Plants for the birds
The National Audubon Society has launched an online guide to selecting native plants of particular value to birds, either directly as shelter or food, or indirectly in attracting insect larvae that nestlings need in large quantities to develop.
Configured to offer plant lists for your growing zone, the society's Plants for Birds database (audubon.org/plantsforbirds) offers a comprehensive range of trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses that provide an array of support for birds, particularly those spring migrants moving north.
Part of the motivation, said John Rowden, director of community conservation, is to enlarge the suite of plants available to birds because climate change threatens to disrupt the synchronization of arriving birds to food sources.
Adrian Higgins, Washington Post
