Feeding feathered gardeners in winter

[Staff]

Feeding feathered gardeners in winter
ON GARDENING
By JIM McLAIN
Yakima Herald-Republic

Feeding feathered gardeners in winter | Yakima Herald-Republic Online
excerpt from above:

Americans spent more than $3 billion on wild birdseed in 2001, according to the findings of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife. Even adjusting that figure downward due to the current economic conditions, we are still spending a whale of a lot of money feeding birds.
Who benefits from winter feeding?

You can be sure that most of us who garden are among the most diligent of millions of Americans who feed birds each winter. But is it really necessary? There are those who believe that we are turning our backyard birds into birdfeeder addicts...

[milkweed]

My son and the neighbor kids flattened all my flowers this fall. I set up up my feeds but it took a month for the birds to come back. The birds not only used the plants for food but also as shelter.
When my native is more mature, I'm probably not bother with the feeders.