Wreath for the Birds!

 

Here's a wreath you can make for your feathered friends!

Just follow these simple steps:

1. Go outside and collect seedpods, grass heads, pine cones, berries, and other plant parts. (See the list below for examples). 

2. Get a ready-made grapevine wreath from a craft store.

3. Weave what you’ve collected 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.  

4. Hang the wreath outside on your house or on a tree. Watch for birds to find the feast. If you leave the wreath up until spring, birds may collect what’s left to build their nests, too. Enjoy the show!

Examples of What 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

 

For more fun ways to attract birds to your yard in winter, check out Attracting Winter Birds and other Wildlife.

Craft by Kate Hofmann