Unique Birdhouse Boutique

Fresh water in a birdbath is by far one of the best ways to entice song birds to your yard. Even those who may not use birdhouses or feeders will usually stop by for a sip or dip! You can count on this, be it extreme summer heat…or frigid winter months, a birdbath is a necessity if you’re trying to attract wild birds to your yard.

Adding accessories like birdbath drippers, water wigglers or misters works like a visual magnet to birds, the difference is amazing. Moving water attracts birds like you wouldn’t believe! The added benefits are no stagnant water and the water stays cleaner longer. Also, nasty mosquitoes can not lay eggs in moving water.

In our birdbaths at home, you’ll find two water wigglers and two drippers…our birds love them and we’d never go back to standing water.

It’s a known fact that hummingbirds practice site fidelity – if they find great accommodations, there’s a very good chance they’ll return the following season. If you love watching the tiny sprites and have  window hummingbird feeders or hanging ones, there’s a couple more things you can offer to accommodate more hummingbirds, and keep them coming back.

They love water, and if it’s moving water – even better! Birdbath accessories like fountains and drippers act like a magnet for hummingbirds. I think the leaf misters might just be their favorite. The way they dance, back and forth to play and bathe in the fine mist is mesmerizing. I could sit and observe for hours if there were time. We have two misters, one is upright, staked in the ground, wrapped around a simple green plant stake with a twistie to hold the nozzle in place. The other is up higher, and more horizontal, off the front porch railing, attached to a metal bracket. They really love these things!

Another wonderful accessory (actually endorsed by The Hummingbird Society) is Hummer Helper Nesting Material. It’s a kit with a hanging, red flat basket, and nest material. Goldfinches use this material as well to build their nests. The good thing with the kit is that refills are also sold separately. Our kit saw a lot of activity last season, but I never could figure out where the nests were?

Try it and see for yourself!

Entice butterflies to your yard with butterfly feeders and these simple tricks:

Butterfly feeders, either nectar or fruit can crafted pretty simply with household items. Over-ripe fruit (like bananas, melons or oranges) may be placed on a saucer and set on a tree trunk or stake. They’ll attract fruit flies, which butterflies consume for protein too. To hang butterfly feeders,  use sisal rope or twine with a grapevine wreath for the base. The secret is sunny locations as butterflies love warm sun. If using nectar in a shallow bowl, add a sponge (a new one) to absorb the liquid as butterflies will consume the nectar in this fashion. Also, no need to purchase nectar, it’s the same solution used for hummingbirds. 1 Part sugar to 4 parts water. Never use anything but plain table sugar. Boiling is not necessary, but helps to dissolve the sugar more efficiently.

Water is another attractant, but butterflies won’t drink from an open source. Leaf misters are great, as they leave tiny puddles around where the mist falls. Butterflies will flit in and out of the gentle spray.

Using a waterless pond will attract the flying flowers too. Simply gather heat-absorbing rocks and place them on their side in a sunny location. Design a small circle, square, or free-form with rocks close together, an inch or two deep. Add sand and salts and keep moist to further attract butterflies. Line the area with plastic to keep the salts from seeping into your soil.

When placing feeders, misters, or rock baths, it’s best to have them in, or in close proximity to your butterfly garden. Use host plants and nectar plants for best results.

Milkweed is a great, natural butterfly feeder, and so are nectar feeders. The sugar water recipe is the same as hummingbirds’ but butterflies will not use these feeders. Nectar feeders may be open, or have a sponge in them to absorb the liquid. A small dish works well, set on a porch rail, or hung from a shepherd’s hook or branch. Over-ripened fruit is adored by butterflies too, just be sure it does not mold.

Sadly, natural butterfly habitats are being decimated by the elimination of weeds and native grasses from yards, and chemical pesticides. Create a butterfly habitat in your garden with these simple tips:

Water: Butterflies will not drink from an open water source. They consume liquids by puddling, getting moisture from wet sand or soil, or shallow puddles. A leaf mister is a wonderful accessory to attract butterflies as the puddling process is constant.

Shelter: Mature, woody plants near your nectar producing flowers will provide butterflies with shelter during bad weather and at night. You may also want to consider a butterfly house.

Host plants: The host plants are ones that provide a site for butterflies to lay eggs and a food source for the emerging caterpillar. You may need to keep heavy mulch on these plants. Some host plants include: Thistle, Milkweed, Wild Cherry, Grasses, Nettle, Violet, Poplar, and Willow.

Food Sources for Nectar: Include Shrubs and annual flowers like; Azaleas, Lilac, Viburnums, Privets, Impatients, Marigolds, Alyssum, Cosmos, Verbena and Zinnias. Perennials include: Bee Balm, Butterfly Weed, Phlox, Seedum, Goldenrod, Coneflower, Thistle and more.

Start creating your butterfly-friendly habitat this spring and enjoy these flying flowers’ who will grace your yard!

Moving water in a bird bath will make a huge difference in the numbers and species who frequent it. In fact, a fresh water source is one of the best ways to attract more birds. This is because all species of wild birds do not use birdhouses and bird feeders.

