Carols Corner

If You Plant It, They Will Come

A few months ago, a neighbor said something that left me speechless. Or nearly so. As she looked at the fresh crop of fruit on my flowering crabapple tree, she innocently offered, “You know, you could spray that tree with an eliminator so that it wouldn’t produce all that messy fruit.”

Where she saw mess, I saw beauty and bounty. I remember staring at her, incredulous, as I stammered, “But it’s food—for the birds.” I left her with a promise, “One day they will come, you’ll see.”

And come they have. Robins, Cedar Waxwings, House Finches, jays and flickers have all snacked at the fruit fiesta, while goldfinches, doves and juncos prefer its branches for an occasional siesta.

In the fiercest winter weather, that crabapple tree offers a banquet of berries. While the fruit are produced in fall, they’ve earned the term “persistent” because they actually hang on through the winter, and become more palatable to the birds after freezing and thawing multiple times.

I admit, I have a huge heart for wildlife. And with my hippie-esque “flower power” mentality (yep, I’m a child of the 60’s), some might say I’m trouble. In reality, I am helping--one small blossom at a time. I consider my crabapple tree a safety net of sorts for birds. Here’s why:

Today, with the swift and significant changes affecting our landscape, wildlife are losing habitat at a record pace. Truly, there is power in flowers. Creating a yard brimming with flowers, trees and shrubs provides habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife. In addition to food, these plants can provide shelter and a place to raise young. Add a source of water and you can truly make a difference.

For more information on how to create wildlife habitat, check out the National Wildlife Federation’s website - it's a wealth of information. You can even officially certify your yard as Wildlife Habitat. I’d love to chat with you in the store more about this program.

Often times, we feel helpless to change what’s wrong in this world. But consider this:
"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” William Arthur Ward

Working to create a haven for wildlife is one way to readjust those sails in the winds of uncertainty.

Have a Bluebird Day,

Carol