Birds and Blooms Blog

Snow may still be on the ground, but by now just about everyone can be thinking about starting some seeds indoors to get ready for spring! I’m no seed-starting expert, so I try to stick to seeds that are easy to start, especially those that will produce flowers that attract butterflies. No matter where you’re located, these five favorites are easy to start indoors from seed and are sure to bring in butterflies when winter finally lets up! (Many of the photos in this post came from our Community members. Click here to see more beautiful butterflies enjoying the flowers listed here.)

Zinnias. Growing zinnias from seeds is very satisfying. They sprout within a couple of days, and flower in just a few weeks. You can start them indoors about 6 weeks before you’ll be ready to transplant outdoors, or direct-sow in your garden after the last frost. Try: Zahara Mix or Profusion Sunrise

Top: Sandra Williams, Steve Woodie; Bottom: Daphne Hall, Sandra Williams Zinnias bring in butterflies of all kinds!

Cosmos. Cosmos are another fast bloomer, and they’re great for cutting to bring indoors too. There are two types (C. bipinnatus and C. sulphureus) each available in a variety of colors, so choose the one(s) best suited to your garden. If you’re starting indoors, plant about 6 weeks before your last expected frost. Try: Peppermint Candy or Towering Yellow

Marigolds. This old-fashioned garden standby deserves more attention in butterfly garden. Choose the full double-bloomed varieties for their capability to hold water between the petals, giving thirsty butterflies a great place to stop for a sip as well as some nectar. Start indoors about 8 weeks before you’ll be ready to transplant. Try: Park’s Whopper Mix or Antiqua Hybrid Mix

Top: Jill Staake, Sharon Sheron; Bottom: Daphne Hall, Karen W. Marigolds, sunflowers, salvia, and cosmos are easy to start from seeds and attract butterflies in droves.

Salvia. There are hundreds of species of salvia, and most of them are great for attracting butterflies. Choose those native to your area for direct-sowing in spring, or start indoors about 4-6 weeks before transplanting time. Try: Summer Jewel Pink or Fairy Queen

Sunflowers. Many folks grow sunflowers for birds, and are surprised to find butterflies visiting the giant blooms! Sunflowers come in so many heights and sizes now that it’s easy to find one (or more) to suit your garden space, even containers. Start them indoors 2 weeks to give them a chance to sprout, or direct sow fairly deeply so they won’t be eaten by birds or other critters. Try: Sunny Babe or Sunny Smile

Need some tips on growing flowers that attract butterflies from seed? Visit our Community forums and ask other Birds & Blooms fans for advice!

March is here and spring is on its way.  Now, for many of you whose backyard garden is covered in snow – it may seem like spring will never arrive.  But rest assured, it will eventually come to even the coldest, snowiest  garden.

If you have not already planned this year’s backyard garden, it isn’t too late.  To get started, ask yourself these four questions, which will help you grow a successful garden this year.  Let’s get started…

1. What did well in your garden last year?

Jacob Plant’s summer garden

If you grew vegetables, maybe you had a bumper crop of tomatoes or leaf lettuce.  Maybe you planted perennials or annuals that did well in your garden.  Include plants in your garden this year that have done well in your garden in the past.

*Last year, I planted large pots with a combination of vegetables and flowering annuals.  The vegetables grew well and the flowers made the pots look pretty.  For information on how to grow vegetables in containers, click here.

2. What did NOT do well in your garden?

Failed container corn

Growing a garden always involves some experimentation.  Even green thumbs have failures in the garden.  You cannot have success without experiencing failure.  That is how we learn what will do well growing in our garden.

If a plant did not do well in your garden, do you know why?  Was it planted in the wrong place?  Did it get too much or too little water?  If you cannot figure out why a plant did poorly, save yourself money and frustration by not repeating the same mistake.

*Last year, I was excited to try growing corn that was supposed to do well in containers.  However, mine was a failure.  It started out well, but then stalks flowered at different times so it was not well pollinated.  I suspect that the corn in the center received more water then those on the outside, so it flowered before the others.  I will not grow this again.

3. What would you like to try in the garden for the first time?

Sunflowers grown in a whiskey barrel container

Do you plant the same flowers or vegetables every year?  Spice things up in the backyard garden by trying something new.  You can grow a variety of herbs in a pot, learn how to make jam from your fruit trees, find new varieties of your favorite annual flowers or try growing a new vegetable in the garden.

*I grew Swiss chard for the first time and loved it!  I use it mixed with leaf lettuce in salads and my kids like it too!  It grew very well for me and I will be planting it again.

This year, I want to try growing sunflowers in my half whiskey barrel.  I will need to provide support for them so that they don’t fall over.  I may try using rebar and twine to keep them supported.

4. What plants/seeds will you need to order?

Gardening catalogs are a great way to get inspired to begin planning your garden.  You can find a list of free gardening catalogs here.  Order your seeds/plants early before they sell out. They will mail them to you at the appropriate planting time for your area.

For a list of new plant introductions, click here.

Before you know it, spring will be here and your backyard garden will ready for you to get out and start gardening.  So, start planning now for a successful growing season!

While birding on the East Coast a few weeks ago, one of my favorite stops was in Cambridge, Maryland where we were able to photograph several duck species. The main species that are found in the area and are close enough to be photographed are American Wigeon, Lesser Scaup, and Canvasback. This area was by far the best location for photographing Canvasback that I have ever seen and I was able to take advantage of the close birds and great shooting conditions!

This male Canvasback was showing off for the camera! 

Another shot of the same male Canvasback.

One of the most difficult aspects of photographing the duck species at this location was the huge number of ducks that were present. In order to get great shots of individual birds, you had to find one bird that was far enough from the main group that you would only get that individual in your shot. With a group of about 800 ducks in the area, this was no easy task. It took some time but my patience paid off!

This trip was the first time that I was able to get good photos of American Wigeon.

One of the big benefits of this location was that many of the ducks were in flight and would come in for a landing. This allowed me to work on my flight photography and capture photos like this one of a Lesser Scaup.

I could have easily spent 2 to 3 days here working to improve on the photographs that I was taking. Where could you spend a lot of time photograph duck species?

In the April/May issue of Birds & Blooms, we featured a travel piece on butterflies in Southern Texas. This is definitely the place to go if you love butterflies. More than 300 species have been found here!

We promised you more great places to visit in The Valley. Thanks to Kenn Kaufman of Kaufman Field Guides for suggesting these. He’s spent a lot of time in The Valley over the years, so we really appreciate the tips.

9 PLACES TO CHECK OUT IN THE VALLEY

1. Falcon State Park near Falcon Heights
2. Bentsen State Park near Mission
3. Quinta Mazatlan Park near McAllen
4. Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge near Alamo
5. Sabal Palm Audubon Center near Brownsville
6. NABA Butterfly Park near Mission
7. Frontera Audubon Center near Weslaco
8. Estero Llano Grande State Park near Weslaco
9. Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge near Rio Hondo