5 Life Lessons Learned at the Bird Feeder: Preparation is Everything.

5 Life Lessons Learned at the Bird Feeder

Part Three of a Five-Part Series

by Helen Grundmann

I find that when I am most prepared, I can focus on the task at hand and success follows. I am in the moment and everything clicks.  Out of necessity comes ingenuity. In preparation for winter, Red-bellied Woodpeckers begin storing acorns and seeds in cracks and crevices, we even discovered one of our birdhouses filled with acorns! This not only increases their available food supply but also gives them an early breeding advantage.

What is even more amazing, is that it’s been proven that birds actually remember where the food has been cached. Studies have shown that their searching is not random but they have shown excellent powers of recall.

                Landscaping is also about advanced planning and preparation. Planning begins with a collaborative conversation. The specific site characteristics are noted and incorporated into a CAD drawing for a site-specific design.

With degrees in Environmental Science and Botany, I bring design consideration to the soil type and the lifecycle of plant communities. Much like the Red-bellied Woodpecker, I see plants as food resources for birds and pollinators. I want to maximize energy efficiency by putting the right resources into the landscape to minimize the output of energy required by the homeowner.

As a professional landscape designer, I am able to read the land, select the right plants, and design for a yearlong unfolding of beauty. Call today. I am accepting a limited number of projects for the year.