Butterflies need Milkweed

Butterflies need Milkweed

Narrow-leaf milkweed is a beautiful spreading perennial that reaches a height of 3 feet. It has buds that look like little pink pearls that open to pale pinkish-white flowers. The flowers are umbel-shaped, meaning they are a flat-topped or rounded flower cluster in which the individual flower stalks arise from the same point. Umbel-shaped flowers are perfect landing pads for pollinators.

The “milk” of the milkweed has alkaloids and latex as well as other chemicals that can be toxic. Monarch butterflies, however, can safely eat this chemical, which then protects them from being eaten by birds. The chemical they ingest makes them taste horrible.

Milkweed can be considered weedy because it likes to travel within the garden, but it is quite easy to pull out any plants that have invaded.

Milkweed grows in dry, open fields below 7000 feet from Southeast Washington through Oregon and California, all the way down to Baja California. It is an easy plant to grow; it likes clay soil, can tolerate little water and it dies back each winter.

If more homeowners grew milkweed in suburban and urban gardens, maybe a new pathway could be created for migrating Monarch butterflies.

Patrice Hanlon
ANG Newspapers

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Bat Disease Treatment

From ANG newspapers, September 20, 2010:

Bat disease hope

New treatments are being proposed to help combat a fatal bat disease that has decimated the flying mammals’ population in the eastern United States. The so-called white-nose syndrome is a fungal infection that emerged in 2006. Scientists don’t know exactly how it has wiped out 97 percent of the bat population in some areas, but researchers think they can fight it. Addressing a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Jeremy Coleman, head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s response to the problem, says that the use of antifungal drugs might be successful in treating infected bats, and antiseptics could be used to decontaminate bat caves. But Coleman warns that further study is necessary to make sure the treatments don’t harm other wildlife or cause their own set of problems.

Would you like to shop for bat houses?  Just click here for the complete selection of BirdLodges.com Bat Houses.

Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology

Many of the bird feeders on www.BirdLodges.com were developed with the help of experts from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and are constructed of durable, weather-resistant materials. The seed feeders hold a large quantity of seed and allow you to enjoy a wide variety of songbirds. The hummingbird feeders are colorful and just what the hummers are looking for.

September shipping special! Free shipping for any total sales of $100 or more!

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What Birds Eat

Backyard birds come in all shapes and sizes. They eat nuts, seeds, berries, fruit, and insects. They welcome wintertime sprinklings of seeds in the snow. You may think that birds are light eaters, but it is quite the opposite. They are actually big eaters. Birds need plenty of food to produce the energy their bodies require to maintain a fast metabolism. This fast metabolic rate allows them to fly. They spend much of their time looking for, and eating, food. Seeds can be purchased at your local supermarket. The ready-made mixes usually contain a lot of wheat, buckwheat, milo and other filler seeds and grains. Sunflower seeds are very easy to find. They come in two varieties: striped and smaller black oil seeds. Even though some of the smaller birds have trouble cracking the sunflower seed's shell, most birds love it! Plus it provides the birds with more fat and therefore more energy. If you make you own mix, check your feeder for leftovers and adjust the proportions to the birds' preferences.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are 54 million people across North America participating in bird-feeding and wildlife watching in their own backyards, Backyard bird feeding is a convenient way to enjoy wildlife and feel good.







Resource: PetZone Pet Products

All About Finch Thistle Feed

Thistles are a finch's favorite plant. They feed their young on the immature fruit and the "floss" they produce. This floss comes from the flowers that have gone to seed and left their fluffy seed heads behind. Finches often select thistles' floss for structural and lining materials for their nests. Many times the thistles will mature before the finches nest, thus providing them with fresh new floss. Some thistle heads never open completely, which traps last year's floss, making the product readily available for an energetic finch. An imported thistle "niger" seed, from Africa and Asia, is high in protein and fat. It has an added bonus value of not attracting squirrels or blackbirds.

BirdLodges.com Pop-Up Finch Thistle Feeder

Unique Birdhouses | Quality Bird Feeders | Build Your Own Birdhouse Kits

Unique Birdhouses | Quality Bird Feeders | Build Your Own Birdhouse Kits