St Petesburg Fun with BirdsThis Is For the Birds!

Bird Feeder pole set

Encourage Visitors to Your Garden

Is your garden your oasis? If so then how can you encourage others to join you? Frogs, birds and insects all need a home and with minimal effort you can invite them into your garden and watch them help you maintain it.

Birds, frogs and insects are all vital for a balanced ecosystem in your garden. They can help keep pests at bay and your flowers and plants to flourish. All that these creatures need, like the rest of us, are food and shelter.

Birds respond well to feeding throughout the year but particularly in the winter, when natural foods are scarce. Foods with a high fat content, as well as the usual bird seeds are welcome in the colder months. You can buy special bird feeding fat blocks, or just melt lard into a mould. Nuts have a high fat content too and the more varied your offerings, the more diverse the birdlife you are likely to attract.

The only difficulty with offering food to birds is that squirrels may come along too. They are greedy and incredibly adept at leaping off trees and fences onto bird tables so hang your bird feeder from a special pole. And if the squirrels master that, you may have to regularly cover the pole with oil or WD40 to make it too slippery for them to climb.

Birds will also enjoy foods that occur naturally in your garden. Worms are of course a favourite, but also berries and fruits go down well. If you are growing fruits for your own enjoyment, these may need to be protected from both birds and insects with netting or shiny hanging objects.

Amphibians that are native to the UK include frogs, toads and newts. These can be very useful in cutting down on pests and their lifecycle from spawn to tadpoles to adult is fascinating to witness. If you want to attract them then you'll need to provide a source of still water for breeding - a small pond is ideal. It's a good idea to have a gentle slope rising out of the water so that young frogs can set foot on dry land easily. Birds love to eat these young creatures so some shelter in nearby shrubbery will help keep the numbers up.

Amphibians hibernate during the winter so again they will need shelter to do this safely. A compost heap, pile of logs or stones are popular. Other good hibernation spots include spaces under shrubs and hedges. It's best to avoid cleaning out your pond if you can, as sometimes amphibians like to hibernate at the bottom!

A pond will not only attract amphibians, but some interesting insects too. Water skaters, snails, dragonflies and water beetles are all common pond inhabitants and will help to create some healthy biodiversity in your garden.

A whole range of insects live in our gardens at any one time but probably the most popular are butterflies. Butterflies like to get nectar from clumps of flowers grown in sunny, sheltered places. Some butterflies such as small tortoiseshells, peacocks and cabbage whites are relatively easy to attract. Others are migratory and tend to come from early Spring to late Summer to breed, but then leave the UK for the winter. These include painted lady and red admiral.

Even with the right planting it's very difficult to get butterflies to lay eggs and breed in gardens. Suitable conditions for larva to feed are notoriously difficult to recreate so it's best to concentrate on attracting visiting butterflies rather than trying to establish a breeding ground.

There are a very large number of flowers that butterflies like. Some of the most common include buttercups, clovers, dandelions, thistles, marigolds, wallflowers and sweet williams. Herbaceous plants that they favour include dahlias, elephant's ears and globe thistles. And if you want to plants shrubs then choose blackberry, lavender, thyme and heather.

With a combination of a pond and some well thought out planting, together with a birdfeeder and plenty of shelter your garden can become a haven for wildlife.

About the Author

Expert gardener India Cooper reveals that frogs, birds and insects are the secret weapon for every budding gardener. To find out more please visit http://www.ratedpeople.com/find/gardener

	Liberty Products SQC05 Black Squirrel Stopper Pole and Baffle Set List Price: $135.00 Sale Price: $60.00 Used From: $121.99 Average Rating:
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	PERKY PET TRIPLE PLAY POLE 6FT IN Sale Price: $12.00
	The Perky Pet Triple Play Pole Set is a complete system for base mounting, pole mounting, or hanging nearly any bird feeder or house. Mount any wooden bird feeder or house with the 3" square plastic flange mounting adaptor and pole mount any feeder or

