Patrick will speak to us at our Annual Meeting on June 6 at 10 am on improving your backyard habitat for birds and other wildlife.  Patrick has two decades of experience in habitat restoration and design of habitats with birds and pollinators in mind.  Adding native plants to your landscape design can bring your yard to life with colorful native birds, butterflies and other wildlife.   Many of our butterflies, moths and other insects have adapted to specific native plants for larval food and nectar sources.  Including native shrubs, trees and other plants in your yard can attract the beneficial insects and serve to provide seeds and fruit that our birds have become accustomed to seeking out throughout their annual life cycles.  Native plants in your yard can make even the most suburban of neighborhoods a much more friendly place for nesting and migrating birds alike. 

Certain trees, such as flowering dogwood, time their production of fruit to when bird species such as Scarlet Tanager and Wood Thrush are passing through in migration.  Their bright red berries catch the bird's eye and provide the fat and other nutrients need for their long migratory journeys.   Others, including American holly and winterberry, produce berries that are less palatable and linger through the winter to provide food in late winter when other food sources are lean.  

Come learn how native trees, shrubs and other plants can help bring your yard to life!