Cardinals adorn a snow-covered shrub with a white-throated sparrow and blue jay tucked in the background. Photo by David P. O’Callaghan

Birds depend on native shrubs and trees for their survival. They offer birds food, cover from the weather, a place to hide from predators, and a spot to build nests and raise their young.

Shrubs and trees provide birds with the essential elements of home.

and How to Help Them

Trees have gotten the short end of the stick ever since Europeans landed in America.

Forests across the country were razed for hundreds of years as Americans moved from coast to coast. Fortunately, the trend began to change in the 1940s when people been replanting forests due to changes in habits and attitudes.

But trees are not out of the woods yet. Since the arrival of Columbus, trade between the continents steadily increased. That trade brought foreign insects, diseases, and plants in addition to people.

Native insects and diseases may harm indigenous plants, but they do not decimate them. Over thousands of years, plants have developed defenses against native insects and diseases to ensure their survival. Native insects and diseases have learned to co-habite with native plants.

Mediterranean gardens transported Flower Show visitors on a “Riviera Holiday” in Philadelphia recently.

From the Cliffs of Monte Carlos to the shores of Greece, the mood of the Mediterranean pervaded this year’s exhibits. Elegant displays of lemon and olive trees, arbors, and lavender-filled gardens attracted old and young alike for a visit.

Approximately ¼ million people visit the Philadelphia Convention Center annually for the show.  This year’s “Rivera Holiday,” which ran from Feb 28 to March 8, was no exception.

The show began with an impressive archway of flowers that framed large landscape exhibits. Fountains, flowers, bushes, and trees appeared throughout the convention center, the work of top designers from the United States and abroad.

Further into the show, floral designs, miniature displays, and other exhibits showcased the work of professional designers and educational organizations in addition to the work of amateurs, both individuals and clubs.