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Go Wild Ranger Rick magazine is National Wildlife Federation's award-winning children's publication for ages 7-12

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This Wreath is for the Birds!

It's not just another holiday craft... it's a wreath for your feathered friends!

Photo: © O. Louis Mazzatenta

 

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. (See the list below for examples).
Get a ready-made grapevine wreath from a craft store. 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.
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


—By Kate Hofmann
—Wreath created by Robin Walker
—Photo by O. Louis Mazzatenta





Go Wild

Wild Watch!: Department Image


More Outdoor Fun:
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Bubbles and Butterflies!
Bug Hunting Fun
It's Campout Time!
Tubing Fun
Pigeon Puzzle
Magic Carpet Ride
Noisy Insects



Ranger Rick magazine is National Wildlife Federation's award-winning children's publication for ages 7-12

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