How to Create a Year-round Bird Sanctuary with Flowering Trees

Bird lovers enjoy finding ways to attract a variety of birds to their backyards. One way to do this is to create a year-round bird sanctuary with a variety of flowering trees. As winter slowly melts into spring, soon trees begin budding. Finally, they blossom into full, attractive flowering tree with scent and beauty. With proper planning and knowledge, bird lovers can create a gorgeous springtime showplace that not only provides a home for birds in the spring months, but also a year-round sanctuary for a wide variety of native bird species.

The key to creating a year-round bird sanctuary is to select an assortment of trees and shrubs that offer a consistent supply of food over the whole year. The next step is to group these trees together into an attractive habitat that birds will be unable to resist. To provide a sufficient amount of food for the variety of birds that will be attracted, be sure to include enough flowering trees of each variety. The final touch is adding a bird bath or some other water source for drinking and bathing. Water gardens add a great touch. Following are a few plants and trees that provide a dependable food source for a variety of birds.

The ornamental dogwoods are a favorite among many. Their bright and vibrant colors add stunning beauty to any landscape, and they are also excellent spring and summer food source for approximately forty species of birds. Dogwoods produce a dark, berry-like fruit at maturity that provides one of the best food sources for birds in spring and late into the summer.

When considering caring for your bird sanctuary into the fall months, choose Viburnum Roseum. This shrub produces a good supply of mature berries that will provide food for your birds throughout the fall and early winter.

Larger birds like turkeys and pheasants feed on oak trees. They provide an excellent source of food for the autumn months. Keep in mind that blue jays and several species of woodpeckers find them appealing as well.

When it comes to the winter months, one of the best sources of flowering trees is the crabapple. Though the fruit from crabapple trees can be tough and marble-like, after several good freezes and thaws, the fruit becomes edible to birds. Crabapple trees are a very reliable source of food and nutrition for a wide variety of birds during the winter months.

As you can see, with careful planning and design using flowering trees, creating an attractive bird sanctuary is easy and manageable for just about anyone. Knowing you’ve created shelter for a variety of species of birds year round is quite rewarding as well.