To be honest, I don’t care much for the cold, so winter is not my favorite season. But I do enjoy watching the birds that visit in winter, and, without foliage in the trees, it’s easier to photograph them, too. It’s hard to beat a good photo of a goldfinch feasting on a sunflower head or a brilliant cardinal eating holly berries. With that in mind, here are ten plants that will attract birds to your yard in winter by providing them with food.

Sunflowers

Black oil sunflower seeds are a staple in birdfeeders everywhere, but birds will eat the seeds of virtually any variety of sunflower. The Maximillian sunflowers in my yard are very popular with finches, chickadees, and titmice.

American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)

This understory shrub produces lavender/pink clusters of berries that birds and other wildlife love. According to the USDA, American beautyberry fruit is an important nutrient source for over forty songbirds, including robins, brown thrashers, and towhees.

Muhly grass

I have pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) in my landscape, and I’d plant it even if it had no benefit for wildlife. Luckily, birds like to eat muhly grass seeds, and I often see sparrows hopping around it. Any variety of muhly grass is likely to be attractive to birds.

American holly

My mom had an American holly planted outside her office window, and it provided some of the best birding in her yard. Cedar waxwings would feast on the berries in winter, cardinals would nest in it in spring, and wrens would shelter in it year around.

Giant coneflowers

I wrote about giant coneflowers earlier this year. I had waves of finches landing on them this fall in search of seeds.

Sumac

Several species of sumac are suitable for landscaping, something European gardeners have known for some time. They are gaining in popularity in the U.S. as well. Plant a sumac and birds will follow. Sumac berries are a staple for many birds.

Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

Native to the eastern U.S., this shrub produces dark blue, almost black berries that are too astringent to be eaten raw, but are good for making jellies, jams, juices, and wines. You will have to fight the birds to make a harvest, though.

Joe Pye weed

When blooming, this perennial is a favorite of butterflies and bees. After that, the seeds are eaten by finches, juncos, and other seed-eating birds.

American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens)

This woody vine produces orange capsules that split open to reveal red berries inside. Vines will be male or female; female flowers must be fertilized by a male, so both a male and female plant are needed to product fruit. A relative, oriental or Chinese bittersweet, is considered invasive in some areas, so be sure to get a native variety.

Marigold

I’ll never forget the first time I saw a chickadee land on a long-dead marigold left in a pot to eat the seeds. It made me aware that many perennials and annuals that reseed will also feed birds over winter. Marigolds are just one; zinnias, cowpen daisies, cornflowers (bachelor buttons), black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, and many others provide food for birds, as well.