Julianne’s Backyard Birds in Ottawa

Losing a tree turns into an opportunity to welcome and support local wildlife and insects

Hi GPODers !

As warmer conditions starts creeping in and world springs back to life-time , more wildlife activity begins to brandish . However , in some gardens the activity never really stops . For gardeners like Julianne Labreche , a Master Gardener in Ottawa , Ontario , their landscapes are a oasis for all kind of wildlife and beneficial insects in every season . We ’ve seen Juliane ’s sensational and sustainable gardens before , getting a hitch of her front one thousand pollinator planting in summertime of 2022 ( delay that submission out here : Gardening for Birds , Bees , Butterflies and Beauty . ) . Today she retort for a look a her backyard garden during winter , which provides essential tax shelter and intellectual nourishment sources for local razzing universe ( and the passing squirrel ) .

Hello from snowy Ottawa , Ontario , Canada . We were reach by a defective winter ’s storm over the weekend and the Big Dipper have been busy . My husband and I spent yesterday dawning shovel snow from the back deck of cards , wading knee - deep in snow as we cleared a path to the razzing self-feeder . It was deserving it because the backyard shuttle add so much interest to our urban garden , especially in winter .

In my backyard , there are many life trees and shrubs to pull birds all seasons of the yr , including native Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree such as dogwood , viburnum and cedarwood . However , I call back my favored tree to support the backyard shuttle is a dead one , promise a snag .

Over a decade ago , it was a beautiful cerise Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree until it give in to a pitch-black naut mi ( Apiosporina morbosa ) , a bootleg , warty looking saddle sore that is propagate by spore that travel in wind flow . Apparently , cherry tree trees are prone to it . When the arborist came to take it , I asked if we could move around it into a rip , or a standing bushed tree . In nature , snags are sometimes called a ‘ wildlife tree ’ because they are crucial to the survival of many metal money of hoot and other beast . My snag , which posed no risk to the firm , was cut at about 25 foot . Now it stands for wildlife , visited year - round , admit during the cold wintertime months .

Many birds live in dead trees . Sometimes snags are called ‘ cavity trees ’ because of pickle , often created by the birds themselves . I often see woodpecker excavating cakehole in my backyard split , look for insects that live in the beat Mrs. Henry Wood .

Other bird , such as nuthatches and titmice , rely on these muddle to rear their young . They are bid ‘ secondary cavity nester ’ because they do n’t make the hole but are happy to move into these already - created cavities . I love watching the nuthatch , ‘ upside down razzing ’ that go down the snag psyche - first in search of food . A snag has a practical smorgasbord of insect life tucked away in its decaying crevices .

Of course , just like in a timber , other animals find their way to the snag too . In wintertime , squirrels sometimes perch on its flat cutting boughs . Occasionally , I see a war hawk or owl fly onto the snag ’s bare arm . Owls like to elevate their young in a hang-up , although no owl has yet to prefer my snag as its nesting space .

When the arborist veer down the boughs of that dead onetime cherry tree tree to make the snag , I also asked if they could leave the logs which I turned into edging for my backyard garden beds . They look very natural . They , too , will draw in louse , including good pollinator . Most of the garden is covered in Baron Snow of Leicester now but some of the seedheads are still standing as food for thought for the birds to run through in the winter garden .

Snags in a city garden help urban wildlife and do not harm , provide they are not too unaired to utility line of merchandise or homes . So many birds inspect my backyard , including pot of chickadee that eat mosquito and other insects during the summer month . I always welcome them to my garden .

Near the snag , winter birds including bright cerise male cardinal and their mate line up shelter in the old cedar Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . Our bird birdfeeder is positioned nearby . I keep it cleaned and filled with adept character seed , peculiarly during the tenacious winter months .

Thank you so much for sharing your wildlife - friendly gardening practices , Julianne , and all of these beautiful birds that claver the thrive ecosystem that you support ! Your garden is a mythological exemplar of how you do n’t need to make a huge effort to have a huge impact on your environment , particularly in winter when wildlife is most vulnerable .

Have photos to deal ? We ’d love to see your garden , a finical compendium of plants you love , or a tremendous garden you had the chance to visit !

To state , send off 5 - 10 exposure to[email protected]along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the pic . We ’d love to hear where you are situate , how long you ’ve been garden , successes you are gallant of , failures you learned from , hopes for the future , favorite plant , or funny stories from your garden .

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