My First Hummingbird on the Butterfly Bush - Near the Window

White Profusion Butterfly Bush

I decided to put the observational plants in the same area with the most sun, what amounts to the backyard extension of the sunny garden, on the south side.

There I planted butterfly, beneficial insect, and hummingbird flowers:

• Bee Balms
• Lavender
• Coreopsis
• Dill
• Gooseberry
• Beautyberry
• Chaste Tree
• White Profusion Butterfly Bush

I planted White Profusion where I could easily see it from the bedroom window. I was doing some laundry and peeked out the backdoor at that garden area. A hummingbird was darting from one white flower to another. I walked to the bedroom window and looked again. The hummingbird continued its work for a time and moved on.

White Profusion close up.

I began the year looking at lists of plants friendly to butterflies and hummingbirds, then added beneficial insect plants to my shopping list.

Diversity of plants is the main goal. As I mentioned with beneficial insects, the adults may live on one type of food (nectar and pollen) while the new-borns live on pests as they hatch. Having a large number of nectar and pollen plants - yea, even weeds and herbs - will help populate all the desirable creatures.

This is also the bird area, and they all get along fine. Birds, toads, and beetles eat pests. Those pests could be killed with insecticides, but that would eliminate the butterflies and beneficial insects. Hummingbirds do not simply sip nectar. They also need insects to feed that astounding energy level.

Driving away and killing the pests will always end in getting rid of the most attractive and useful creatures fashioned for that purpose by God. And best of all, these beneficial creations are a delight to the eyes and ears.

Below proves how one type of Bee Balm can attract the best of the delightful creations.

Rainstorms Make Gardeners Feel Accomplished - Tons of Usable Nitrogen for No Cost

El Nino is predicted by NOAA into 2016

I took Sassy for her morning walk at about 8 AM and saw nothing special. I really wanted some rain, because a long bout of sprinkling yesterday left the soil still dry. I know because I dug a hole for the Double Whammy Sunflower this morning.

The house got dark suddenly and a big thunderstorm rolled in at about 10:30. The rainbarrels, which I emptied yesterday - in hope - are already half-filled.

A long, steady rainstorm is a great boon to gardeners and farmers. No amount of artificial watering can equal a rainstorm in volume of water and in usable nitrogen.

Save the rain for later, like a boss.

Maximizing the Rainstorm
Always planning ahead, I obtained 30 cubic feet of cyprus mulch, which we put on part of the main rose garden. I could use more for the rest of the front garden. I am changing over from black mulch that smells bad until it dries out to dry shredded cyprus, which smells wonderful from the start.

I made sure the ranbarrels were empty and positioned under the eaves. They are the secret to the Intensive Creation Unit. I ladle out rainwater on all lagging plants

Double Whammy can grow to 3 feet.
It is a perennial sunflower.

We did a lot of weeding yesterday. I aimed at the big and ugly, such as crabgrass as big a mature crab, and that stealthy grassy weed that goes out from the center and plants new versions to repeat the process.

I am studying weeds to identify them better. Unfortunately I know too many weeds too well. However, they flatter me by growing five feet tall in good soil with plenty of water. "Aha! You will be composted soon under a layer of cardboard, newspaper, and mulch."

As I wrote, with deep sighs, the sunny potato garden turned into a riot of weeds, an orgy of slugs, and very few taters. You might say I reduced the initial supply of seed potatoes. But instead of hiding the evidence, I keep the composted bales in place, tore up the weeds, with help, and coaxed all the organic material around the roses and raspberries growing in wild abandon.

Keeping the material in place will create or sustain a harbor for beneficial beetles and spiders, an overwintering place for beneficial insect larvae. A heavy rainstorm accelerates the the decomposition process, which needs moisture and nitrogen.

Want to Meet Some Beneficial Creatures? Visit the Bee Balm section at Walmart.

I was looking over the plants at Walmart when I spotted a new, fresh display of Bee Balm. I bought a few of their bargain plants from before.

As I neared the display, tiny insects were flitting about. I approached and saw the flower flies (hover flies) feeding from the flowers. The beneficial insects look for the food, and they flourish where plenty of food is provided.

