Bird and butterfly attracting trees

[Geetha Jaikumar]

Hello all!

 

Could I have a list of trees and shrubs (which can grow in a hot climate like Chennai) and which are good for attracting birds and butterflies? I remember seeing such a list in a mail but am unable to locate it. Hope someone can resend it to me. Thanks in advance.

 

Geetha Jaikumar

[J.M. Garg]

Hi, Geetha ji,

Here is one such Indiantreepix thread, I could locate at the moment: http://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix/browse_thread/thread/63ca702457842b2b

 

2009/4/16 Geetha Jaikumar <geetha...@gmail.com>

Hello all!

 

Could I have a list of trees and shrubs (which can grow in a hot climate like Chennai) and which are good for attracting birds and butterflies? I remember seeing such a list in a mail but am unable to locate it. Hope someone can resend it to me. Thanks in advance.

 

Geetha Jaikumar

For learning about our trees & plants, please visit/ join Google e-group (Indiantreepix) http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en

[Geetha Jaikumar]

Thank you everyone, for the overwhelming response to my query! It is good to have experts on hand to help out like this. Thank you again.

Geetha Jaikumar

On Fri, Apr 17, 2009 at 2:09 PM, J.M. Garg <jmg...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi, Geetha ji,

Here is one such Indiantreepix thread, I could locate at the moment: http://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix/browse_thread/thread/63ca702457842b2b

 

2009/4/16 Geetha Jaikumar <geetha...@gmail.com>

Hello all!

 

Could I have a list of trees and shrubs (which can grow in a hot climate like Chennai) and which are good for attracting birds and butterflies? I remember seeing such a list in a mail but am unable to locate it. Hope someone can resend it to me. Thanks in advance.

 

Geetha Jaikumar

Creating Awareness about Indian Flora & Fauna:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1

[Geetha Jaikumar]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: mani nair <mani....@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 10:38 AM
Subject: Re: [indiantreepix:10758] Bird and butterfly attracting trees
To: Geetha Jaikumar <geetha...@gmail.com>

I give below some of the trees and shrubs  which can grow in Chennai climate to attract birds and butterflies.  All are common names.

 

For butterflies :

 

1.  Lantana

2.  Pentas

3.  Zinnia

4.  Curry leaves (for caterpillars of mormon butterflies)

5.  Caliotropis (for caterpillars of Tiger butterflies)

For birds

 

1.  Coral tree

2.  Red cotton tree

3.  Mango tree (for fruits)

4.  Jackfruit  (for fruits)

5.  Singapore cherry  (favorite of bulbuls)

6.  Fig tree

 

Waiting for more answers.

 

Mani

 

2009/4/16 Geetha Jaikumar <geetha...@gmail.com>

[Geetha Jaikumar]

Here are some more mails on the same subject which I am forwarding for those interested in the topic.

Geetha Jaikumar

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rakesh Biswas <rakesh...@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 8:33 PM
Subject: Re: [indiantreepix:10758] Bird and butterfly attracting trees
To: Geetha Jaikumar <geetha...@gmail.com>

Here it is:

 

A. Fruit yielding trees & bushes
1. Neem: Azadirachta indica
2. Peepul: Ficus religiosa
3. Ficus: Ficus recemosa
4. Singapore Cherry / Jamaican Cherry: Muntingia calabura
5. Paper mulberry: Broussonetia papyrifera
6. Banyan: Ficus benghalensis
7. Mulberry: Morus alba
8. Jamun: Syzygium cumini
9. Bastard's Sandle: Erythroxylum monogynum
10. Indian Snow Berry: Securinega leucopyrus

B. Nectar yieding trees
1. Red Silk Cotton: Bombax ceiba
2. Flame of the forest: Butea monosperma
3. Indian Coral Tree: Erythrina indica/verigata
4. Erythrina: Erythrina suberosa
5. Eryrhina: Erythrina stricta
6. Bottle Brush: Callistemon lanceolatus
7. Gliricidia: Gliricidia_sepium
8. Indian Cork Tree: Millingtonia hortensis
9. Badminton ball tree: Parkia biglandulosa
10. Jacaranda: Jacaranda mimosifolia
11. Tulip Tree: Spathodea campanulata

