Gardening for Birds Part 2

By Ronald F. Patterson We've had some well needed rain this past week, though it makes it a bit
difficult to get chores done outside. We're past the last frost date for my area so now I can get some planting done. I love to play in the dirt. Mr. robin sits close by waiting for me to move elsewhere so he can gulp down the freshly dug earthworms. I'll through a couple his way from time to time. It's fun to see how many he can hold in his bill when he is bringing them back to feed the hatchlings. I have never seen as many white crowned sparrows. This year they are
everywhere in the yard. Hummers have arrived so that is always a treat to see. Yolanda had to point out a Male cardinal at one of the feeders. One of the feeding stations is near her window, she enjoys the activity. UNDER THE CANOPY. A couple of weeks ago we took a walk through a nice wooded park. Boy are things changing under the tree canopy. Flowers have come and gone while others are just starting to bloom. The ground is turning into several shades of green peppered with soft hues of pinks and blues. Bright yellows can be spotted in the distance. Some of the small trees and shrubbery are showing signs of small fruits while others are just beginning to show signs of buds. Birds are singing away. Activity is everywhere, nest builders and parents feeding the early batch of young. We need to keep our eyes and ears open to really appreciate our
surroundings. As a youngster, I was a frequent visitor to the many local wooded areas where I grew up. A child's mind opens up and runs wild with imagination. I wasn't afraid, the family German shepherd was always with me :) WHAT'S IN YOUR BACKYARD? Unless you live in a wooded and meadow area already, like me, you will need to lend a helping hand. Yet, with some time and patience we can make our own little habitat. What I would like for you to do, is study your area for plants, habitats, and birds. Get to know what native and non native plants grow in your area. By learning this, you will know what is zone hardy and you wont be spending time and money on a lost cause. Talk to a local nurseryman who is familiar with your area. Get your soil tested if necessary to make sure it is sweet enough or acid for certain varieties of shrubs and trees. Here where I live in Michigan, I am always asked "will this grow here"? Again, learn the birds of your area. What kind of birds do you want to attract? Wouldn't it be great to have more visitors or maybe a migrator that spends the summer with you? Hey, it does happen. Do you have a large yard? What if it's a small city lot? Are there several trees or maybe just one lonely shade tree? Whatever the case, it can work for you. Here is a list of bird attracting small trees and shrubs. Attracting Birds: Shrubs Start building under your canopy with small trees and shrubs that grow in your area. Find ones that have fruit to attract your birds. Dogwood (Cornus florida), Redbud (Cercis canidensis), Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) are a sample of small trees that do well under natural canopies. Again, check with a local nursery. LET'S GET STARTED Okay.............. You've done some homework. You have an idea on what you would like in your yard You can't wait to start building your habitat. WAIT! Did you draw everything out on paper? Include names of shrubs and trees, how big they will get. Did you plan on high and lows in the plantings? How about leaving an opening or two like we noticed on our walk. Leave room for some flowers and maybe a bit of ground cover. Don't over do it on your budget on your body. I know how easy and tempting it can be. Make it a family affair. Get the kids and grand kids involved. What better way to get young people to discover the wonders of nature. A backyard habitat helps to stimulate and develop a lifelong interest in wildlife and conservation. Don't spend your time being a slave to your new habitat, sit back and enjoy it as a work in progress. LANDSCAPING BASICS. There are a few basics involved when landscaping for birds. Food - Every bird species has food requirements that may change thoughthe seasons. Learn the food habits of the birds you wish to attract, then
plant the appropriate flowers, shrubs and trees for your area. Diversity - Plan your landscape to include a variety of plants.
Go native as much as possible. Shelter - Consider such factors as prevailing winds (snow and rain storms)when arranging your habitat. Be sure it offers shelter from predators as well.leave that dead tree standing if it isn't a risk of causing damage. Protection - When you are choosing placement of your feeders and
nest boxes, consider their accessibility for predators. Are they located for you to easily fill and monitor? How close are feeders to picture windows that may cause a crash. Use caution in your use of herbicides and pesticides. Four Seasons - Try to plant to offer year round benefits. Include both evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs. Combine summer and fall fruiting plants and those that hold fruit well into winter to provide year-round food sources. Zone hardy and soils - Consult a map or local agency on your hardiness zone. Get you soil tested if necessary to find what will grow and grow
healthy for you. Weed and water - It is important to get your new plants off to a happy healthy start. Watering and a bit of food is very important for the first year to help build a deep and strong root system. Establishing a healthy root system is needed to
help survive the colds of winter and the lean times ahead. Keep on top of the moisture stealing weeds. It's not a chore if you pluck a weed or two every time you are watering or visiting your new habitat. I can see the sweat on your brow and dirt under your nails already : ) Make sure it's a fun sweat though. I'll be checking on you real soon. As always, have a blessed week my friend Ron Ronald Patterson is an avid backyard birder, going back 40plus years. Ron and his wife Karen owned a wildbird specialty store through much of the 90's and through 2001. Ron is also a Michigan Certified Nurseryman. This aids in giving expert advice on birds and what to plant to attract wildbirds to your yard. Ron's weekly news letter can be found at: http://www.backyardbirdingtips.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ronald_F._Patterson http://EzineArticles.com/?Gardening-for-Birds-Part-2&id=53069 low interest pay day loans
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Wedding Favors Traditions