Details on SP Harrison House Fire

Dear Colleague in Christ: 

On Wednesday morning, July 29, an electrical fire broke out in the home of Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod President Matthew Harrison and his wife, Kathy. While the fire caused heavy damage, we give thanks and praise to our merciful God that no one was injured.  

It appears the accidental blaze began in the basement while President Harrison and his two sons were at home, but they were able to get out of the house quickly. While many possessions may be salvageable, portions of the house were destroyed, and the internal structure was seriously compromised.  Smoke and water damage was sustained throughout the home, and insurance adjusters are now working to determine if the house will need to be rebuilt. 

Meanwhile, President Harrison and his family are staying in a hotel until temporary lodging is obtained through the insurance company. As the Harrisons take the necessary steps forward, please pray for strength and comfort in their family vocations during this process. The prayers and support of all are deeply appreciated by the family.

—
DAVID YOW
Director of Public Relations
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

The Two Marks Will Bury WELS. Silver Mark Serves as Mark-and-Avoid's Enabler

DP John Seifert is another reformer while campaigning,
a pope while reigning.

The latest WELS sales convention represents the end of the sect, which is just as well, since they abandoned the vestiges of Justification by Faith long ago.

Papenfuss, the hero of the Kokomo Statements, never heard of UOJ before he went to the Sausage Factory at Mequon. He left breathing threats against justification by faith, like Paul before his conversion. The graduates who never heard of UOJ certainly heard of Gausewitz. That was their catechism, in WELS and other parts of the Synodical Conference.graduates have never heard of Gausewitz.

The current Sausage Factory grads have never heard of Gausewitz, but they live and breathe UOJ, Emergent Church, and the absolute necessity of having a Pentecostal Praise Band - hallelujah!

Mark Schroeder--a former high school principal with almost no parish experience and the worst kind of parochial education--ran on a reform platform, his way eased by the dismay of the Issues in WELS pastors and laity. That group and website is long gone.

When Mark felt surrounded by the Jeske Crime Family, he urged his classmate to organize a loyalty group, which became the Intrepid Lutherans. But Twelve Apostates (Conference of Presidents) became alarmed and joined Schroeder in dissolving the group.

Mark decided it was better to switch than fight, if any change was really intended. I concluded long ago that he was a Manchurian Candidate, the pliable one picked to finish off the sect. His intense focus on money earns him the title Silver Mark.

My take - he was doing well at first until the Jeske stable of millionaires threatened him with total non-support. Since WELS always teeters on insolvency, that was all it took.

Perhaps Schroeder really was a critic of Church Growth gimmicks. He gave a legendary but now-missing slide show against it, as told by the Intrepid Lutherans.

Let's face it, Schroeder is no leader, but a school principal without principles. He could not make a stand for a good translation of the Bible, so he rolled over and played dead for the New NIV.

After all, WELS members are "afraid of the Bible," as Wendland told a resisting convention. What better way to solve that problem than to make a non-Bible - the New NIV - mandatory for all new publications.

WELS trained teacher - on the far Left.

Silver Mark has made sure that no one dissents from his enabling of Mark and Avoid Jeske. His Intrepids are almost completely gone. No one dares to say anything in public or even anonymously.

Nota bene - all those who used to post anonymously, without a hint of their names or locations, are silent. The nasties have stopped too, perhaps because they revealed too much about the drunken, illiterate, degenerate state of the WELS clergy. Anyone can write using any name he wants, since the email address is open and I happily publish the most toxic statements.

Afraid even when anonymous? That is intimidation. The WELS church workers know that they will be shunned by family and friends when bounced out of the abusive sect, even though that is the best medicine, a fumigant against the soporific vapors of the cult.

As the brother of a real lifetime prisoner told me, "He is happy he has a roof a three meals a day, even if he has no freedom. He thinks I am a loser for working and being free."

An imaginary prison can be just as secure for the people with that mentality. That is why WELS cannot reach new people without assuming a Babtist persona. They have nothing that people need - they can be beaten like a rented mule at work. They do not need a church that charges them for the abuse.

Observe the hilarity pose, used by all Church Growth gurus.
That helps Jeske avoid his default lopsided smile.
Graphic by someone else.

