by Izzy Fry
You don’t normally associate birds with flowers, but they are actually very important for our feathered friends!
Wildflowers are more than a colorful addition to the landscape, they provide range of different food and habitats for a variety of species, including birds!
First of all lets talk about food sources. Vibrantly coloured wildflowers provide food for insects and invertebrates, such as hoverflies, caterpillars and bees, which then provide a food source for birds. For example, wrens will make a tasty meal out of a caterpillar and blackbirds will love a mouthful of a juicy spider!
As well as some bird species feeding on creepy crawlies, others will feed on the seeds of the wildflower itself! You will often see Goldfinches in your garden or along hedgerows sitting on top of a thistle or dandelion pecking out the tiny seeds!
Species to look out for in wildflower meadows!
HOUSE SPARROWS – House sparrows will feed on the insects and invertebrates which are attracted to the wildflowers! You will often see them with a mouthful of aphids and caterpillars which they will feed to their young in Spring.
SISKINS – Watch out for Siskins feeding on the seeds of wildflowers; they particularly love cornflower and sunflower seeds!
WRENS – Wrens will feed on the small invertebrates that will feed or shelter on the flowers. They will love a pecking of small spiders and bugs!
GOLDFINCHES – Goldfinches are probably the most common wild bird you will see in a flower meadow. They feed on the creepy crawlies and also the seeds of the plants!
All photos by Izzy Fry.
