50 birdsandblooms.com OCTOBER (^) I NOVEMBER 2017
Q I took this photo at our bird feeder last
October. Could this bird be a cross between
a snow bunting and a redpoll?
Ken Thommes HILLMAN, MINNESOTA
Q I saw this monarch feeding in my backyard
last October and wondered where it might be
headed. Do monarchs migrate this late?
Joanne Pinsonneault CHATHAM, ONTARIO
ASK THE EXPERTS
Kenn and Kimberly: Monarch migration is an amazing
phenomenon. The monarchs that hatch in your area
of eastern Canada in early fall are the great-great-
grandchildren of those that spent the winter in
Mexico and migrated north in spring. Somehow
these hatched monarchs know they need to
fly south again. In southern Ontario, large
numbers of monarchs migrate through Point
Pelee National Park in fall. Peak monarch flight is
usually in September, but some continue through
mid-October, so you saw one of the late ones.
Q There is an albino
sparrow in my yard. I’ve
read albino birds have
poor eyesight and are
easy targets for predators.
What can I do to help it?
Barbara Stone
GROSSE POINTE FARMS, MICHIGAN
Kenn and Kimberly: If the white sparrow
is a true albino with pink eyes, it probably
does have poor eyesight. But if it has
dark eyes, it’s likely leucistic, meaning that
although it may lack pigment in its feathers,
it can still see just fine. Despite its coloring,
the sparrow could possibly live a long time.
Not much can be done to help a bird like
this beyond providing food, water and
shelter. Roaming house cats are its most
likely predators, so keep them indoors.
MILKWEED MATTERS Monarchs need milkweed to survive because the plant plays host
to monarch eggs and caterpillars. Luckily, milkweed is easy for gardeners to grow, and
with over 100 varieties to choose from, there are plenty of options native to your area.
Q I live in Zone 6b and
plant veggies in containers.
I’ve noticed I still have
some tomatoes coming
up when the temperature
starts to drop in early to
midautumn. Do I allow the
plants to continue growing
or cut them down?
Linda Cognata CLEVELAND, OHIO
Melinda: One of the gardening challenges
of the Midwest is that the season threatens
to end before all your vegetables are
ready to harvest. Many gardeners pinch
the tips off indeterminate tomatoes in
early September to redirect the plant
into ripening the existing fruit instead of
producing more fruit that will not have time
to ripen. I like to extend the harvest season
with fabric row covers, which trap heat
around the plants but allow air, light and
water to reach them.
Kenn and Kimberly: This bird does suggest both a snow
bunting and redpoll, but we believe it’s a purple finch with
leucistic plumage, lacking dark pigments from some of the
feathers. The bird is shaped like a purple finch, with a thick
bill, long wingtips and a notched tail tip. The normal dark
brown color shows on the tail and many wing feathers,
and it looks red and pink in many of the same areas where
you’d see those colors on an adult male purple finch. This
leucistic bird is one of a kind!
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