Bird-Friendly Native Garden Kit: We know that pollinators and other beneficial insects need native plants, but so do our native birds! Nearly every kind of native land bird feeds its babies insect larva, which need native host plants. Hummingbirds require lots of nectar and are particularly attracted to flowers with tubular petals. Most birds need plenty of seeds! The seed heads of native plants, left on the stalk for the winter are an important source of food--also the easiest and cheapest backyard bird feeders! Native plants also provide optimal nesting materials. And if you give over a portion of your lawn to native plant gardening, you are providing valuable cover for native birds and you will see more of them in your yard.
Source: Michigan Audubon Society: Native Plants for Bird Friendly Landscapes
The 6 plants in this kit are listed below along with kit quantity and the services that each provides for birds:
2 Beebalm - hummingbirds, larval host
3 Lavender (Hairy) Beardtongue - hummingbirds, larval host
2 Purple Coneflower - seed
2 Showy Goldenrod - seed, larval host
3 Sand Coreopsis - seed (Coreopsis lanceolata)
3 Little Bluestem - seed, cover, nesting material
This garden kit will flourish in a sunny location and the variety will provide blooming flowers from May through October with colors from pink to purple to golden yellow. Details for each plant are below:
Beebalm (Monarda fistulosa)
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Dry to Medium-Wet
Soil Type: Thrives in a wide range of soils: acid to lime, rich to poor, sand to clay
Height: 4'
Bloom Time: July through September
Bloom Color: lavender, pink
Resistance: Deer, Drought, Black Walnut
Attracts: Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds
Pollinator benefit: Excellent nectar source; Larval host for Orange Mint and Hermit Sphinx Moths
Lavender (Hairy) Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus)
Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil: well drained
Height: 1' to 3'
Bloom Time: June, July
Bloom Color: pink, purple
Attracts: Hummingbirds, butterflies
Larval Host: Chalcedon Checkerspot, the Baltimore Checkerspot, and Edith's Checkerspot butterflies
Pollinator benefits: Excellent nectar source for butterflies, native bees and hummingbirds; Xerces Society rates this as having Special Value for Native Bees and Bumble Bees; Larval Host to several Checkerspot butterflies
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry
Height: 4'
Bloom Time: July, August, September
Bloom Color: Purple
Tolerate: Deer, drought, heat, humidity and poor soil
Attracts: Butterflies, birds, bees
Pollinator benefit: host plant for the Ottoe Skipper butterfly; great nectar source for bees and butterflies
Sand Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Moisture: Medium-Dry, Dry
Height: 2 ft
Bloom Time: May, June, July, August
Bloom Color: yellow
Resistance: Drought
Attracts: Butterflies and Bees
Pollinator Benefit: good nectar source
Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
Sun Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry, Medium
Soil Type" Loam, Sand
Height: 1'-3'
Bloom Time: August, September, October
Bloom Color: yellow
Resistance: Deer
Attracts: Butterflies, native bees, birds
Pollinator Benefit: Late season nectar source; value to native bees for pollen and nesting materials; migrating Monarchs
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Type: Well-drained soil. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Limestone-based
Height: 2'-4'
Leaf color: green
Fruiting Time: May-August
Fruit: white, greenish yellow seed heads
Attracts: Butterflies (a large variety of skippers); Birds with seeds and nesting material
Pollinator Benefits: Larval Host for Ottoe Skipper, Indian Skipper, Crossline Skipper, Dusted Skipper, Cobweb butterfly, Dixie skipper; nesting materials for native bees