By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director
This September, Birds Georgia will celebrate the Fall Flyway Festival with a host of in-person and virtual events to celebrate native plants and the key role they play for birds and other wildlife. The month-long celebration will include a variety of workshops and events designed to help Georgians learn more about gardening for birds and other wildlife using native plants.
“One of the easiest ways that we can help birds and other wildlife is to use native plants in our landscapes,” says Adam Betuel, Birds Georgia director of conservation. “Native plants are built to thrive in their environment, and these plants are important hosts for protein-rich native insects, like caterpillars, which nesting birds need to feed their growing chicks. More than 96 percent of land birds feed insects to their chicks, and native plants host many more insects than non-native plants. For example, a native oak supports more than 550 kinds of butterflies and moths, whereas a non-native Ginkgo tree supports only five.”
Native plants have evolved over thousands of years to grow in harmony with their local environment, including the soil type and the availability of water. They require little to no fertilizer, watering, and chemical applications and, if used properly in the landscape, native plants can mitigate water runoff, improve air quality, and create a stunning display throughout the year.
Incorporating native plants into landscapes also creates high quality wildlife habitat. A 2019 study published in the journal Science by researchers at seven institutions (https://www.3billionbirds.org/) revealed that North America has lost nearly three billion, or one in four birds, since 1970.
“One of the biggest threats to birds in Georgia is habitat loss,” says Betuel. “As urbanization increases and natural habitats disappear, native plants can go a long way to restoring the habitat birds need. Fortunately, we can provide birds with high-quality resources through thoughtful landscaping using native plants.”
The highlight of the month-long celebration will be the Fall Flyway Festival Round Robin on Saturday, September 14, from 8:00 AM to 2:30 PM at the Birds Georgia headquarters in the Trees Atlanta Kendeeda Treehouse, on the Westside Atlanta BeltLine. Offered in partnership with the Georgia Native Plant Society and Trees Atlanta, the Round Robin will bring fellow native plant and bird enthusiasts together who are interested in using native plants to transform their landscape into a bird- and wildlife-friendly habitat. With hands-on sessions focusing on both plant- and bird-related landscaping topics, the event will culminate in a keynote address by Jennifer Ceska, conservation coordinator in the Science and Conservation Program at State Botanical Garden of Georgia, entitled Connect to Protect: A Call to Action from a Conservation Botanist, in Solidarity and in Hope.
In addition to this signature event, Birds Georgia will host a number of virtual and in-person events to educate the public about the importance of native plants to birds, including:
- Saturday, September 7, at 8:00 AM – Bird and Plant Walk at Mistletoe State Park (Columbia County)
- Saturday, September 7, at 9:00 AM – Birds, Bees, and Botany at the Earth Day Nature Trail (Glynn County)
- Tuesday, September 10, at 7:00 PM – Webinar: Rewilding Your Landscape, with Gabe Andrle
- Saturday, September 14, at 8:00 AM – Fall Flyway Round Robin, featuring keynote address by Jennifer Ceska with the State Botanical Garden of Georgia (Fulton County)
- Tuesday, September 17, at 9:00 AM – Oak Woodlands Workshop for NRCS, GFC, and County Extension Agents (Madison County)
- Wednesday, September 18, at 5:00 PM – Bird and Tree Hike at Lionel Hampton/Beecher Hills Park, with Gabe Andrle (Fulton County)
- Thursday, September 19, at 9:00 AM – Native Gardening for Birds at Island Ford Unit of Chattahoochee National Recreation Area (CRNRA) (Fulton County)
- Thursday, September 19, at 6:00 PM – Beginning Plant ID Workshop (DeKalb County)
- Saturday, September 21, at 8:00 AM – Birds Georgia BioBlitz at Cochran Shoals Unit of CRNRA (Fulton County)
Registration is now open for all events and spaces are limited. Learn more or register at https://www.birdsgeorgia.org/fall-flyway-festival.html.
About Birds Georgia: Birds Georgia is building places where birds and people thrive. We create bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and community engagement. Founded in 1926 as the Atlanta Bird Club, the organization became a chapter of National Audubon in 1973, and continues as an independent chapter of National Audubon Society. Learn more at https://www.birdsgeorgia.org/.
This is sponsored content.
The post Fall Flyway Festival Celebrates Birds and Native Plants appeared first on SaportaReport.