Most people have heard of Planned Parenthood as baby body-parts merchants of death, but no one paid attention when Brett Meyer described how Thrivent was part of funding Planned Parenthood, years ago.

Even if Planned Parenthood were removed - whether honestly or as a ruse - Thrivent would still be the major funder of ELCA and its relentless pro-abortion policies.

Does this bother Silver Mark or his boss Mark Jeske? I see no sign of it.

I decided long ago I would have no part of any pro-abortion institution or those who funded it, and I would oppose them vocally at every opportunity. I have talked people out of March of Dimes, United Appeal, and similar covers for Planned Parenthood.

Mark Schroeder is not offended by the sexual harassment of women staffers in a parish. He protects and rescues the offenders while the victims get sued in court.

But lo - if a WELS musician touches the keys of a non-WELS instrument, Schroeder sends an email, which is a threat.

And if a WELS pastor discusses justification by faith, Schroeder participates with his pal Jon Buchholz in kicking out that parish and trying to take away the parish property.

God uses false teachers to punish those who are indolent about sound doctrine, as Luther observed.

WELS and Missouri - Schroeder, Harrison, and Jeske are your punishment from God.

Luther says that people welcome wolf preaching -
here is the Wolf of Wall Street.

Thrivent even bragged about their speaker being the Wolf of Wall Street -
cocaine, whores, fraud, lies - all supported by "conservative" Lutherans.

Delegates view trailer for new WELS movie

2015/08/04/in Together

“Only one woman had the unique privilege to call Jesus her son,” notes Rev. Mike Hintz, director of WELS Commission on Evangelism. “WELS’ newest outreach movie, My Son, My Savior, portrays Mary experiencing the miracle of Jesus’ coming and then humbly growing in her understanding that her son is also her Savior.”

Synod convention delegates had the opportunity to view a trailer for My Son, My Savior. The movie, which was filmed in late May and early June, is scheduled to be released in October so that it can be used for outreach during Advent.

Dr. Daniel Ebeling, a teacher delegate representing the Southeastern Wisconsin District, says, “I’m particularly excited about the outreach opportunities My Son, My Savior can provide. I’m looking forward to seeing the other resources that are being prepared to help us utilize the movie.”

Some Nother Fund-Raising Campaign

One layman said there was a new fund-raising campaign announced, so WELS can do more.

The layman said, "They need more money to close more congregations and schools, and do it faster." 

I hastened to add that closing a church and keeping the equity is a choice racket. The members bear the burden of debt payments and interest that the sect collects. Then, when the land and buildings have gained in value, the sect liquidates and keeps the profits, which came from the disbanded members.

That is how Glende turned a successful church into nothing in Illinois.

An education at Martin Luther College will transform young men
into transvestites. Give more, give with your heart,
so they can buy better tutus.

WELS Is Worried about Grabbing More Money from Congregations Kicked Out or Hated out of the Abusive Sect. Following the ELCA, Presbies, and Episcocats down the Drain

 Money makes zah WELS go around,
zah WELS go around,
zah WELS go around.
Grab more loot or
we'll run aground,
we'll run aground,
Jah! we'll run aground!

Floor Committee 21: Ad Hoc Commission 2 Subject: Topic 11 -

Protection/recovery of synodical support provided to congregations that elect to close or to leave the synod. Reference: Book of Reports and Memorials, p. 194 Resolution No. 8 WHEREAS the Ad Hoc Commission 2 (AHC2) believes it is a matter of prudent stewardship for options to be explored regarding how and to what degree changes can be made to current practices and procedures so as to enhance the ability of and the likelihood that the synod can recover some portion of the support that it provides to congregations, which after receiving such support, then elect either to leave the synod or to close;

therefore be it Resolved,
that the synod in convention supports the recommendation that both the Board for Home Missions and the Church Extension Fund should examine their respective practices and procedures, and specifically the terms and conditions under which each organization provides subsidies, grants, loans, and/or other support to congregations to see if changes can be made to such so as to enhance the ability of the synod to recover some portion of the subsidies, grants, loans, and/or other support provided in the event that a congregation that has been the beneficiary of the subsidies, grants, loans, and/or other support elects to leave the synod or closes. 

