Bird Friendly Garden Kit: We need to do what we can to save the birds, too! In 2019, 2022, and most recently in 2025, a reports was issued declaring that most birds, worldwide, are in severe decline, mostly because of habitat loss. In particular, the native grassland and forest birds of the eastern United States, are struggling with low population when compared to 1970, when bird population tracking began.
Habitat loss is a major cause of this decline. One important action that citizens can take is to reduce turf lawns and create native habitat. Sound familiar?
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 (caterpillars), which needs 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 essential source of food--also the easiest and cheapest backyard bird feeders. Native plants also provide the best nesting materials and valuable cover for native birds. You will see more of them in your yard! (Source: Michigan Audubon Society: Native Plants for Bird-Friendly Landscapes)
We have curated this kit with 8 different varieties of native flowering plants and grasses to support the birds! These plants will collectively provide nectar for hummingbirds, seeds and larva, and lots of nesting material to keep our native birds coming back, year after year.
Bloom times range from late April through October for beauty throughout the growing season. While these plants are busy supporting birds throughout the seasons, native bees and butterflies will also benefit from the pollen, nectar and nesting material this collection will provide.
Design Tips:
- Prepare your garden site (follow the link for details as well as information about plant spacing)
- A location with full sun or part shade and a moderate moisture level is ideal for this grouping.
- Group plants of the same species together
- Consider the height of each plant—position taller plants at the back and shorter plants at the front.
- Plant 1 feet apart; Recommended plot size: 4' x 5'
- Plants may also be dispersed to fill in existing garden space and expand service to birds.
Bird Species Directly Supported: Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Titmice, Cardinals, Waxwings, Finches, Wrens, Jays, Sparrows, Orioles, Grosbeaks, Hummingbirds, Thrushes, Vireos, Warblers
Kit Contents:
8 varieties, 20 plants in all. Details for each are listed below. Each is pictured to the left on your screen in the order in which they are listed.
Flowers:
3- Lavender Beardtongue
2- Beebalm
2- Blue Stem Goldenrod
3- Marsh Blazing Star
2- Purple Coneflower
3- Wild Strawberry
Grasses:
3- Little Bluestem
2- Purple Love Grass
Plant Details:
Flowers:
Beebalm or Wild Bergamot (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, passerine birds
Pollinator benefit: Excellent nectar source
Bluestem Goldenrod (Solidago caesia)
Sun Exposure: Sun, Partial Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry, Medium
Soil Type: Loam, Sand
Height: 1'-3'
Bloom Time: August - October
Bloom Color: Yellow
Resistance: Deer
Attracts: Butterflies, native bees, birds
Pollinator Benefit: Larval Host to the Brown-Hooded Owlet, Camouflaged Looper, Common Pug, Striped Garden caterpillar, and the Goldenrod Gall Moth. Late season nectar source; value to native bees for pollen and nesting materials; supports migrating Monarchs; Supports Conservation Biological Control (A plant that attracts predatory or parasitoid insects that prey upon pest insects.) A Keystone Plant that Supports 171 Different Species!!
Lavender (Hairy) Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus)Native Perennial
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: Songibirds, 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
Marsh Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Moist, Medium, Medium-Dry
Height: 2'
Bloom Time: August-September
Bloom Color: purple
Resistant: Deer
Attracts: Finches (seeds), Butterflies, bees
Pollinator benefit: especially good for native bees; good nectar plant for hummingbirds
Purple Coneflower–(Echinacea purpurea)
Native Perennial
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
Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
Sun Exposure: Sun, Part shade
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: low, ground cover
Bloom Time: May- June
Bloom Color: White
Attracts: Butterflies & bees; berries attract birds and other wildlife
Pollinator benefit: Larval Host for 78 different species, including Grey Hairstreak and Grizzled Skipper butterflies; early nectar source; good for native bees
Grasses:
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Native Ornamental Grass
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
Resists: Deer, Drought, Rabbits
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
Purple Love Grass (Eragrostis spectabilis)
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil: Sandy
Height: 8" - 18"
Bloom color: Red, Purple
Bloom Time: Aug - October
Resistant to: Deer, Drought, Black Walnut
Attracts: Birds, native bees, butterflies
Pollinator Benefit: Larval host plant for Zabulon Skipper butterfly; nesting material for native bees
Birds love the seeds!