"Birdscaping for Garden Spaces: A Guide to Garden Birds and the Native Plants that Attract Them." By George Adams. D&G Publishing. $34.95. Hardcover.
By Cynthia D. Ellis
For the Sunday Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Tawny juvenile barn owls peering over cream-colored rocky ledges. A sunrise-colored Eastern bluebird gobbling the fruit of a "sarvisberry." A brilliant Western bluebird precariously clutching a slender twig. These are some of the eye-catching photo illustrations of a new book designed for both birders and gardeners: "Birdscaping for Garden Spaces: A Guide to Garden Birds and the Native Plants that Attract Them" by George Adams.
I'm a frequent birder and a sometime gardener, so I might be in the target audience. Anyone -- especially the accomplished or novice practitioners of either hobby -- could find new information in the suggestions, charts and lists provided by an author who obviously has extensive knowledge of both plants and birds.
The book's main section, "From Landscape to Birdscape," outlines the purpose: Native birds are attracted to, fed by and protected by native plants.
West Virginia's growing list of nurseries that provide or specialize in native plants is a testament to the new popularity of planting endemics for gardens that will be beautiful and easy to maintain. The New River Gorge National Park's Sandstone Visitor Center, at the junction of Interstate 64 and W.Va. 20 in Summers County, displays wonderful native plant landscaping. Birders and gardeners both need to be open to revising old ideas about "weeds," but that isn't hard to do.
Adams notes, "Native plants only require minimal maintenance, watering, fertilizing, and pest control," and "by choosing plants that provide food during every season, your garden will attract birds throughout the year, even in winter.
"Birdscaping for Garden Spaces: A Guide to Garden Birds and the Native Plants that Attract Them." By George Adams. D&G Publishing. $34.95. Hardcover.
By Cynthia D. Ellis
For the Sunday Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Tawny juvenile barn owls peering over cream-colored rocky ledges. A sunrise-colored Eastern bluebird gobbling the fruit of a "sarvisberry." A brilliant Western bluebird precariously clutching a slender twig. These are some of the eye-catching photo illustrations of a new book designed for both birders and gardeners: "Birdscaping for Garden Spaces: A Guide to Garden Birds and the Native Plants that Attract Them" by George Adams.
I'm a frequent birder and a sometime gardener, so I might be in the target audience. Anyone -- especially the accomplished or novice practitioners of either hobby -- could find new information in the suggestions, charts and lists provided by an author who obviously has extensive knowledge of both plants and birds.
The book's main section, "From Landscape to Birdscape," outlines the purpose: Native birds are attracted to, fed by and protected by native plants.
West Virginia's growing list of nurseries that provide or specialize in native plants is a testament to the new popularity of planting endemics for gardens that will be beautiful and easy to maintain. The New River Gorge National Park's Sandstone Visitor Center, at the junction of Interstate 64 and W.Va. 20 in Summers County, displays wonderful native plant landscaping. Birders and gardeners both need to be open to revising old ideas about "weeds," but that isn't hard to do.
Adams notes, "Native plants only require minimal maintenance, watering, fertilizing, and pest control," and "by choosing plants that provide food during every season, your garden will attract birds throughout the year, even in winter.
"By birdscaping your garden, you can improve the conditions and chances of survival of the birds that reside in your locality."
Beginners are urged to stick to plants growing naturally within 100 miles of their own location and advised to check with a native plant society. I suggest the West Virginia Native Plant Society (www.wvnps.org). The West Virginia Department of Natural Resources Web site also provides native plant sources at www.wvdnr.gov/Wildlife/NativeVegetation.shtm.
Here are some of my favorite concepts from the book, some new to me and some familiar:
Readers are encouraged to look at each garden from a bird's-eye view.Adams devotes many lines to the usefulness of stumps, snags and dead trees. My own snag tree has hosted several exciting species, especially hawks and woodpeckers. He reminds us that the biggest danger to birds in the garden is the unsupervised housecat.The provision of mainly natural plant food for birds in the winter, with only occasional use of feeders, is a new idea. However, not long ago I planted several native grasses, including the especially handsome sugar cane plume grass (Erianthus giganteus), and have watched song sparrows leverage their body weight against its seed heads in order to feed. Here are my favorite bits of trivia from the book:
Tiny red-breasted nuthatches, found in West Virginia's higher elevations, excavate nest holes by first marking the entrance hole with a series of small holes to form a circle.Brooks Bird Club, West Virginia's oldest independent bird club, is mentioned in the resources section. On rhododendrons: "In the mountains, rhododendron thickets are the most common nesting site for the rose-breasted grosbeak. Hummingbirds visit the flowers for nectar and warblers swarm over the flowers and foliage looking for insects. Ruffed grouse eat the buds."And then there is this amusing little typo, concerning blue jay behaviors, which I send along for Gazette-Mail columnist Alyce Faye Bragg, "During courtship and at the nest, the male feeds the female selected morels." Areas that might be improved include cautions about aggressive plant growth patterns, although some are included. This book is an updated edition of previous material, but the author states that the ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird species east of the Mississippi. Certainly this used to be true, but a number of "western" hummers are being seen with increasing frequency.
Adams has included his own line drawings. Capturing the spirit and exact proportions of varied species is a difficult challenge. Adams has added an appropriate plant or tree for each species of bird. Slightly puzzling is the choice of featured birds, many of which will be unfamiliar to nonbirders. Of the 64 birds profiled, 36 might be easily encountered in the Kanawha Valley, with a few more observed in migration or at higher elevations. Range maps are included, to show where the species occur, and are small but helpful.
This book is certainly a great choice for West Virginia's public library collections, and could be a very useful resource for beginning hobbyists or for those already equipped with a variety of garden books and bird field guides.
Cynthia D. Ellis is a veteran birder and a casual gardener. She pursues both activities at home in Putnam County.
