Some great plants you can grow to help birds

Here are some suggestions for plants that support birds, especially in winter (and often pollinators and other wildlife during the rest of the year). Among them are native-plant recommendations from the National Audubon Society. Follow the links here to read more about the plants.

-- Blue elderberry, Sambucus mexicana. Elderberries provide a crucial source of food for birds in California; the blue variety is native to the Sacramento region.

-- Coffeeberry,  Frangula california. The plant has small white flowers in summer that later turn into dark berries popular with birds.

-- Common manzanita, Arctostaphylos manzanita. Hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers, while other birds go for the fruits.

-- Common snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus. Attractive white berries give this native its common name.

-- Coyote bush (aka coyote brush), Baccharis pilularis. Lesser goldfinches are fond of the seeds.

-- Interior live oak, Quercus wislizeni. and scrub oak, Quercus berberidifolia. Native oaks are the "keystone" species for native wildlife, and they are also one of the easiest to grow. (Just ask the squirrels, who plant them regularly.) The acorns provide food, and the tree provides shelter.

-- Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia. The red berries are popular with mockingbirds, among others.

Unofficially, I've found that not only do the hummingbirds like the pineapple sage (Salvia elegans), they also frequently visit the red and white flowers of the "Hot Lips" salvia (Salvia microphylla). The lesser goldfinches have found the two frost-killed basil plants that I never pulled out, and they're enjoying the seeds that remain there. None of these is native, but they do add plant diversity to the garden and to the birds' food sources.

If you're intrigued by this topic, you should know that "habitat gardening" is the theme of the 2024 Sacramento Master Gardeners' Gardening Guide & Calendar, still available through the website here. (It will also be on sale at in-person winter events such as the Jan. 20 Open Garden at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center.) The publication is packed with valuable information on supporting wildlife through plantings.

My 2022 post on becoming a birdwatcher can be found here.