cover image Natural Gardening for Birds: Simple Ways to Create a Bird Haven

Natural Gardening for Birds: Simple Ways to Create a Bird Haven

Julie Zickefoose. Rodale Press, $16.95 (244pp) ISBN 978-0-87596-883-4

Gardeners interested in attracting a variety of birds and butterflies to their gardens should consult The Bird Friendly Backyard: Natural Gardening for Birds. Julie Zickefoose and the editors of Bird Watcher's Digest detail various ways to offer winged creatures harbor in your backyard. Their good advice and instructive anecdotes on feeding, housing, rescuing and providing water sources for numerous species encourage enjoyment and the provision of safe places for birds and butterflies to visit and, if you're lucky, take up residence. Plantings that attract, feed and shelter, especially areas left relatively wild, will reward the gardener as well as the birds. All regions of the country are covered with helpful charts listing food preferences, sheltering landscapes and more, with a directory of resources and 100 two-color illustrations to complete the package. (Rodale, $16.95 paper 256p ISBN 0-87596-883-X; Jan. 2)