By Roy Dietelzieg A Wedding is one of the most important days in every couples life. There are many ways in which the wedding celebrations can be remembered, such as through videos and photographs. There is also another way of having your wedding day remembered by your guests. This is by giving away wedding favors. Wedding favors serves as a souvenir and a gift of appreciation to your guests. A wedding would not be complete without the wedding favors. According to history, the Aristocrats in Europe started the giving of wedding favors. The first wedding favors are called bonbonniere. Bonbonniere is made up of sugar that had the shape of a cube. It was placed in a small box that can be made from crystal and porcelain. At that time, sugar was the symbol of wealth and royalty. According to beliefs, sugar had a lot of health benefits. During that era, only the rich people were able to give bonbonnieres to their guests. But with the passage of time, the price of sugar decreased and become affordable for people from all walks of life. This started the tradition of giving away wedding favors. Now days, choosing wedding favors for the wedding day is not a big issue. From expensive wedding favors to the less costly ones, theres always a choice for the couples. There is no reason why you will not be able to give wedding favors to your guests. One of the most popular kinds of wedding favor is food. As we all know, people love to eat. There are different ideas for preparing food as your wedding favor. If you are on a tight budget, you can use Oreos and other chocolate cookies as your wedding favor but first you have to decorate it. Place it inside a box, then put a ribbon on it and attach a small thank you note on the outside the box. You can also bake your own cookies if you want. Pewter is also a nice wedding favor, however, it is more appropriate for very formal weddings and it is more expensive. You can also give away flowering plants. If your visitors love it and plant it in their garden, they will surely remember attending your wedding. Place the plant inside a terra cotta planter and then add a small thank you note and decorate the plant with some ribbons or by painting a design on the pot. Giving away fragrant soaps and candles is also a good idea. These are not hard to find. You can always buy them in bulk from your local stores or you can make them yourself. If you are planning to create your own, buy the ingredients and then the essential oils needed for making the soaps or the scented candles. You can shape them any way you want. Giving away wedding favors, whether as a tradition or as a way of showing gratitude to the guest is a good idea. It does not always have to be expensive. As long as it is given wholeheartedly by the couple, the guests will cherish it. A Wedding is a big thing, planning it all is not easy, there are web sites that can help, from wedding planners to Wedding Favors advice, you can find it all on the web, visit http://weddingfavor.zupatips.com for more. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roy_Dietelzieg http://EzineArticles.com/?Wedding-Favors-Traditions&id=241762 low interest rate personal loan
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The Many Uses Of Rubber Stamps

By Susan Jan Rubber stamps have become widely popular over the last few years. Previously, rubber stamps were used for business purposes only, but people today now use rubber stamps extensively for craft projects. Nowadays, rubber-stamping has become a fantastic hobby where an individual can create all sorts of designs by using rubber stamps. For this hobby, obviously rubber stamps carved with different designs on the rubber is essential, as well as ink pad that is used to transfer the designs from these rubber stamps onto a medium like pieces of cloth, paper, or card. Decorative rubber stamps, also called art stamps, are used extensively in homemade craft projects. Decorative art stamps leave a lasting image on the page and create wonderful paint designs on a wide range of surfaces. Art stamps can be used to decorate scrapbooks or to add color and variety to photo albums. Art stamps are also used on letters, greetings cards, birthday and Christmas cards, banners and flyers to give a personalized touch. Art stamps can also be used to decorate notebooks, stationery and holiday wrapping paper. Either one stamp design, or two or more complementary designs can be used at a time to embellish a single paper. Art rubber stamps can be painted with fabric paint to create a decorative border design on a piece of fabric or an existing garment. The paint used should blend nicely with the fabric to give a personal touch to items such as tablecloths and napkins. Since rubber stamps can also be used on hard surfaces like wood or metal, hard items such as trunks, jewelry boxes and picture frames can also be decorated with rubber stamps. The paints used to decorate these hard surface items should be appropriate for the item's surface to get a good result. You can create elegant decorative borders, decorate a child's room, or design walls and ceilings with rubber stamps. Care should be taken to choose the correct size of the rubber stamp. Small stamps should be used for stationery and wrapping paper, and extra-large stamps to decorate walls and ceilings. Paints should be applied to rubber stamps with a paint pen, small brush or the traditional stamp pad and rinsed immediately after use. Much earlier rubber stamps had to be ordered or bought from office supply stores when needed. But today rubber stamps are available everywhere from local supermarkets to online sites that sell stamps of varied uses and designs. With the popularity of rubber-stamping, numerous books and magazines devoted to rubber-stamping are available both in the stores and on internet sites and display a varied range of rubber stamp craft projects. For more on Rubber Stamps visit Susan's sites Custom Rubber Stamp and Wholesale Rubber Stamp. Susan also enjoys writing on a wide range of topics at Shopping and Society. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Jan http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Many-Uses-Of-Rubber-Stamps&id=196177 cash advance portland oregon
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Getting Married? Read this 1st.

By Louise W Original gift ideas for your Bridesmaids and Bestman. What better way to thank your bridesmaids than to give them a unique piece of jewelry they can treasure forever. Here are some gift ideas that anyone would love to receive. A silver prayer box necklace, these are now available in various shapes and styles. Not only are they beautiful pieces of jewelry, but they can be uses to store your personal prayers to God. If you are having the all American wedding why not choose an item of Patriotic jewelry. A gold and diamond American Flag pin or pendant would make a stunning gift. Or if a smaller gift is required, money clips are very popular with men of all ages. They are now available plain, shaped as a $ sign and many other designs. However, necklaces that are to be worn for the wedding day are still a very popular choice. These too can be a unique and special gift. An amazing range of necklaces now include oriental fans, cats, elephants, lions, star of David or cupid to name but a few. Any of these gifts can bring years of lasting memories from your special day. For fine jewelry for special occasions http://www.shiningsparklers.com has the answers. Also supply wedding and engagement rings, diamonds, platinum and many more. Webmaster for Shining http://Sparklers.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Louise_W http://EzineArticles.com/?Getting-Married?--Read-this-1st.&id=24897 private lenders & personal loans & toronto ontario & canada
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