Remember that old mnemonic
for the colors of the rainbow?
R O Y G B
I V representing Red—Orange—Yellow—Green—Blue—Indigo—Violet
Well, members of the finch
family represent all those colors and more.
These seed and fruit loving birds literally come in all the colors of
the rainbow! Beautiful and musical,
Mother Nature has created finches for our pleasure. They are most helpful when ridding us of weed
seeds, and serenading us with their cheerfully expressive songs. Smaller
finches range in size from 5 to 6”, while grosbeaks are the largest at 8”.
 |
| Male Purple Finch by Grandma Pearl |
 |
| Blue Grosbeak from Dan Pancamo, flickr.com, cc-by-sa |
The Purple Finch, also known as Raspberry Finch, and the Blue Grosbeak are just two of the colorful members of the rainbow. Can you guess which finch is yellow? violet? orange?
Find out Here
With all the rain we've had lately, my gardens have exploded with colorful blooms! I love to use flowers and plants that attract birds, butterflies and beneficial insects. Adding to the native wildflowers and bushes that my resident birds recognize and that are familiar to them, keeps my yard flowering all season long.
 |
| variegated pink and white weigela bush by Grandma Pearl |
Variegated pink and white weigela bush is a hummingbird magnet. It also attracts butterflies and bees. I'm in zone 5 and it has always been hardy here. It will bloom for about a month, and last year it bloomed again toward the end of the summer! The blossoms start out pink and then turn white with blush pink centers. I have several weigela bushes, and the hummers are in and out of them constantly all day long.
 |
| white weigela blossoms--hummingbird magnets by Grandma Pearl |
 |
| My oregano in one part of the herb garden. Grandma Pearl |
When the oregano flowers in late summer, it attracts lots of beneficial insects and bees, plus butterflies. It's a very popular plant. I use this herb all the time in cooking and salads. In the foreground is golden oregano, in the background near the lattice is regular oregano. There is also monarda, or bee balm, just starting to grow. Bee balm is another hummingbird magnet, and it attracts butterflies and bees. I love the smell of it, and I can always tell when the bees or hummers are working it. The aroma is wonderful!
Grandma Pearl
See the newest Rustic Bird Houses made from antique reclaimed barnwood HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment