Seeds as a source of food
I have a birdfeeder for sunflower seeds and safflower seeds, three for thistle seeds, one for peanut kernels, a hanging tray feeder, and three suet holders. Even though my yard provides lots of natural food, it's fun to watch birds at feeders, and I like to provide the little extra food that will get them through the year.
If you use feeders, always keep them clean
Here's some advice from Bird Watcher's Digest: Dirty feeders can still make birds sick, a problem which is only exacerbated by chilly conditions of winter. The solution? Wash your feeders at least monthly in a light (1:9) beach-water solution. Rinse thoroughly and allow your feeder to air dry inside to avoid cracking when you hang it back up in the cold.
Natural sources of seed
I like to provide as many natural sources of seed as possible.
Three goldfinches eating purple coneflower seeds.
Can you find the seven goldfinches eating these anise hyssop seeds?
Another goldfinch eating the Joe-pye weed seeds.
A song sparrow (on left bottom) eating the little bluestem seeds.
Once you get beyond thinking a garden just has to have flowers, even seed heads are attractive and interesting. Here are some liatris in the fall.
Here are some coneflowers in the winter. I'm glad I didn't deadhead them or cut them down to the ground. Neatness isn't everything!
These are some of the little native grasses I've started from seed. They'll be great sources of seed when they're mature. The fencing is around these seedlings to protect them from our resident rabbit, the largest creature in our yard (thankfully!).
A rabbit that was around for a few years, though I haven't seen him lately. He was really cute, but he did eat some of our plants. He seemed to like our string beans and asters the best. So far, we've coexisted and we got as much pleasure from the rabbit as from the plants. My asters were "pruned" quite a bit, but they recovered. In a small city lot, though, I don't try to attract anything larger than a squirrel (and I wouldn't mind fewer of them). I'm more interested in the smaller creatures, which after all the foundation of our ecosystems.
The grasses survived! Here is a Big Bluestem the first year displaying its turkey-foot seed head. Besides the seed head, the entire plant was very attractive and I'm looking forward to having a nice stand of it for maximum impact.
Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) - It's just one of the native grass species I've begun to appreciate both for their beauty and for their benefits to wildlife.