Pastor Charles Vannieuwenhoven, chairman Teacher Kevin Ehlke, secretary ADOPTED

Who needs a resolution?
The Two Marks - Schroeder and Jeske - stole St. John and its endowment,
giving it to an ELCA pastor to bleed dry.
But they lost big time when John Seifert
kicked out Marc Schroeder and his parish in Columbus, Ohio.

Congregations Begin To Leave the Presbyterian Church USA - Following the Lead of ELCA and the Episcopalians - For the Same Reasons

The largest Presbyterian church in the Lehigh Valley has begun a process that could lead to a split from the most visible national denomination — a move initiated after a survey showed most of its congregants disagree with church positions, including those allowing same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay ministers.

The leadership of the First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem voted on June 15 to enter the discernment process to leave Presbyterian Church (USA), or PC (USA), and seek affiliation with ECO: a Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians after spending years considering the move.

The 140-year-old church on Center Street in Bethlehem has 2,609 members and would be the largest congregation to leave the Lehigh Presbytery, the group of congregations covering seven counties in eastern Pennsylvania.

But it's certainly not the first to do so.

SATURDAY, JULY 3, 2010

New Moderator of PCUSA: Elder Cindy Bolbach

This is always important in getting a sense of the tenor, or the temperature, of the General Assembly of the PCUSA: Elder Cindy Bolbach is Moderator.

She has been supportive of LGBTQ concerns.

For some of us in the Church, this is great news. The GA body is set to continue the trend, the arc, of restoring justice to the Church body.

But the hard work--if this is a pro-LGBTQ assembly--comes to the Presbytery meetings, which will have to ratify any amendments to the Constitution of the Church.

The hard work is before us. I've seen this play, this movie, before.

Hard work.

As for me:
Back from the beach after days of reading and rest and therapy for one of our dogs, Toby, who had a mini-stroke in his hip last Sunday.

Pace!

LCMS SP Matt Harrison's Story from Christian News Top Post for the Week after Two Days. The Boring Blogs Say Nothing

Otten Accuses SP Matthew Harrison of Sexual Harass... Aug 2, 2015,	653
Dr. Lito Cruz Asked That Bethany Add a PayPal Acco... Jul 5, 2011,	325
WELS New Ulm Pastor Arrested on Prostitution Charg... Jul 17, 2015,	320
Burning Down the House - Strangely Lacking in Deta... Aug 2, 2015,	207
The Holy Spirit Teaches Man Better Than Books May 23, 2012,	204

1 Samuel 4:11 And the ark of God was taken ; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain . 

12 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army,and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent , and with earth upon his head. 

13 And when he came , lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside * *watching : for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out . 

14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said , What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily , and told Eli. 

15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old;and his eyes were dim , that he could not see . 

16 And the man said unto Eli,I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And hesaid , What is there done, my son? 

17 And the messenger answered andsaid , Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas,are dead , and the ark of God is taken . 

18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake , and he died : for he was an old man,and heavy . And he had judged Israel forty years. 

19 And his daughter in law,Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered : and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken , and that her father in law and her husband were dead , she bowed herself and travailed ; for her pains came upon her. 

20 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard * it. 

21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying , The glory has departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken , and because of her father in law and her husband. 

----

The boring blogs - LutherQuest, Steadfast Lutherans, and ALPB Online Forum - expending vast quantities of digital bits, are silent about the alleged Matt Harrison lawsuit.

A Missouri Synod pastor has reported that his members received the information by mail, so the story is out, whether true or not. The accusation should be resolved.

The LCMS began in scandal.

Missouri apologists say, "The kids wanted to go,
so Walther was justified."

Mrs. Ichabod Asks, "How do you plant a stump? And why?" Cursorial Spiders and Web-Spinning Spiders

I knew long ago that wood products were always good for the soil, long-term, but not if someone dumped a ton of fresh sawdust on the garden for mulch. That will soak up nitrogen for a time before releasing it into the soil again.

