24 Nebraskaland • January-February 2022
One seed-bearing plant that doesn't get nearly enough
credit for its value as bird food during the winter is ragweed.
Ragweed pollen can be nightmarish for hay fever suff erers but
makes up for that by producing numerous seeds that provide
attractive forage for many diff erent bird species through the
winter months. It's common to fi nd a mass of songbird tracks
scattered around and through a ragweed patch after a snowfall,
Bird tracks in ragweed patch.
Ragweed seeds. Indiangrass seeds disturbed by a feeding animal.
