What to plant in your garden to attract the prettiest birds.

Certain Disney princesses have a way with birds. Singing to them. Having them land on her finger. But you want to know the secret?

Check out the background.

GIF from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."


Snow White's secret to getting up close and personal with her winged friends might be the plants around her. Plants, be they bushes, trees, or flowers, provide food and shelter to birds and other critters. Unfortunately, the world today is pretty different from what it was in Snow White's time. A lot of that natural habitat is now gone.

The Audubon Society has a charming, simple-as-heck fix for the problem.

Nestled in their website is a database of birds, plants, and geographic data. Put in your zip code and — voilà! — you'll get a list of beautiful, native, non-invasive plants you can add to your windowsill, rooftop, or garden that will help support local bird populations.

For example, let's say you were in zip code 10001, right in the heart of New York City. Do you have a roof planter? Orioles just love butterfly milkweed.

‌Wow! Photo via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Midwest/Flickr.‌

Milkweed is easy to grow and attracts butterflies and other insects (which birds like to eat). Orioles use its fibers in their nests. Planting it means more food, shelter, and habitat for all kinds of birds. This kind of support is important because some birds are struggling due to man-made changes like urbanization, habitat loss, and climate change.

"A number of bird species are in trouble," says John Rowden, Audubon's director of community conservation. Luckily, he says, anyone can help out — "even a container on a balcony, patio, or fire escape can help."

Here are more examples of what you can find in the Audubon database to help the birds near you:

A windowsill full of bluebell-of-Scotland will attract hummingbirds, even all the way up in Juneau, Alaska.

Photo by Cerlin Ng/Audubon Society.‌

Alaska too cold for you? Los Angeles hummingbirds would love the flowers of the chalk liveforever succulent.

Chicago suburb? Plant a plum tree; get some lovely little finches.

‌Photo from Homer Edward Price/Flickr.‌

A purple passionflower would look lovely in Austin, Texas, and might attract some cardinals too.

‌A common passionflower in Bermuda. Looks a little freaky, doesn't it? Photo from Captain-tucker/Wikimedia Commons.‌

Want something larger, and a little less flashy, for a garden in Philly? Mockingbirds love to eat American holly berries.

‌Photo from Kehl Mack/Pixabay.‌

Planter box in Seattle? Bright orange honeysuckle flowers could bring in waxwings.

‌Plus, I mean, look at them. Fireworks!‌ Photo from Walter Siegmund/Wikimedia Commons.

This works, even in the desert. Got a little space outside your window in Las Vegas? Golden currant could bring in wrens.

Image from Sten Porse/Wikimedia Commons.

Anyone can do this, and it really does help. The birds will thank you.

Western tanager and Douglas fir. Photo from Timothy Lenahan/Audubon Photography Awards.

If you're on a budget, many of these plants can be found as cheap seeds too. The Audubon database also points people to their local Audubon chapter, where they can get detailed advice about plant and bird care.

So whether you're looking for a fun summer project to beautify your home, a way to help out native birds, or you just want to up your chances of finally fulfilling your Disney princess dream, head on over to their website and check it out.

Annie Reneau

A few years ago, our family took a two-week road trip through the Pacific Northwest. We visited six state parks and four national parks, camped under the Redwoods, frolicked in the Pacific Ocean, hiked through breathtaking scenery, and ate and laughed with friends and family who traveled with us.

Perusing the photos from that vacation (or "family trip" to be more accurate, per M. Blazoned's brilliant analysis), I see gorgeous vistas and genuine smiles, children playing and families picnicking, magical moments of beauty and bliss.

But photos never show the whole picture, do they? This is a problem in the social media age as studies suggest that constantly seeing people's "highlight reels" on Facebook and Instagram can lead to sadness and/or jealousy. Apparently, scrolling through photos of our friends basking on beautiful beaches while we're waging whining wars with our wee ones can make us feel all icky inside. Go figure.

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Annie Reneau

A few years ago, our family took a two-week road trip through the Pacific Northwest. We visited six state parks and four national parks, camped under the Redwoods, frolicked in the Pacific Ocean, hiked through breathtaking scenery, and ate and laughed with friends and family who traveled with us.

Perusing the photos from that vacation (or "family trip" to be more accurate, per M. Blazoned's brilliant analysis), I see gorgeous vistas and genuine smiles, children playing and families picnicking, magical moments of beauty and bliss.

But photos never show the whole picture, do they? This is a problem in the social media age as studies suggest that constantly seeing people's "highlight reels" on Facebook and Instagram can lead to sadness and/or jealousy. Apparently, scrolling through photos of our friends basking on beautiful beaches while we're waging whining wars with our wee ones can make us feel all icky inside. Go figure.

Keep Reading Show less
True

If you've ever donated to a cause but worried that your contribution wasn't really enough to drive real change, you're not alone. As one person, it can be tough to feel like you're making a real difference, especially if you don't have a lot to donate or if times are tough (aka there's a worldwide pandemic going on.)

That's why, for years, the idea of philanthropy felt a little bit like a rich person's thing: if you had millions, you could donate and make change. The rest of us were just tossing pennies into a cup without really doing much.

But that's a problem: the priorities of a wealthy few don't represent the priorities of many, which means that good causes are often left underfunded, leading to a lack of meaningful action.

The thing is: it doesn't have to be like this. We can all make a difference, especially if we pool our money together.

Enter: Giving Circles. These are when groups of people with shared values come together to drive change. They do it by pooling their time and money together, then deciding as a circle where it should go. That way, they can cause a real targeted change in one place quickly in a very people-powered way by giving what they can, whether that's volunteer hours, money, or a mix of both. Best of all, Giving Circles are a social experience — you get to work together as a community to make sure you do the most good you can.

In other words, giving circles are a way to democratize philanthropy, making it more accessible regardless of your age, income, gender, or race.

That's why this year, The Elevate Prize, a nonprofit founded in 2019, is launching a new pop-up "Giving Circle" program so that problem solvers, budding philanthropists, and anyone that wants to do good can come together and drive real impact at a large scale. And you can do it all in just 90 minutes.

All you have to do is join one of the Elevate Giving Circles online. Learn about organizations doing good for the world, then pool your money together, and as a group, direct it where you think that donation could make the most difference.

But that's not all: every single donation made is matched by the Elevate Prize Foundation — basically guaranteeing that you double your impact for good. The theme for the first cycle is education, and Elevate Giving will match up to $75,000 in total donations for each cycle.

Ready to get involved? Elevate Giving experiences start June 26th, so sign up now for your spot to make a difference. There's no minimum fee to join either — so get involved no matter what you have to give. Now that's philanthropy for all.