, you move through life with ease, often underestimated because of your effortless versatility. You don’t stay stuck in one role for long; you adjust, shift, and respond with surprising intelligence.

Hoverflies are dual-purpose allies: adults pollinate flowers while larvae consume aphids in large numbers. Try growing flat-topped flowers like yarrow, alyssum, and wild carrot to attract them, and allow some “messy” garden edges to remain.

September – Butterfly

Lucky September babies have the beautiful butterfly as their birth month bug. It means that you are someone who understands that change is not a disruption but a process. You carry transformation with a kind of grace (even when it’s uncomfortable!) and tend to emerge from shifts more defined than before. You're every bit as expressive as you are constantly evolving, and people love to see you arrive.

Butterflies are key pollinators and biodiversity indicators, signaling healthy ecosystems. Be sure to plant milkweed seeds like these (for monarchs), as well as coneflower, zinnias, and native wildflowers, and avoid cutting back plants too early in the fall.

October – Dragonfly

As a fellow October baby, this writer is pleased as punch to report that our birth month bug is the intuitive dragonfly. This means that we are emotionally intelligent and strikingly perceptive, often seeing through surface-level noise quickly. There’s a calm intensity to us; observant rather than reactive, grounded rather than easily swayed.

Dragonflies are powerful mosquito predators, thriving near clean water sources and balanced ecosystems, so add ponds or water features, include aquatic plants, and avoid chemical runoff in garden areas.

November – Soldier Beetle

This is one of the more unusual birth month bugs on the list, but it's a great one to be aligned with! Resilient, steady, and quietly dependable, the soldier beetle's influence means you show up even when conditions aren’t ideal. There’s a quiet endurance in your nature; you don’t need perfect circumstances to function, and often become more valuable when things get difficult.

Soldier beetles are both pollinators and predators, supporting late-season garden health when many insects decline. Keep yours happy by planting goldenrod (we love this fireworks goldenrod from Nature Hills), asters, and other late-blooming flowers that provide nectar into fall.

December – Robber Fly

Robber flies are aerial predators that help control pest insect populations, maintaining natural balance in open habitats. They are also, though, strangely adorable, making them a very photogenic birth month bug. If this one's yours, it marks you as being bold, focused, and fiercely independent. As such, you operate with a kind of unapologetic clarity. You don’t waste time on hesitation; you move when it matters, and you tend to trust your instincts over consensus.

To attract more robber flies, try to maintain sunny, open spaces with perching points like bare stems, rocks, and low vegetation. Easy, right?

Whichever birth month bug you have, and whether you related to its personality or not, there's no denying that all of this serves as an important reminder to pay attention to the busy garden helpers we tend to overlook.

After all, we wouldn't get by without them.

Whether you're a diehard ornithologist in the making or not, there’s something truly magical about spotting the first bird of the morning. Whether it’s a flash of movement outside the window or a familiar shape on the fence, that brief moment often lingers longer than you’d expect.

For many of us, our favorite garden birds are the most visible sign of wildlife at home, reflecting seasonal change, local habitats, and the subtle rhythms of the natural world. They bring beauty to otherwise ordinary mornings, helping to mark the start of the day in a way that feels instinctively meaningful, no matter which part of the US you're in.

We know already that the bird we see most in our garden says everything about our gardening style. Did you know, though, that some people like to think the first bird they see might offer a small hint about the tone of the day ahead, too?

The First Bird of the Day

Do you spend all of your time pressed up against the window watching the birds in your garden? Us too!

While there’s nothing scientific about it, it's nice to wonder what it might mean if a particular bird appears first. With that in mind, then, let's dive on in...

If You See a Mourning Dove...

... ease into calm and reflection.

Doves have a gentle, soothing presence. Seeing one, then, is your sign to plan for a slower, more thoughtful day – one that makes space for reflection, rest, or simply taking things at your own pace.

If You See a Ruby-throated Hummingbird...

... prep for joy!

Hummingbirds are often associated with energy, resilience, and moments of joy. Spotting one early in the day can feel like a reminder to move lightly through whatever comes next – and to notice the small sources of happiness around you.

If You See a Northern Cardinal...

... get ready for a boost of confidence.

Yes, with its bold red coloring, the cardinal stands out for a reason. Seeing one may reflect a day where you feel more self-assured, ready to speak up, or take the lead, so lean into that energy if you can.

If You See a Black-Capped Chickadee...

... get curious about the world.

Small but full of personality, chickadees bring a sense of curiosity and playful awareness. Spotting one might suggest a day to stay adaptable, notice details, and not take things too seriously.

If You See an American Robin...

... make it a day of fresh starts.

Robins are often associated with renewal and new beginnings, so spotting one early on can signal a day of quiet progress – whether that's tying up loose ends, starting something new, or simply feeling a little more optimistic. Al good advice from our feathered friend, we say!

If You See a Blue Jay...

... enjoy a day of clarity and focus.

Blue jays are intelligent and assertive birds. It makes sense, then, that their presence can hint at a day where communication is key – whether that’s making decisions, setting boundaries, or simply being heard.

If You See an American Goldfinch...