We grow a lot of different types of berries in our yard, some for us to eat and some for the birds to eat. Most years there are holly berries rosehips and winterberry holly berries all through the winter, but this year I noticed they were all gone by December. I’m not sure why berries are so scare this year, but we decided we needed to help our bird friends out. We like to learn about and celebrate winter birds around Valentine’s day, there is long held folkloric belief that February is when birds begin to pair up and make nests, which likely plays into the modern themes of the holiday. They do begin to make nests this time of year as many types of birds time the hatch of their young for early spring when insects start emerging. February is also National Bird Feeding Month! It’s also a really cold month where we live, and perfect for freezing ice shapes. I was initially concerned about encasing bird food in ice, but it’s how they find natural berries this time of year so I think its pretty standard bird stuff. If you are concerned you could use coconut oil or suet instead but it won’t be a red.
Red Berry Ice Heart Garland
This pretty ice heart garland is super easy to make and color naturally with hibiscus instead of food coloring. It’s a perfect valentine for hungry birds making their nests!
Materials:
- heart shaped molds
- water
- assorted red berries (cranberries, rosehips etc.)
- a pinch of dried hibiscus
- string
Method:
Gather your materials and cut lengths of string for each row of hearts. You’ll want a few inches between each heart.
Fill all the cavities of your mold with berries and crumble some of the dried hibiscus into each one. (this is a great job for our younger friends) Pour water into each cavity. Leave it for a minute so that the hibiscus starts to dye the water red. (Hot water will make it happen faster, but cold water will work too)
Use a stick or chopstick to stick a bit of the string into the water in each cavity. Pull up a loop of string in between each heart so that they aren’t right next to each other. Do your best to keep the loops out of the other hearts. (After the start to freeze you can go back and nudge any that have fallen into a neighboring heart) You can make three separate strands of garland or 1 big one according to your preference. Pop outside (or in your freeze) to freeze solid.
Once the hearts are frozen solid you can pop them out of the mold and hang in a tree for birds to enjoy!
[…] Red Berry Ice Heart Garland for Bird Friends […]