Somehow we got into a discussion where Mrs. I wanted to know about stumps being planted in the back yard. She knew I did that - but how and why? She laughed her head off while I was explaining in my serious - though wounded - gardening voice.

Cellulose (wood) is very complex in its chemical makeup, which is why fungi are designed by the Creator to break it down into chemical products useful at the plant's root level. As we all know, plain wooden boards left on the soil will rot. That is good for the soil but not always for the person who wanted to use the boards.

Also - earthworms love the environment created by logs left on the soil. Add toads and various insects, and a rustic fence or stumps in the ground are centers of influence for the natural world.

Bark holds a lot of insect life, semi-hidden as it goes through their life stages. However, bark is even tougher to break down. Fungi alone can do that.

"But why and how do you plant them?" More laughter.

The smiling saguaro cactus

I explained - the stump I wanted, on the curbside, had arms like a saguaro cactus, but if I rested it on the ground, it would fall over. I had to dig a hole and plant it, to make it stable.

"But it will rot." Exactly - but very slowly.

A concrete block fence will attract birds, who rest there, but it will not clean itself. Reaching over the fence means gathering a lot of bird dung by accident. A wooden fence is a condo for creatures and self cleaning. We conquered the weedy undergrowth problem by inserting flattened carboard boxes under the entire fence.

Once we realize how keeping organic matter will benefit the lawn and garden, we covet more of the same, even our neighbor's who blow grass into the street and bag up leaves to be hauled away. I know the landscaper's brother will have me helping to get rid of their leaves this fall, and I will gladly coat the cardboard underlayer with leaves.

Brett Meyer reported that piling leaves under one tree doubled its production. I learned that had more effect that simply building up the soil by feeding all soil life. Beneficial insects over-winter in piles of leaves left along, and beetles gather there in the summer for night-time attacks on pests. Rove beetles and assassin beetles love leaf litter and zones of quiet where they do not fear the rototiller and rake.

And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. Luke 5:5 KJV

Cursory Spiders - Who Knew?
I always loved to see spiders at work in the garden. Their webs show up decorated with rainbow diamonds in the morning dew. As soon as I put new mulch down, they let down their nets - "At your Word" - much like the disciples, counting on their Master for a good catch.

But there are valuable webless spiders, called cursory spiders, who go on the hunt for pests. They are free to roam while looking for food.

Spiders are very valuable to the farm and garden. They prey on insects and other spiders by trapping them in a web or pouncing on them. The former are known as web builders and the latter as cursorial spiders (also sometimes called wandering or hunting spiders). Prey are consumed in both groups after liquefaction with digestive enzymes. After breeding, females spin silken egg cases, each housing hundreds of eggs, and position them on webs or attach them to their abdomens. Some species die immediately after egg laying while many others care for the young spiderlings by protecting them on the web or toting them around on their backs.

Web-spinning spiders detect their prey through vibration and visual signals. Cursorial spiders use the same cues to spot and stalk potential prey. Cursorial spiders are of particular importance to gardeners and farmers as they are highly mobile and can travel to find prey, though some groups—the crab spiders, for example—spend nearly all their lives waiting in a single flower for unfortunate pollinators to come by so they can nab them and have them for dinner. 

Numerous studies have proven again and again that spiders consume many herbivorous agricultural pests, including insect eggs, beetles, aphids, cutworms, fire ants, four-lined plant bugs, spider mites, squash bugs, budworms, caterpillars, and asparagus beetles. One study found that hunting spiders in some crops do at least a quarter of the total predation, much of it taking place at night. 

It’s also been revealed that many cursorial spiders aren’t exclusively carnivorous. They also feed on nectar, and those that do so on a regular basis grow faster, survive longer, and reproduce more. They can detect the odor of nectar and can even learn to follow cues to obtain it. Fields offering large quantities of nectar have higher populations of spiders and often greater overall predation.

Walliser, Jessica (2014-02-26). Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 1344-1353). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

Until this summer I had no concept of armies of beetles and cursorial spiders roaming around to devour pests. I understood the result but not the environment needed. Composting and mulching - even in those ancient and innocent years - meant that I met the requirements for these good results. Now I am more confident in how God takes care of the pests for me.