So if water is the best way to attract them…moving water is even better! Like a visual magnet to birds, the gentle ripples of a water wiggler, or the slow, dripping from a copper tube commands their attention and keeps them coming back. The difference is really hard to believe until you’ve tried it! Whether you have a ground bath, deck-mount model, tall ceramic bird bath, or the new hanging baths with built in misters, moving water is definitely where the action is.

Water is the single, most effective way to attract birds to your yard.

More so than birdhouses or feeders, a bird bath with fresh water entices more species of wild birds and keeps them coming back. Aside from this…moving water is the absolute bird magnet! Birds can’t resist a gentle spray from a mister, or the trickling, glistening water from a birdbath fountain. Even water wigglers, with their gentle ripples do double-duty to grab birds’ attention.

This large hanging bird bath has got to be the ultimate with it’s built in solar mister. The misting bird bath allows for birds to bathe and wade comfortably with it’s multi-level walk in feature. The textured surface, and ample perching areas are welcoming to most species of birds too.

Innovative and unique, the solar hanging bird bath is also available in electric red for ultimate hummingbird attraction, and vivid yellow to attract butterflies. Both hummingbirds and butterflies adore the gentle spray of a mister, and will flit back and forth through them daily.

If you’re looking for a last minute gift tat is sure to “wow” and one that will be used daily and enjoyed by many…check it out!

The single most effective way to attract birds to your yard is with a birdbath. Feathered friends who may never visit a feeder or use a birdhouse will always be tempted with a fresh water source. Especially in winter, during frigid temperatures when most shallow water sources tend to freeze over, a birdbath heater or deicer may be a life saver for many birds. Newer models, like the Heated Rock, or Matted versions are safe for all types of birdbaths too.

During warmer months, moving water is where it’s at! When birds catch a glimpse of the gentle ripples produced by a water wiggler, or the slow drip of a birdbath dripper, it’s like a visual magnet. Birdbath fountains will attract hummingbirds and many others too. They’re aesthetically pleasing in any environment, and make for excellent, long lasting gifts that will be used daily.

Leaf Misters are also wildly popular during warmer months. Butterflies and warblers love the gentle spray, and can be seen flitting back and forth through the mist. Hummingbirds adore these too. You can get creative with placement of these misters by staking them in the ground, attaching them to a bracket of your porch or deck, or the basic branch placement in a tree or shrub.

One of the other great advantages of having moving water in your birdbath is that mosquitoes can not lay their eggs, thus reducing the overall population in your yard.

You Must Try Misters Too!

Hummingbirds are in a league of their own…if you already attract and feed them-nothing more need be said. They’re the most anticipated of all migratory birds, and practice site fidelity. So if you’ve successfully accommodated them, chances are good they’ll be back next season. Basin and tube style hummingbird feeders work wonderfully for feeding the tiny jewels, although window hummingbird feeders will give you the advantage of close-up views.

Aside from feeders and nectar-producing flowers to attract them, hummingbirds need fresh water. Sticky nectar requires much bathing for their tiny feathers to function properly. They LOVE moving water too! Fountains and bubblers create the perfect bathing spots for them, as they’re able to perch and hover over moving water.

Leaf misters are hands-down one of their favorites. We have two at home that have been in use for several years. One mounted on the front porch rail, and one wrapped around a ground stake on the side of the house. Every year, we attract many hummers with this gentle misting spray, it’s an amazing site to behold!

Garden accents that are unique and functional

Butterflies will grace your garden if proper habitat is provided. Food, water and shelter are the basics…same as any other species!

These hand blown glass butterfly feeders add a touch of whimsy to any garden. The large staked flowers may be filled with butterfly nectar, or used to hold over-ripened fruit. They may also be used as butterfly baths when filled with water. Butterflies will feast on oranges, bananas, melons and berries, but be sure and discard molded fruit. Nature’s feeders include flowers like marigolds, hibiscus, butterfly weed, and lavender to name just a few.

Another way to use water as an attractant for butterflies is with leaf misters. The gentle spray will entice these flying flowers to your yard and keep them around for the season. Provide shelter from the elements and from predators through landscape and butterfly houses.

They’ve earned the nickname “flying flowers” as the grace and beauty of butterflies in the garden is marvelous.  If you enjoy seeing butterflies, there are steps you can take for maximum attraction next spring.  Creating Habitat that butterflies find alluring is actually pretty simple. A great article on “How to Make a Butterfly Garden” from the University of Kentucky’s Entomology Department, can be found here: http://www.ca.uky.edu/ENTOMOLOGY/entfacts/ef006.asp     Copy and paste this address in your browser’s address bar.

Food: Nectar is always an option, but butterflies adore over-ripe fruit.  Oranges, bananas, melons, and grapes are just a few of the fruits the enjoy.  Place fruit on a staked feeder dish, on the porch railing, or anywhere near the flower garden, raised where it may be seen. Be sure to remove if molded.

Water: Butterflies absolutely adore the gentle spray from Leaf Misters. You’ll see them flit back and forth through the fine mist daily once you’ve attracted them to your yard

Shelter: By providing butterfly houses, you’re offering shelter from both the elements and predators. Giving butterflies a sfe haven to rest helps attract them to your yard.