C. Nectar yielding bushes
1. Erythrina: Erythrina crista-galli
2. Tubular Hibiscus: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
3. East Indian Screw Tree: Helecteres isora
4. Powder-puff: Calliandra haematocephala
5. Orange Trumpet Flower: Tecoma smithii
6. White Silk Cotton: Cochlospermum gossypium
7. Scarlet-Sterculia: Firmiana colorata
8. Scarlet bush: Hamelia patens
9. Cup and Saucer Bush: Holmskioldea sanguinea
10. Fire-Flame Bush: Woodfordia fruticosa
11. Pink snakeweed: Stachytarpheta mutabilis
12. Queen's Wreath: Petrea volubilis

D. Butterfly attracting Trees & bushes
1. Ivory Wood: Wrhitia tinctoria
2. Star Cluster: Pentas lanceolata
3. Indian Caper: Capparis sepiaria
4. Aristolochia: Aristolochia bracteolata
5. Cherry Pie: Heliotropium arborescens
6. Pink snakeweed: Starchytarphata mutabilis
Gmail - [bngbirds] Digest Number 2996 - nbh...@gmail.com
mail.google.com/mail/?tab=ym#label/bngbirds/1165ce...
Custard apple trees are great for attracting barbets and parrots.
Ragini
Gmail - [bngbirds] Digest Number 2994 - nbh...@gmail.com
mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#label/bngbirds/116528...
how to attract birds
Posted by: "Nivedita" mailto:nive...@webindia.com?Subject=+Re%3Ahow%20to%20attract%20birds  nivedita19812000
Sat Nov 17, 2007 12:50 pm (PST)
Hi All,
There was the discussion on what trees to grow to attract birds

Also on setting up a grain / feeding station

Now one more question. The grain station is good for the vegetarian
birds. what about the non veg birds? the ones which like insects and
worms? is there a way to induce higher insect / worm activity in the
campus? Do the non veg birds eat grain also?

Best regards
Bala

PS> My wife and children are allergic to certain worms and insects

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Messages in this topic (3)
1b.
Re: how to attract birds
Posted by: "LAVKUMAR KHACHAR" mailto:lavkuma...@yahoo.com?Subject=+Re%3A%20how%20to%20attract%20birds  lavkumarkhachar
Sun Nov 18, 2007 12:53 am (PST)
While "nonvegetarian" birds will not take hard grain, they do accept cooked rice and "pahva" and fine crumbs of bread and tiny pieces of "chappati". Infact roasted "basin" (chick pea flour) is readily taken. As for planting trees, if you want the area to become "natural", plant them in discrete clusters and let the rest of the land revert to the natural regenaration processes. You will be dlighted with the result. Mantain a serpentine path through the property so that you can move around quietly observing all the activity going on. If you have a house, surround it with large shadely trees and create an avenue along the drive to it from the gate. Ficus mysorensis, F. benghalensis, F. religeosa, and F. glomerata are all great bird trees.Please keep Bougenvilia out, but do introduce Thunbergia grandiflora, T. mysorensis and the like. The edible Drumstick will provide for your sambar and produce huge quantities of flowers that will attract insects and bird, both for the insects
and the nectar. Our common Flame of the Forest, Coral and the Indian Silk Cotton are great when in flower for all the birds in the neighbourhood. I repeat, plant the trees in clusters.

Lavkumar Khachar.

Nivedita <mailto:nivedita%40webindia.com> wrote:
Hi All,
There was the discussion on what trees to grow to attract birds

Also on setting up a grain / feeding station

Now one more question. The grain station is good for the vegetarian
birds. what about the non veg birds? the ones which like insects and
worms? is there a way to induce higher insect / worm activity in the
campus? Do the non veg birds eat grain also?

