IN THE GARDEN: Grasshopper for dinner?
A bluebird snags a bug for dinner. Keep reading to learn how to invite birds into your garden to take care of pests and what insects each bird eats. Adobe Stock image
Many birds can be extremely helpful in controlling unwanted guests—aka damaging insects—in our gardens. Bluebirds, cardinals, chickadees, house finches, hummingbirds, purple martins, nuthatches, orioles, tanagers, titmice, woodpeckers, and wrens are several beneficial avian friends.
If you want to invite birds to your garden, there are a few requirements. Just like humans, birds need food, water, and shelter.
Most birds eat differently, depending on the season. For instance, some will eat seeds in the winter, bugs in the spring and summer, and berries in the summer to fall.
Circulating water, water features, or a bird bath will provide hydration for all.
Regarding shelter, trees and bushes provide protection and roosting. However, housing requirements will differ. For example, a purple martin, the largest sparrow, will not fit in the opening of a birdhouse designed for a chickadee.
Choose which friends you would like to invite and provide appropriate accommodations.
What bugs do they eat?
- Bluebirds: beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, larvae, moths
- Cardinals: large insects, beetles, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, snails, stinkbugs
- Chickadees: caterpillars, grubs, worms
- House finches: aphids, caterpillars, cucumber beetles, flea beetles, leafhoppers, leaf miners
- Hummingbirds: aphids, mites, mosquitoes
- Nuthatches: ants, borers, caterpillars, earwigs
- Oriole: beetles, caterpillars, flies, grasshoppers, insect larvae, moths
- Purple martins: large flying insects, beetles, dragonflies, flies, grasshoppers, moths, wasps
- Tanagers: spiders, wasp larvae, wasps
- Titmice: aphids, beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers
- Woodpeckers: aphids, beetles, caterpillars, worms
- Wrens: ants, beetles, caterpillars, grubs, snails
Invasive thistle
Malta star thistle (Centaurea melitensis) is a nemesis of an invasive. Common to the Texas Hill Country, this plant can suffocate your yard, garden, and wildflowers. Sheryl Smith-Rodgers, a Texas Hill Country native, has photos (click the link to see) that differentiate the “good guys” from the bad.
Before Malta star thistle goes to seed, pull it out of the ground, root and all. Be careful there is not a cactus behind you to fall on. These bad guys are incredibly stubborn at times.
“Early detection and eradication soon after discovery will increase the likelihood of controlling a Malta star thistle infestation,” according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Although the thistle is a beautiful bloom, its benefits are short term. According to Sheryl and the Forest Service, the seeds “can remain viable for up to 10 years.” The Forest Service states that one flower can produce one to 60 seeds.
Till next time. Keep your souls and soles in your garden! Remember the True Master Gardener: Jesus said, “I am the vine; my Father is the Gardener.” John 15:1
“In the Garden” is written by father-daughter gardening team Bill and Martelle Luedecke. If you have any gardening questions, contact Martelle at 512-769-3179 or luedeckephotography@gmail.com or Bill at bill@texasland.net.