Native Plants for Native Birds
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Mobile Food Tips Native Plants Sunshine Coast White-browed Scrubwren Choose local native plants: many native plants with spider are bird-attracting and are adapted to your local conditions. Birds need protein, particularly Native Plants during breeding. Spiders, insects, Plant in layers: ground covers, shrubs and trees bugs, caterpillars are food in a provide food and shelter for birds. “messy” garden. for Plant densely: add some prickly plants to attract I&JB and protect small birds. Chrysocephalum apiculatum Native Birds Yellow Buttons Plant for year-round food: consider when plants flower and fruit; include insect-attracting plants. Daisies, hardy groundcovers, rocks provide interest and a home Avoid pesticides and baits: these poisons access for mobile food in gardens; sun. the food chain killing food sources for birds. Provide water: birds need a safe, clean, cool water AC source to drink and bathe; shallow containers suit Melaleuca salicina smaller birds. White or Willow Bottlebrush Think about bird safety: not all animals, even Upright tree to 10m; white flowers much-loved family pets, are bird-friendly. in spring plus flaky bark attract insects; hardy; sun. Think creatively: if your space is small, plant in pots, hanging baskets or on a trellis. JD Create instant homes: provide a bird box, a native Syzygium australe beehive, old bricks or logs for insect homes. Brush Cherry Insects attack bright pink fruit, Suggested Links: birds attack insects. Many Syzygium species and cultivars GroNATIVE: free app from Google Play and iTunes are available. Backyard Buddies: www.backyardbuddies.org.au JD Birds in Backyards: www.birdsinbackyards.net Hunting ground for Birds Queensland: www.birdsqueensland.org.au Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Leaf litter and rotting timber hide Photographers: Our thanks to food for birds; feature these in (PB) Phil Bender, (I&JB) Ian and Jill Brown, your garden. (AC) Allan Carr, (JD) Joan Dillon and Steve Parish Nature Connect for the cover photo. I&JB www.npqsuncoast.org www.npqsuncoast.org www.npqsuncoast.org Plants for Nectar Plants for Seed Plants for Fruit Banksia aemula Acacia complanata Archontophoenix cunninghamania Wallum Banksia Flat-stemmed Wattle Tall Solitary Feather Palm Small tree to 8m, serrated leaves, Arching, open shrub, yellow flowers Masses bright red fruit in summer attractive knobbly bark, cream late spring/summer; sun. All wattles attract pigeons, orioles and flower spikes winter/spring; full sun. provide seeds for birds. others; moist soils; part shade. AC AC Wompoo Fruit-Dove PB Grevillea rosmarinifolia Banksia robur Austromyrtus dulcis ‘Scarlet Sprite’ Swamp Banksia Midyim Dense mounded shrub, 1m; scarlet Large, multi-stemmed shrub to Low, sprawling shrub, white flowers all year, prickly foliage for 3.5m, flowers green to cream flowers, speckled edible fruit, new bird habitat; hardy; full sun. spring/summer; most soils; sun. leaves reddish; prune to shape; Attracts Black Cockatoos. adaptable. JD AC AC Melaleuca (Callistemon) spp. Casuarina spp. Cordyline rubra Bottlebrushes She-oaks Red-fruited Palm Lily All bottlebrushes attract Corellas and cockatoos harvest Narrow, upright growth to 4m, honeyeaters, mainly spring seed from globular woody fruit of purplish flowers spring, red fruit; flowering; many shapes, sizes to Casuarina and Callitris species; part shade, rainforest understorey. suit any garden; sun. sun. Scarlet Honeyeater PB Little Corella AC AC Syzygium wilsonii Leptospermum liversidgei Elaeocarpus reticulatus Powderpuff Lilly Pilly Swamp May Blueberry Ash Shrub 2-4m, large cyclamen flowers Small leaves, white flowers spring, Shade tree to 8m, masses tubular, spring, early summer, colourful new valved woody fruit, fine seeds. All white or pink fringed flowers growth; sun/part shade. Tea Trees have similar fruit; sun. summer; dark blue fruit; moist soils. AC AC AC Xanthorrhoea spp. Themeda triandra Hibbertia scandens Grass Trees Kangaroo Grass Twining Guinea Flower Feature plants; multiple graceful Clumping habit, green-bronze seed Vine, stems to 3m, large yellow narrow leaves, tall flower spikes heads. Grasses provide food/shelter flowers summer, seeds with winter/spring; moderately fast for small birds. Open, sunny areas. orange flesh; coastal and forest growth; sun. soils; adaptable. Olive-backed Oriole PB JD AC www.npqsuncoast.org www.npqsuncoast.org www.npqsuncoast.org.