Your garden is a hive of activity, absolutely bursting with life. Microbes and worms work their magic within the soil, and plants flourish throughout the spring and summer months, it’s small wonder that we enjoy spending so much time in amongst all that vitality.
Whilst the unseen murmour of plant growth and hidden creatures is great, there’s no beating the sight of some real movement in the garden, whether your own pets or livestock, or one of natures own little delights, such as birds.
Birds are a joy to watch, they present in all manner of shapes and sizes, and there are many other advantages to encouraging them to spend time in your garden, whether it’s their natural tendancy to devour pests such as aphids and mosquitos, or in some cases even the seeds of weeds, birds are very rarely seen as anything but welcome guests.
To go about attracting birds to your garden, the best strategy is, as you might expect, to have something to attract them with! The obvious answer is a bird feeder, and whilst this works well, it isn’t the most natural and organic method. A much better choice if you have the means is to plant a tree. A tree provides not only sources of food, but also shelter and perhaps even a place to build a nest.
Which Trees are Best For Birds
Apple Trees
Apple trees provide a great source of food for birds all year round, but I know what you’re thinking: there won’t be any apples left for you, right? Well don’t worry, this definitely won’t be the case, there’s plenty to go round for both man and bird, and besides, for birds it’s not just apples that are on the menu. During the colder months of the year when the tree isn’t fruiting, aphids and greenfly will be present. Such pests will be easily dealt with by birds, and of course in late summer and autumn when the apples are on the ground, rotting in many cases, magpies, thrushes and other scavengers will be on hand to help with the cleanup operation.
Elder
Known for it’s cordial and wine ingrediants, Elder is a versatile plant that’s as rewarding to birds as it is to humans. In spring the elderflowers are a magnet for aphids and other insects, which are in turn a great food source for young spring chicks. By autumn the berries will emerge just in time for new arrivals post migration, providing a great source of nutrition.