In short, the modern concepts of gardening are antagonistic to the garden. Likewise, the modern church gimmicks are antagonistic to the Christian Faith, because both approaches lack faith in the Creator.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

How to Raise a Spider Army

Scientists at the USDA-ARS subtropical research station inWeslaco, TX are doing some really cool work developingspiders for biocontrol of ag pests.

They're working with cursorial spiders, which spend their nights running around on plants and their days in improvised silk bivouacs.

These spiders are voracious predators of bug eggs and larvae and can really knock out pests when they reach decent population levels. The scientists found that spiders seemed more deadly on cotton than on maize or soybeans (relative to other predators, such as ants) - and hypothesized that this may be due to the presence of extrafloral nectaries on cotton.

To make a fascinating story short, these spiders drink nectar from flowers and extrafloral nectaries to supplement their buggy diet! They also probably eat yeast (which grows naturally in leaking plant sap and nectar). The availability of these "non-prey foods" allow these spiders to mature faster, live longer and produce more spiderlings when their insect prey is limited. Furthermore, they can respond to the smell of nectar and can even learn to associate novel scents with a sugary reward!

They specifically mentioned that they found spiders associated with coriander, buckwheat and alyssum flowers, but they probably can drink nectar from all kinds of plants. Next, they're gonna try spraying crops with a sugary or yeasty scented spider chow to see if they can attract and maintain populations to help control pests. It's definitely a long shot, as any ecologically-based biocontrol strategy has all the complications and limitations inherent in ecology, but I'll be excited to see what happens.

In the meantime, it's an example of the type of interactions that you hope to take advantage of by planting a diverse, mixed garden surrounded by native plants.

 http://www.spiderzrule.com/commonspidersusa.htm

Helianthus - Double Whammy - Perennial Sunflower

Double Whammy Perennial Sunflower

I gladly volunteer to shop at our local Mom and Pop store, Walmart, which began a few miles away and has done well ever since.

My first stop is the gardening department to see which plants are being sold. They rapidly change the selection due to weather changing and plants conking out in the heat and sunshine.

I also get birdseed when I am running low. I enjoy having finch food in the main feeder, where all the small birds gather and feed during the day.

Lantana and butterfly

Last time I bought a very large hanging Lantana plant for $4 and no one knew what it was. Today I finally planted it in the Jackson Bird Spa area. That section has most of the butterfly and hummingbird plants -

• Butterfly Bush
• Bee Balm
• Lavender
• Chaste Tree
• Coreopsis
• Beautyberry
• Scarlet Runner Bean

Sassy waits in the driver's seat when I go inside,
but she stays home during the inferno season.

Sassy loves to ride along in the Ichaboat, but the weather is too hot, even while driving with AC on the meatlocker setting. She got her evening walk after my trip to the store. Everyone calls her by name and she wags her entire body going over to meet her friends.

I often invite Sassy outside while I work. Sometimes she stretches out on the concrete patio to show she is bored and ready to rest. Or - she sits by the door to go inside.

If I dig a hole, she looks carefully inside it. 

Neighboring dogs get her attention at times. Most of the border disputes have been settled. However, when she saw a young couple having a picnic in the next yard, Sassy tried to bark them away.

 New Bee Balm is being sold at Walmart now,
but I got them at bargain prices earlier,
because the collection was getting beat up in the sun.

Ideas for Gardening - Late in the Season

This is a good time for bargain hardware, such as half-price sales on birdbaths (or kiddie pools, much cheaper and larger), garden path stones, and other equipment. The stuff will all be good next year and well into this fall as well.

When seed packets get ultra-cheap (like a dime or two each), they are worth trying this year or next. They lose a lot of zip over the winter, but a dime's worth of beneficial insect plants will normally go far, since those common plants will often seed themselves - like dill.

I am planning for a heated birdbath this winter. If we have a rough winter, a bird bath warmer will bring in birds from all over. They need to bathe and preen their feathers, so frozen water and snow do not help.

When I did this in Midland, I had birds lining up in two columns to take their baths until pushed out by the ones behind them. I had to add gallons of water to the bath each day.

The special heaters turn off when dry and only heat the water past the freezing point.

Birdbath warmer, Duncraft.