Bird’s-Eye View of a Not-Quite-Awake Backyard

April in Colorado means brown. A lot of brown.

Most of my yard still hasn’t woken up. The grass is just starting to green, early lilac bushes are about to bloom, and a few perennials are pushing starting new growth. But overall, the yard is still very much in its dormant phase—a haven of brown.

Even so, I try to leave last year’s growth intact for as long as possible. It provides nesting material and shelter for birds. I usually wait to cut it all back until after the last frost (mid-May), but in the meantime, I find myself wondering: What does my yard look like to the birds? What draws them in? Right now, it’s not exactly welcoming.

But I know that by the end of May, things will look very different. Lilacs will bloom. Perennials will fill in. Native plants will start doing their thing. It’ll go from a dried-out landscape to something vibrant and buzzing.

Balancing the Backyard Ecosystem

Lately, I’ve been thinking about balance—and how hard it can be to strike in a backyard space. Over the last few years, I’ve had grasshoppers by the thousands that decimate my plants by late summer. And wasps… lots of wasps. I know wasps have their role (they’re excellent pest control and okay pollinators), but when they make it impossible to sit outside, that’s a problem.

So now I’m asking: How can I design my backyard not just for birds, but for balance?

Bird’s Eye View of Yard - End of Summer 2024 (brown circles are barrel containers for flowers and the brown squares are our vegetable garden beds)

Here’s what my bird’s-eye review of the yard revealed:

• More native plants = more biodiversity.
  I thought I had a decent amount of native plants, but there’s room for more. More native plants could mean more birds—and birds are a natural check on grasshoppers.

• No trees = no canopy.
  We currently have zero trees in the backyard. Adding tall grasses and shrubs could give birds a sense of safety while we plan for future tree planting.

• Strategic planting to deter pests.
  This year, I’m experimenting with lemongrass and citronella in containers to help keep grasshoppers, wasps, and mosquitos at bay.

• Color variety can invite more life.
  Right now, the flowers in my yard skew heavily purple. I’m working on adding more color variety—still sticking to native plants as much as possible—to appeal to a wider range of birds and pollinators.

• We need a real “feature.”
  There’s no focal point. No flow. Eventually, I’d love to transform most of our lawn into a native garden with at least one tree. (Though with dogs, we’ll probably always keep a bit of lawn.) Maybe even add a small pond or water feature besides just a bird bath.

Bird’s Eye View of the Yard — Bringing this to life by the end of Summer 2025.

Bird’s Eye View of the Dream Yard — Hoping to make it real by 2027 (or sooner!)

Planning for Now and Later

So while we all wait out the final Colorado frost, I’m spending time observing. What’s worked in the past? What hasn’t? What small steps can I take this season to support the backyard I really want in a few years?

Whether you’re working with a balcony, a yard, or several acres, I invite you to take a bird’s-eye view of your own space. What are your goals this year? What’s one thing you can plant or adjust now to create the space you dream about later?