The National Audubon Society wants to make it easy to help you identify native plants for your ZIP code that birds will absolutely love. It’s part of a campaign to get 1 million native plants for birds planted in the United States. All you have to do is visit Audubon.org and enter your ZIP code; the database will suggest trees, shrubs and flowers perfect for your yard and list the types of birds each plant variety will likely attract. You can even buy the plants from the Audubon Society to support their work.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

When decorating the outside of your house for the holidays, avoid artificial garlands or wreaths and fake sprigs of red berries. If it looks real to you, it’s also going to look very real to wildlife who think the fake berries and evergreens are a source of food and shelter. A bird could easily ingest small pieces of your decor and suffer illness or even death. Instead, stick with real and natural items, or place your artificial decor close to your home (like on your porch or front door) and nowhere near trees or open spaces.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

If you use a blender on a regular basis, it’s important to know how to properly clean it. When using a blender for making plant-based smoothies, frozen drinks and batter without any animal ingredients, it’s fine to use water and a little dishwashing soap to clean it. Just fill halfway with water, add a few drops of soap, run it on low speed, and rinse it out. But whenever you blend anything with meat, seafood, dairy or eggs, it’s important to totally disassemble the blender for cleaning. Any residue from animal products can become an unhealthy breeding ground for bacteria.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION