Plants for Birds in the Southern Plains

As William Cullina mentions in his article on plants for bird , the sorry realness is songbirds are disappear : “ Habitat loss , pesticide , and the accompanying declivity of insect populations have bestow to a loss of 25 to 30 percent of North American songbirds since 1970 . ”

But gardeners can help , and it just requires buying new plants ! By growing more plant that help support local chick populations , you could do your part . detect industrial plant for birds in the Southern Plains below , and disclose even more industrial plant for birds in William ’s article , Native Plants for the Birds .

1. Turk’s Cap

Name:Malvaviscus arboreusvar.drummondii

Zones:7b–11

Size:2 to 4 foot marvellous and wide

condition : Partial to full spectre ; moist , well - drained ground

Native range of mountains : Southeastern United States

Turk ’s cap takes the blazing temperatures of Texas in step , salute a showy showing of magnetic reddish blooms for month , with the most fecund bloom in the passion of summer and early fall . Turk ’s cap efflorescence are classifiable and striking . The flowers never fully opened , yet they are a preferred nectar source for ruby - throated hummingbirds as well as many butterfly , moths , and worm . The big palmate leaves bring home the bacon dense coverfor bird and small mammals . The Spanish name for this plant , mazanilla(“little apple ” ) , describes its 1 - inch flushed fruit , which is edible and allow a nutrient source for dame .

2. Agarita

Name: Mahoniatrifoliolata

Zones:7–9

Size:3 to 6 pes improbable and extensive

Conditions : Full sunlight to fond shade ; well - drained loam , clay , caliche , or limestone dirt

Native range : Southwestern United States

The alone holly - like evergreen leave of agarita add interesting texture to the garden all year long . The hoar - green foliation glow life amid the browns of wintertime . duncical , biting leaves are complemented by fragrant yellowness , buttercup prime that are some of the first tobloom in our region in spring . This early prime is followedby brilliant red berries that are a front-runner of songbirdsand can be made into a delicious gelatin or vino . The piercing leaves have the added benefit of being a instinctive barbed conducting wire , providing an effective and good tax shelter for birds — specifically shrink — and pocket-sized mammalian . This is an interesting , underutilized evergreen .

3. Plateau Goldeneye

Name:Viguiera dentata

Zones:8–11

condition : Full sun to fond tincture ; wide range of a function of well - drained dirt types

Native range : Southwestern United States , Mexico , Central America , Cuba

This member of the helianthus family brings a cheery gilded - icteric autumn color to any recurrent border . Numerous miniature helianthus shine on top of recollective stalk as they extend up above the mass of foliage below . This mottle yet dense foliage ply excellent cover for shuttle . In full sun it matures to a compact 3 feet in height but will uprise to 6 feet in shadowed area . When provide to stand through the wintertime , the blooms leave a bounty of seeds to many granivorous birds , including the less goldfinch . Plateau golden-eyed fly is also a larval host industrial plant for two butterfly species .

4. Little Bluestem

Name:Schizachyriumscoparium

Zones:3–9

Size:2 to 4 feet marvellous and 2 feet wide

aboriginal range : Alberta to Quebec , all lower 48 states except Oregon and Nevada

This aboriginal smoke is a rewarding garden works , with innumerable benefits to wildlife . The name “ small blue stem ” denote the blue - green foliage in summer , but winter bring a differentartistic display . The blueish foliage conflate into a deep copper that is complement by argent semen puffs that gleam in the soft wintertime luminance . The seeds draw in granivorous bird , and the leafage is utilized by bird and aboriginal bees for nesting material . Its clumping substance abuse makes it a refuge for birds seek cover to rest . footling bluestem is the larval master of ceremonies industrial plant for six mintage of butterflies . Their Caterpillar swear out as the main and essential germ of protein for grow sister birds .

Amy Galloway is a plantsman at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin , Texas .

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Little Bluestem

Photo: courtesy of Stephanie Brundage/Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Plants for Birds in the Southeast

Plants for Birds in the Midwest

Plants for Birds in the Mountain West

Plants for Birds in the Southwest

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Photo: millettephotomedia.com

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