	Perky Pet Triple Play Pole Set List Price: $14.29 Sale Price: $12.68 Average Rating:
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Pole Mounted Bird Feeder Squirrel Baffle-Clear $29.95 Pole Mounted Bird Feeder Squirrel Baffle-Clear The Fort Knox of Baffles Attach to any hanging bird feeder to provide the same protection and weather proofing that the comes with the Sky Cafe and Mandarin feeders. Making the world a safer place, one bird feeder at a time. Backyard bird feeders who have become frustrated with the failure of "wide disc" type of squirrel baffle commonly sold in discount hardware stores in stopping squirrels from accessing hanging feeders, the Our Baffle squirrel baffle offers welcome relief. The baffle comes with two washers and a clamp to attach to a pole. Squirrels get around the "wide disc" by momentarily holding to the hanging chain or wire with their back toes, and somersaulting down to the feeder. The funnel shape of the Baffle puts an end to these antics. CHAR(13) + CHAR(10) Dimensions: 17" dia. Construction: 100% durable recycled Plexiglass Mounting: may be hung Mfg. Warranty: Lifetime warranty In Stock-Ships Fast

Perky Pet Triple Play Pole Set $13.99 No place to hang a birdfeeder? Our versatile bird feeder pole set can be used with wooden feeders as well as plastic styles and allows for hanging or pole mounting of feeders. The Perky-Pet™ Triple Play Pole Set extends to 6’6” for pole, hang or base mounting of bird feeders. A hanging hook, wood feeder adaptor and pole mount are all included. Features: Extends to 6’6” to mount or hang bird feeders Hanging hook, wood feeder adaptor and pole mount included Item Specifications: Model Number: 72 Perky-Pet™ is the leading supplier of Wild Bird Feeders and Accessories. Perky-Pet™ Wild Bird Feeder models lure the bird in pursuit of seed—providing you with hours of joy as random wild birds flock to feed at your house.

Berkshire Lodge Bird Feeder $27.95 Berkshire Lodge Bird Feeder Unique And Functional CHAR(13) + CHAR(10) The modern look of this feeder is sure to be a crowd pleaser among friends and birds. Easy to Fill and Clean Durable Construction 2.25 lb Seed Capacity Birds That Use This Feeder: Chickadees Finches Goldfinches Grosbeaks Juncos Kinglets Siskins Sparrows Titmice Towhees Woodpeckers Wrens Redpolls Nuthatches Type of Seed or Feed Options: Safflower Seed Mixed Seed Sunflower Seed Cracked Corn Peanut Chunks Sunflower Kernel Bird Feeder Details Feed Capacity 2.25 lbs Dimensions 8.46" x 8.55" x 11.87" Mounting Hang or Pole Mount Weight 10 Pounds Material Metal, Resin Feeding Ports 4 Ports In Stock-Ships Fast

Cathedral Bird Feeder $29.95 Cathedral Bird Feeder Decorative And Functional CHAR(13) + CHAR(10) Clear viewing window with a cathedral design feeder. High quality powder coat rust resistant finish in copper color. Comes with adjustable height hanging cable. Fully Assembled Hanging Cable Included Birds That Use This Feeder: Chickadees Finches Goldfinches Grosbeaks Juncos Kinglets Siskins Sparrows Titmice Towhees Woodpeckers Wrens Redpolls Nuthatches Type of Seed or Feed Options: Safflower Seed Mixed Seed Sunflower Seed Cracked Corn Peanut Chunks Sunflower Kernel Bird Feeder Details Feed Capacity 5 lbs Dimensions 9" x 13.5" Mounting Hang or Pole Mount Weight 5 Pounds Material Metal, Resin Feeding Ports 4 Ports In Stock-Ships Fast

English Garden Bird Feeder $54.95 English Garden Bird Feeder Unique And Functional This heavy duty steel cage feeder has a metal cap and die cast feeding stations. It is designed to reflect today's most popular trends. Easy Fill Seed Cap Durable Construction Birds That Use This Feeder: Chickadees Finches Goldfinches Grosbeaks Juncos Kinglets Siskins Sparrows Titmice Towhees Woodpeckers Wrens Redpolls Nuthatches Cardinals Bluebirds Doves Type of Seed or Feed Options: Safflower Seed Mixed Seed Sunflower Seed Cracked Corn Peanut Chunks Sunflower Kernel Bird Feeder Details Feed Capacity .65 Qt; .97lbs Dimensions 13.5"H x 9.5"H Mounting Hang or Pole Mount Weight 5 Pound Material Metal, Resin Feeding Ports 4 Ports In Stock-Ships Fast

Dallas Cowboys Copper Bird Feeder $33.99 Add an exciting touch to your home or yard with this Dallas Cowboys bird feeder. The all-copper bird feeder is constructed with a timeless design.*Embossed Dallas Cowboys logo on the pole *Rustic, antique look *Hanging hook included *Made of 100-percent copper