Weeds-Seeds-Grasses and Wild Birds

Gardening is one of my hobbies.  For years after I built my house I'd spend hours outside digging,planting and mulching my gardens.  I planted for my pleasure and for attracting wild life. My philosophy was they were here before me so we'd compromise on the plants they could have and I could keep.  Too bad deer and other wild life don't read the books.  Stuff they weren't suppose to eat became dinner that evening so I learned to plant 3 plants,2 for them ,one for me.  Even the grass seed I planted for the lawn was gobbled up by the sparrows,chipmunks and turkeys.  What part of the lawn they did leave for me the snapping turtles and painted turtles dug up for the nests and egg laying.  After several frustrating attempts I came to the conclusion I really didn't need a "nice" lawn,just something green.  The lawn was very nice on the shady side of the yard but the front lawn turned into a crabgrass and whatever other weeds took over lawn.  It is always green in the summer and all that is done to it is mowing.  The lawn is actually very healthy and no one actually sees it because the flower beds surround the yard.  Because nothing is used on the lawn wild birds love it.  The robins and starlings are always poking and probing it for the worms and the grubs.  The flicker has a field day with the ants, the native sparrows eat the grass and weed seed and the swallows fly in at dusk for the gnats and mosquitoes.  As night approaches the night hawks and bats start flying in.  Several of the gardens have acquired a more natural look with many weeds and wildflowers filling in between the plants.  So I ask you what is a weed?  That was a question posed to me by my new neighbor who I don't think ever left her city apartment to enjoy the outdoors.  My definition of a weed is any plant growing in a spot I don't want it to be and is a pest.  Dandelions are considered by most people a weed.  I like their bright yellow heads and they actually look nice in some spots but I prefer them to be in my natural garden and not in my lawn or formal gardens.  Dandelion leaves when young and tender make good salad and my friends like dandelion wine maybe that's why the wild birds like dandelions too.  Buntings,finch and sparrows love this weed when it goes to seed.  The dandelion's flower turns into a soft cottony ball of seeds which as kids we'd love to blow and make a wish.  For wild birds they provide nutritional food.  If you want to rid these weeds from the lawn take a sharp forked tool or trowel and dig deep,they have a long taproot.  My lawn stays fairly green all summer long because it has a lot of crabgrass growing in it.  Crabgrass likes well watered mowed low grass.  Though I don't water the grass the summer dew is so heavy it gives this weed plenty of water.  This weed gets its name from how it grows-spidery or crablike.  It has a dense center with tendrils that spreads.  When it seeds the sparrows  have a field day.  Goldenrod is one of those weeds that looks great mixed in with purple coneflowers or Queen Ann's lace.  It's 3-4 feet  tall with yellow flowers. It likes to grow in mulched gardens and has  a good root system that's hard to pull out.  If  it's growing  in a spot where you don't wish it to be pull it out right away.  A word of caution though, if you are allergic to latex goldenrod contains latex in it's greenery and will give you a rash so wear gloves.  Many insects are attracted to this weed so look for butterflies and moths to visit the garden and help pollinate along with the sparrows and finches.  Mullein grows in dry hot areas of the yard. When I first saw this huge plant growing I thought it was a verbascum plant so I let it grow.  Was I surprised!  This weed got large and actually covered my small rhododendron bush with its furry leaves and big yellow flower. By the time I tried to pull it out the plant was propagating and had a stem that was very hard and thick.  I needed a spade to pry and dig it up.  I allowed one plant to grow by the roadside amongst some of the wildflowers, ox -eyed daisy plants and weeds.  You should have seen the show of wild birds when the seeds had ripened.  The chickadees  and downy woodpeckers were all over the plant.  Another plant I always consider a weed is poison ivy.  This weed grows as a vine with three shiny leaves and gets red fruit on it in the fall.  Birds and turtles devour the seeds and help spread this weed.  For some of us this plant is highly toxic if it touches the skin.  The oil from every part of the plant is an irritant even when it looks like it's dead.  The plant puts on a beautiful display of color in the autumn but it's too toxic for me.  According to Indian lore the counter plant for poison ivy is jewelweed.   Supposedly if poison ivy touches the skin you rub the leaves from jewelweed on the exposed area and it counters the ivy oil.  This weed spreads quickly likes moist soil and partial shade.  It gets berries on it which get munched on by the wildlife and birds. The blooms of the plant attract hummingbirds while the seeds attract rose breasted grosbeaks.  Grasses play a role in garden design and landscaping and in attracting wild birds.  Ornamental grasses planted in the right place can dress up a dull area ,cover up an unsightly spot or be a focal point in a garden bed.   Ornamental grasses and grass range in height and color.  The pampas grass are tall grasses with a plume on the top. The plumes ripen into dozens of seeds spilling onto the ground attracting doves, juncos and white throat sparrows.  Maiden grass is another tall grass which can be used as a backdrop for smaller plants ans shrubs.. Ribbon  or zebra grass is more compact  grass and forms a dense clump which allows wild life and birds to hide within the blades of grass. Many of the grasses attract insects and butterflies thus attracting insect eating birds. Swallows and bats come in at dusk eating tons of these insects and controlling the insect population. The problem with many of the ornamental grasses is they are vigorous growers and spread into the lawn.  To solve this problem pot the grasses in a container and sink it into the ground preventing the roots from spreading.  Many weeds and grasses are beneficial to wild life and birds.  The seeds the weeds and grass provide will help sustain the birds,mice and chipmunks though the winter with food.  Some of the weeds and grasses offer interesting texture to the landscaping and gardens.  Add a birdbath in the middle of an area of grass or weeds and enjoy the show.  Please visit my website www,WildBirdSeedMart.com to see birdbaths and feeders  which may help you attract even more wild birds.