A Wreath for the Birds

On your next walk in the woods, collect some treasures from nature and turn them into this beautiful wreath for birds to feast on!

by Kate Hofmann; Wreath by Robin Walker

Here’s a fun way to brighten up a winter day—yours and the birds’. First, go out for a walk in a park, woods, or field. Look for things that birds might like to eat. Collect seedpods, grass heads, pine cones, berries, and other plant parts.

Next, turn your finds into a pretty wreath. Start with a ready-made grapevine wreath from a craft store. Weave grasses, flowers, and berries into the wreath. Stuff pine cones with a mixture of suet and birdseed and tie them on with string or wire. If you like, you can tie on slices of dried fruit, too.

Now hang the wreath outside (on your house or on a tree) and watch for birds to find the feast. If you leave the wreath up until next spring, birds may collect what’s left to build their nests, too. Enjoy the show!

THINGS TO COLLECT

FOODS

  • Seed heads from flowers such as goldenrod, sunflower, coneflower, sumac, and mullein
  • Seed heads from grasses such as millet, wheat, foxtail, and switchgrass
  • Berries on sprigs of holly, juniper, cedar, hawthorn, mountain ash
  • Pine cones
  • Acorns

NESTING MATERIALS

  • Mosses
  • Grasses
  • Milkweed pods full of fluff
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