Jina,
Why don't you check out the website for Seattle Audubon's "Gardening for
Life" program:
http://www.seattleaudubon.org/Conservation/CampaignsProjects/GardenforLife.h
tml

In particular, in the Gardening for Life Fact Sheet / FAQ" question # 15 is
the one you ask, and here is the answer given:


15. What are good plants for attracting wildlife to my yard?
Some examples of native plant/wildlife relationships include:

Red Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) and the Rufous Hummingbird - the
flowering of the Currant coincides with the migration of the Rufous
Hummingbird.


Plants with berries - Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) attracts most songbirds
and hummingbirds; Mountain Ash (Sorbus spp.) attracts waxwings and
woodpeckers; other good berry plants include Huckleberry (Vaccinium spp.),
Elderberry, and Snowberry.


Vine Maple (Acer circinatum) provides resources for many species: seeds for
a variety of birds, wood and twigs for deer and beavers, shelter for larvae
of the brown tissue moth, and a good nectar source for bees.
Other references:

Native Plants for Wildlife, presented by King County Wildlife Program, 201
S. Jackson St., Suite 600, Seattle, WA 98104-3854, (206) 296-7266


American Wildlife and Plants: A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits by A. C.
Martin, H. S. Zim, and A. L. Nelson


www.wildwords.com (Pacific Northwest native plants for wildlife)


www.wnps.org (Washington Native Plant Society)

Lauren Braden
Advocate for Wildlife Habitat
Seattle Audubon Society
8050 35th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98115
206-523-8243 x14
laurenb at seattleaudubon.org



-----Original Message-----
From: Jina Chan [mailto:jina at u.washington.edu]
Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2003 10:26 AM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: Question about plants for birds


Hi, tweeters! I have a question that relates to urban birds, so I hope
it's okay to ask.

I'm starting my graduate school research, and I'd like to quantify what
plants are best for urban bird habitat in the Puget Sound area. I'm only a
beginner birder myself, so I thought I'd ask: are there particular plants
(ornamental plants are fine; doesn't have to be native) you've seen used a
lot by birds in the city? And was there anything that surprised you or
was unusual?

By the way, I've read Russell Link's _Landscaping for Wildlife in the
Pacific Northwest_ and Alexander Martin's _American Wildlife and Plants_,
but additional book or article recommendations are welcome.
Thanks!

-- Jina Chan <jina at u.washington.edu>
Graduate Student, Center for Urban Horticulture
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA