As spring marches toward summer, you might be waiting eagerly for birds to flock to your backyard. Yet as easy as it is to pack your feeders with bird seed, wildlife and plant experts are urging gardeners to prioritize native planting instead – especially as the risk of shared diseases like Avian Pox starts to rise at this time of year.
While some plants, like sunflowers, provide direct food sources for birds, others attract insects which serve as vital protein sources. And come summertime, plants are a safer option than seed mixes, which can harbor diseases.
