by Elyse Umlauf
Birds are crucial pollinators and crop protectors, eating 400 to 500 tons of insects yearly. They also bring joy and color to backyards.
To attract and protect them, create a bird-friendly yard. Here are three ideas.
1. Choose native plants to enhance birds’ nutrition—insects, berries, nectar, and seeds—and reduce your yard maintenance.
2. Minimize insecticides, rodenticides, and herbicides that harm birds.
3. Provide year-round water for drinking and bathing. Learn to make a birdbath.