Attracting Wildlife to Your Winter Landscape

By Kerry Ann Mendez

Providing a food source for birds and other wildlife during the winter is a fun hobby that can attract some fascinating creatures into your backyard to view and enjoy. However, you're not just limited to bird feeders and houses - there are plenty of fruit and seed bearing plants that will do the job just as well!

Transform your backyard into a dining room for wildlife as well as a source of brilliant color with the following no-fuss, striking plants. Simply place them in a spot where they can be easily seen from a frequently used room in your home and enjoy.

Perennials

Save money on bird seed by planting these seed-packed perennial treats for our feathered friends (remember not to cut these back in the fall):

  • Coneflower (Echinacea) Native
  • Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) Native
  • Sea Holly (Eryngium)
  • Globe Thistle (Echinops)
  • Many ornamental grasses including Switch Grass (Panicum) and Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium) Both Native
Shrubs

Expand the wildlife buffet with these berry-loaded shrubs:

Trees

Branch out with these woody plants that showcase colorful winter stems or bark:

And the bonus with all of these winter delights? Most of them also have lovely flowers that both you and nectar-loving pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds can enjoy.