Category: Birds

25 Kentucky native plants to attract birds and butterflies

Six years ago when we re-landscaped our backyard it was a challenge to decide which native plants to include. Other folks have told me they’ve struggled with this too.

I’ve updated my website and added some resources. I hope they will help folks who are new to native plants or those who want to add some natives to their existing gardens. There are new images of butterflies and plants in the photo galleries, and I’ve added pages about native plants, butterflies, and the story of our backyard.

Finally, I’ve created a chart of twenty-five of my favorite backyard plants. Here’s a sample.
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Northern Cardinal for Valentine’s Day

Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are our favorite backyard birds. They are often referred to as “redbirds” thanks to the male’s vibrant red feathers. Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I’ll focus on the male. However, I think the females with their subtle coloring are just as beautiful and I’ll focus on them another time.

Cardinalis cardinalis sideview

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Sandhill Cranes in Kentucky

This past weekend, Harry and I thoroughly enjoyed the Sandhill Crane Weekend at Barren River Lake State Resort Park – about thirty-five miles southeast of Bowling Green, KY.

Greater Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) spend the winter in Florida, Tennessee and Georgia. Some of them stop in Kentucky each January and February as they head north to their breeding grounds in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Canada, and Alaska. Park officials estimated the current population at 4,600 birds.

Grus canadensis in Kentucky Continue reading “Sandhill Cranes in Kentucky”