Best regards
Bala

PS> My wife and children are allergic to certain worms and insects

---------------------------------
Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Gmail - [bngbirds] Digest Number 2994 - nbh...@gmail.com
mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#label/bngbirds/116528...
Planting trees in clusters, and allowing the intervening area to be abe to support local vegetation is a great idea. And I like serpentine paths too. I guess both are great: one for birds and the other for birdwatching!

In good faith,
krishna mb.
The Hindu : Property Plus Bangalore : Plants that lure birds
http://www.hindu.com/pp/2007/11/17/stories/2007111750600400.htm
Plants that lure birds
Bird houses and bird baths are fine, but to get your garden to really harbour and sustain birdlife on an ongoing basis, what you need to do is to grow the right kind of plants. Grow plants which offer both food and shelter to birdlife.
"Ideally, choose a variety of plants; plan your garden such that there are plants that provide food, shade, perches for them to sit on, and nesting places," suggests K.V. Sudhakar, Secretary, Madras Naturalists Society. And the mantra is, go local. Exotic palm trees and the like might add grace to your landscape, but will not do much to nurture birdlife. "It would be a good idea to mimic the vertical layers of local plant communities," adds bird watcher Shivani Mannath. That is, trees, followed by large shrubs, small shrubs, and then grasses, and create a natural setting.
Food yielding plants
Flowering plants such as hibiscus and ixora are a must, says birdwatcher and photographer S. Venkatraman. Do not despair if you do not have garden space. You can grow potted Hibiscus plants in the balcony to successfully attract birds.
As for trees, the Indian coral tree or Erythrina Indica, regular drumstick as well as the "thorny drumstick" are recommended. They have nectar-laden flowers which attract mynahs and sunbirds.
Sudhakar says "The red silk cotton tree might also be a good idea, but it is a huge tree; so, reserve it for bigger gardens or for avenues. Fruit-yielding trees such as fig, guava and mango are very attractive to bulbuls and mynahs, besides the rose-ringed Indian parakeets, which we mistakenly refer to as parrots."
To supplement the bird feed, you might also scatter seeds and grains on a flat, raised and safe (from ready-to-pounce predators such as cats) platform in your garden.
For shade and shelter
Include plants with broad leaves, such as money plants and monstera. "Broad leaves are used by the long-tailed and light green-hued tailor birds to tailor their nests and lays eggs in. Likewise, the tiny and colourful sunbirds are attracted to bougainvillea plants, where they feel protected. The white and grey hued night herons like to nest in coconut trees, so you might include coconut trees in your garden. They, along with neem trees, also happen to be attractive to wood peckers," informs Sudhakar. And don't chop down those dead tree stumps. Birds like to perch on them, especially if the stumps happen to be tall. "They use them as singing posts to declare that it is their territory," says Sudhakar.
HEMA VIJAY

 

On Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 10:30 AM, Sudipto Roy <sudipt...@gmail.com> wrote:

I live in the southern fringe of Calcutta, which is increasingly
becoming crowded by the day and the number of birds and other forms of
natural life is dicreasing. However, some birds are still to be found
in our locality and on a typical early morning one can sight a lot of
different local birds from the rooftop.
I find there is a serious lack of fruit trees in the locality that
would attract and support birds and am keen to plant at least one such
tree in the very small strip of land available behind my house. The
tree has to be soft enough to not harm the foundation of my building
and as such trees like mango or jack fruits are ruled out.
I have zeroed down on Ata (I think Sitafal in Hindi) and of course
papaya. Would someone please give his/her advice on the subject? Are
Ata saplings easily available with the local nurseries?
Sorry about the length of the post.
Regards
Sudipto

[Sushmita Jha]

Dear Geetha,

thank you very much for all the informative emails. I have not gone through them thoroughly so dont know whether Millettia is mentioned anywhere. Recently, I have noticed many birds in that tree in front of my house - tailorbird, sunbirds, coppersmith barbets, lesser whitethroat, red-breasted flycatcher, ashy prinia, yellow-footed green pigeons, etc. Of course, these birds are found in Delhi during this season and some are passage migrants.
Thanks again.

Sushmita