Rules of Attraction
What to plant in your garden this season to entice birds & butterflies
• VELVET MESQUITE, Prosopis velutina Offers shelter, cover, perching, and nesting sites for birds. Larval foodplant for leda ministreak butterfly. Flowers attract insects that are eaten by birds, seeds that fall to the ground are devoured by many desert creatures.
• BAJA FAIRY DUSTER, Calliandra californica Sports red puffballs that attract hummingbirds. Butterflies in the group called "blues" use it as a larval foodplant. Blooms on and off throughout the year, depending on temperatures. Needs full sun for best flowering.
• BUTTERFLY MIST, Ageratum corymbosum Queen butterflies guaranteed! The blue flowers furnish an alkaloid that male queens need for breeding purposes. Works well in large containers or in the ground. Best in morning sun.
• BRITTLEBUSH, Encelia farinosa Masses of golden yellow flowers in spring are followed by copious amounts of seed relished by doves, finches, quail, cardinals, and sparrows. Plant in full sun.
• AUTUMN SAGE, Salvia greggii
A Tucson staple, blooms on and off throughout the year. Tubular-shaped magenta flowers captivate hummingbirds. Some sulphur butterflies also nectar at the flowers. Appreciates some shade in summer.
• GOODING VERBENA, Glandularia gooddingii Mounds of lavender flowers provide nectar for many different species of adult butterflies. Plant this native perennial in full sun.
• PARRY'S PENSTEMON, Penstemon parryi Pink tubular flowers attract hummingbirds in spring. House finches, quail, and lizards also enjoy eating the blooms. Reseeds easily.
• DOGWEED, Thymophylla pentachaeta A petite perennial that attracts dainty sulphur butterflies. Adults feed on the nectar and it's also a host plant for their caterpillars. Has a long bloom period. Birds enjoy the seeds.
• FOOTHILL PALO VERDE, Parkinsonia microphylla Even butterflies enjoy some shade, particularly when temperatures reach 95°. Flowers attract orioles, verdins, and house finches. Insecteaters feast on pollinators that are attracted to the flowers. Seeds fall to the ground and are eaten by many kinds of birds and animals.
• DESERT HACKBERRY, Celtis pallida Not suitable for small gardens, but this dense shrub attracts both birds and butterflies. Host plant for Empress Leilia and American snout butterflies. Fruit-eating birds enjoy the orange berries. Nearly impenetrable growth habit is ideal for cover and nesting sites for cardinals and pyrrhuloxias.
Southeastern Arizona is famous for its diversity of wildlife, and as those of us who live here know, it's not necessary to travel far afield to see birds and butterflies. It's relatively easy to temp them into our own backyards by planting appropriately. While the needs of butterflies and birds differ somewhat, in general both require food, water, shelter, and space.
GARDENING FOR BIRDS
Cover and shelter are essential for our avian friends—places to hide from predators and places to seek shelter from the weather. Whatever the size of your garden, try to plant at least one tree. In addition to protection and shelter, trees offer nesting and roostin sites, song perches, and food—through their flowers, fruits, and seeds, or through the insects that they attract.
By planting trees and shrubs of varying heights, you'll accommodate a greater variety of birds. Quail and curve-billed thrashers spend a lot o time on the ground and prefer low-lying cover. Hawks prefer high perches for searching out prey, and songbirds such as cardinals and goldfinches like it somewhere in between.
Different birds have different cuisine preferences. There are nectar feeders such as hummingbirds and orioles, seed eaters such as quail, doves, finches, and sparrows, fruit and berry lovers such as thrashers and mockingbirds and birds that eat mainly insects like cactus wrens and warblers. Some birds, such as the cheeky gila woodpecker, eat just about anything that comes their way.
Include plants that produce copious amounts of seed for various birds Many members of the composite, or daisy, family are prolific producers of natural birdseed. Try brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata), and desert zinnia (Zinnia acerosa). Many gardeners have been taught to snip off dried flower heads, a process known as deadheading, to encourage more bloom. But from the bird's perspective, deadheading eliminates a food source.
In order to attract mockingbirds, thrashers, and phainopeplas, you'll need some berry- or fruit-producing plants. Pyracantha does remarkably well here. Aprofusion of red-orange berries ripen in fall and winter and may attract wandering waxwings, robins, and thrushes in addition to the local cast of characters—cardinals, thrashers, and mockingbirds. Fruits from our native prickly pear (Opuntia engelmannii) ripen in late summer, and are feasted upon by most desert birds and animals.
INSECTS
No matter where you live, your garden will attract insects that perform important functions in the garden: pollination, soil aeration, and breakdown of decaying matter. Lacewings and lady beetles eat aphids, and remember that those glorious butterflies are insects. All provide food for insect-eating birds. There is no place for herbicides or pesticides in the wildlife garden. Herbicides may kill the plants that butterfly caterpillars feed upon, and pesticides may kill the caterpillars as well as adults, and the birds that eat the poisoned insects will also be affected.
FLOWERS
Jewel-like hummingbirds grace our gardens year-round. They favor long, tubular flowers in the red-orange color range. Anisacanthus, justicia, penstemon, and salvia are particularly good magnets for hummers. Some purple flowers are also popular. Try Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) or lavender (Lavandula spp.)
MORE ON BUTTERFLY GARDENING
Choose a sunny location for your butterfly garden because adult butterflies need warmth. To ensure you have a constant supply of these fanciful creatures, make available some of the plants they need for laying eggs and for feeding emerging caterpillars. Many butterflies are closely connected to the plant on which their caterpillars, or larvae, feed. These are called larval foodplants, or host plants. Queen and monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweeds. Sulphurs prefer members of the pea family. Giant swallowtails favor citrus (their caterpillars resemble bird droppings, an excellent form of camouflage). For herb fans, black swallowtails opt for parsley and rue.
At this point, you may be muttering to yourself, "But caterpillars are eating machines and will chew holes in all of my plants." Well, yes, this is true. But caterpillars rarely do permanent damage. Think of it as natural pruning. You will be rewarded with graceful adult butterflies, flitting about and adding movement and beauty to your garden. Remember, too, that some of the birds you are attracting are happy to spirit away a caterpillar or two, helping to keep their numbers in check.
WATER
Providing moving water for birds helps prevent parasites and disease. Try copper tubing hooked up to a drip irrigation system—it's inexpensive and does the trick. If you can't furnish moving water, keep the birdbath clean by scrubbing it daily with a wire brush. Make sure your water feature is shallow enough for small birds such as goldfinches, and keep it away from vegetation where stalking cats might hide. While butterflies won't frequent the birdbath, they will visit the wet soil surrounding it. Male butterflies enjoy participating in something called "puddle parties" where they congregate to take in minerals and salts from damp areas.
And now for the fun part. Grab a beverage, relax in a comfy chair where you can admire your garden, and enjoy the show. You couldn't live in a better place in all of North America for attracting birds and butterflies.