Trees and Shrubs to Attract Birds

Birds provide eco-friendly insect control for your garden. Insect eating species of birds control pests at every stage of life. They’ll eat insect eggs, larvae and adults. Barn swallows and purple martins can consume pounds of mosquitoes. Robins, chickadees, nuthatches and even woodpeckers love devouring the bugs from your roses, or the caterpillars from your columbine. Blue jays and cardinals, each requiring conifer trees for nesting rely on grasshoppers, beetles, spiders and generally most bugs for all their meals from early spring through fall. A back yard habitat should contain all elements to sustain our feathered friends. (reference- National Wildlife Federations web site- www.nwf.org.)

Favourite Native Vines

• Virgin's Bower - Clematis virginiana

• Virginia Creeper - Parthenocissus vitacea

• River Grape - Vitis riparia

Favourite Native Shrubs to Attract Birds into the Garden

• Northern Bush Honeysuckle - Diervilla lonicera

• Red Honeysuckle - Lonicera dioica

• Northern Honeysuckle - Lonicera villosa

• Witch Hazel - Hamamelis virginiana

• Winterberry - Ilex verticillata

• Common Juniper - Juniperus communis

• Ninebark - Physocarpus opulifolius

• Sand Cherry - Prunus pumila

• Smooth Wild Rose - Rosa blanda

• Blackberry - Rubus allegheniensis

• Black Raspberry - Rubus occidentalis

• Common Raspberry - Rubus strigosus

• American Elder - Sambucus Canadensis

• Eastern Red Elderberry - Sambucus pubens

• Narrow-leafed Meadowsweet - Spiraea alba

• Snowberry - Symphoricarpos albus

• Canada Yew - Taxus Canadensis

• Eastern White-cedar - Thuja occidentalis

• Maple-leaved Viburnum - Viburnum acerifolium

• Sweet Viburnum - Viburnum lentago

• Downy Arrow-wood - Viburnum rafinesquianum

• Saskatoon - Amelanchier alnifolia

• Downy Serviceberry - Amelanchier arborea spp. Arbor

• Gray Dogwood - Cornus racemosa

• Red-osier Dogwood - Cornus stolonifera

• Beaked Hazel - Corylus cornuta

Favourite Non Native Shrubs

• Weigela- any variety

• Rosa - Rugosa

Favourite Native Trees to Attract Birds Into the Garden

• Black Maple - Acer nigrum

• Red Maple - Acer rubrum

• Silver Maple - Acer saccharinum

• Sugar Maple - Acer saccharum

• Downy Serviceberry - Amelanchier arborea spp. Arbor

• Serviceberry - Amelanchier stolonifera

• White Birch - Betula papyrifera

• American Beech - Fagus grandifolia

• White Ash - Fraxinus Americana

• Black Ash - Fraxinus nigra

• Tamarack - Larix laricina

• White Spruce - Picea glauca

• Black Spruce - Picea mariana

• Picea pungens - Spruce

• Red Pine - Pinus resinosa

• Eastern White Pine - Pinus strobes

• White Oak - Quercus alba

• Red Oak - Quercus rubra

• Pussy Willow - Salix discolor

• American Mountain-ash - Sorbus Americana

• Eastern White-cedar - Thuja occidentalis

• Eastern Hemlock - Tsuga canadensis

Favourite Non Native Trees

• Japanese Tree Lilac - Syringa reticulate

• Ginkgo - Ginkgo biloba

• Shademaster locust - Gleditsia triacanthos

• Littleaf Linden - Tilia cordata

I hope this list of native and non native plant specimens help you to decide what you will plant to attract birds and wildlife into your own personal garden. We recommended this same list is to the York Region District School Board to encourage schools to naturalize their playgrounds and create natural shade for our children. Wishing you great success.