Gardening for the Birds

In 1962 Rachel Carson wrote in Silent Spring: “Over increasingly large areas of the United States, spring now comes unheralded by the return of the birds, the early mornings are strangely silent where once they were filled with the beauty of bird song.” Cornell University estimates we’ve lost 3 billion North American birds since 1970, including many common backyard species.

You can help reverse this decline by choosing garden plants that support birds. Renowned horticulturalist Frank Niccoli will show you how during a program called “Saving the Earth, One Garden at a Time” on Tuesday, May 5, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Burlingame Community Center at 850 Burlingame Ave. in Burlingame. He’ll explain how to choose flowers and native plants that boost bird populations by attracting the insects they feed on and trees that provide both shelter and food.

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This program is presented by the Citizens Environmental Council (CEC). Admission is free, but pre-registration is required at https://tinyurl.com/Garden4Birds.

Frank Niccoli, who has more than 65 years of experience in sustainable landscaping and environmental education, is a crowd favorite known for his encyclopedic knowledge of native plants. He has won many gold medals at the prestigious San Francisco Flower and Garden Show. Now retired from serving as the director of the horticulture program at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, he is CEC’s newest board member.