An official website of the State of Georgia.
By Terry W. Johnson
In spite of the fact that I have been watching wildlife in my yard for decades, I probably enjoy it more today than when I was a young boy. One reason for this is that the more I watch the creatures that live
just outside my backdoor, the more I encounter nature’s mysteries that beg to be solved.
By Terry W. Johnson
While most of us are trying to reduce the amount of fat in our diets, many of our backyard bird neighbors relish bird-feeder offerings laden with animal fats. Birds will eat the fat of cattle, hogs and other animals. However, the fatty food most commonly fed backyard birds is beef fat also known as suet.
By Terry W. Johnson
By Terry W. Johnson
By the time autumn officially arrives, the fall migration of many migratory birds such as warblers, flycatchers and vireos has passed us by. However, during the ebb between when the last waves of early fall migrants bid Georgia ado and Jack Frost has transformed our countryside into a multihued tapestry of vibrant autumn colors, we have the opportunity to witness another migration: the migration of the cloudless sulphur butterfly.
By Terry W. Johnson
In recent years, a native shrub named the American beautyberry has been making a transition from Georgia's woodlands to backyards throughout the state. It is remarkable that it has taken Georgians so long to realize that this native shrub is both an attractive addition to our home landscapes and a valuable wildlife food plant.
By Terry W. Johnson
One of my favorite backyard plants is the native strawberry bush. I like it because it offers wildlife food, and in autumn it is one of the most beautiful plants in my yard. Also, to top it all off, I don’t have to pamper it. It literally takes care of itself.
Sounds almost too good to be true, doesn’t it?
By Terry W. Johnson
As I write this column, the leaves of the flowering dogwoods growing in my backyard are bathed with a blush of red. Soon, however, they will turn scarlet and, together with their already bright red berries, light up the autumn landscape. If the flowering dogwood's breathtaking beauty is not enough to endear this small native tree to us, perhaps the fact that it is also one of our most valuable wildlife food plants will.
By Terry W. Johnson
The stress of the long, hot summer is beginning to show on the flowers in my backyard. For weeks, the zinnias, salvias, coneflowers and a host of others along with untold numbers of hummingbirds and butterflies attracted to them have treated my family to a veritable kaleidoscope of color. Knowing that soon the flowers time will be over, I must admit that I am filled with mixed emotions. Hummingbirds are departing in droves. As the flowers continue to wither and die, the butterflies will also disappear.
By Terry W. Johnson
If you are trying to attract birds to your backyard, you undoubtedly already know that one of the easiest ways is with a dependable source of water. Shallow birdbaths are often used for this purpose. They are inexpensive, easy to maintain and birds flock to them.
By Terry W. Johnson
For the past several weeks, hummingbird fanciers have enjoyed watching squadrons of ruby-throated hummingbirds displaying their aeronautical skills in backyards across the state. These tiny dynamos have been flying between feeders and flowers, gorging themselves on sugar water and nectar. When they haven't been feeding, they seem to have been trying to keep others from enjoying the sweet bounty.
While we find their activities entertaining, to hummingbirds it is a matter of life and death.
