March 14, 2005
Tending the Garden of Eden
Northern Arizona Audubon's monthly meeting will focus on learning to nurture a garden habitat for birds.
Many garden publications assume a kind of tabula rasa – a blank slate on which the homeowner will create an environment. This is a lot of work. A gentler approach involves assessing the existing ecosystems and microclimates on your own property and in the surrounding areas and learning to work with the local and regional systems. Our area (Flagstaff, Sedona, and Verde Valley) is special because unique climatic conditions provide us with the opportunity to nurture several different habitats in quite a small space.
The three keys to success are observation, technique, and patience. Betsy Feinberg, NAAS board member will show us what to look for, and will share simple techniques developed from decades of experience in USDA frost zones 5 through 7. Topics will be the requirements of birds and their living food sources, plant identification guides, irrigation and water trapping, “pests,” sources of native plants and seeds, and aesthetics. “Pests” is in quotes because you will soon learn to see pests as birdfood...
Two meetings on this topic will be held. The first will be in Sedona on Wednesday, 16 March at the Adult Community Center, 2645 Melody Lane. The second will be in Flagstaff on Thursday, 17 March, at the Shepard of the Hills Lutheran Church, 1601 N San Francisco St.
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