Byline: Kris Wetherbee

In her new book, "Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Winged Wonders to Your Backyard," author Kris Wetherbee details how any garden can become a welcoming haven for winged wildlife. Projects on how to add plants, water features and other wildlife-friendly essentials can help you create the perfect habitat for butterflies, hummingbirds, dragonflies and more.

Wetherbee was online Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 1 p.m. ET to discuss how to create a wildlife sanctuary in your own backyard.

For more information visit kriswetherbee.com .

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Kris Wetherbee: With so much going on in our personal world and the world at large, stress is a daily reality in all our lives. But a great way to reduce stress levels, increase contentment and enhance overall health is to make your outdoor space more inviting to birds and butterflies. Besides, if you're landscaping any area with plants, why not choose plants that these winged wonders favor. Also, good design principles result in a beautiful landscape that adds value to your property. Likewise, the wildlife approach to garden design will greatly increase the winged wildlife variety and numbers in your yard. (The same principles that lend to a great design for humans are also fundamental for wildlife) The payoff is a daily show of entertainment and enducation that everyone in your family will benefit from.

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Frederick, Md.: Thank you for this chat! In pots on my deck, I plant morning glories for the hummingbirds, but the moring glories don't bloom until late summer. What plants will bloom early in the summer for those cute little birds? Thanks!

Kris Wetherbee: Thanks for visiting! Glad to hear you're thinking of our feathered friends when choosing plants for your deck. Container gardens are a great way to bring birds to your deck, patio or garden. How about an early perennial display of foxgloves, delphiniums or lupines? Depending on the size of your pot, you can plant more than one or add other low-growing plants that will flower later in the season, like salvia, for a longer offering of nectar. Or, feature a small lilac for late spring/early summer blooms. Daylilies are wonderful in containers and early summer bloomers, plus there are lots to choose from. Bee balm (Monarda) is another excellent choice. I personally love geraniums (Pelargoniums) in containers. On page 51 in my new book--Attracting Birds, Butterflies & Other Winged Wonders to Your Backyard--there is a beautiful photo of a rufous-sided hummingbird sipping nectar from a scented geranium flower. And, let's not forget the annual hummer favorite--fuchsias!

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Montclair, Calif.: Hi Kris, I have an arbor that I'd like to plant a flowering vine on that will attract hummingbirds. What do you recommend?

Kris Wetherbee: Great to hear from you. I grew up in Southern California, actually in West Covina which is not too far from Montclair. Your warm winter climate gives you quite a selection to choose from. Red tubular-shaped flowers are highly attractive to hummers, but they will also take nectar from flowers in hues of orange, pink, purple, blue and even yellow. That said, trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is fragrant and floriferous, and they especially like trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans). Two other fun options include cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit)--or any morning glory, for that matter--as well as canary creeper (Tropaeolum peregrinum). Here in Oregon the hummers also come to clematis flowers. And a great tip is to situate your arbor where you can enjoy the view from inside your home. We have clematis and jasmine growing up an arbor located within six feet of my office window, so I always have a bird's eye view of hummers that come to visit.

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Baltimore, Md.: We have had a family of Catbirds in the neighbor's trees all summer. It's fun to go out to mow the lawn, and see them all show up on the fence to feast on the insects we are stirring up. They've come to trust us and even land only a couple feet away while we're out there. What can I do to keep them happy over the winter?

Kris Wetherbee: Catbirds are great fun to watch and listen to, especially when they make their catlike mew. Most migrate to the warmer regions of the Gulf Coast southward, but a few will winter over in your area. As you've noticed, they gorge on insects during warmer months (I bet you've also noticed less pest insects in the garden), but also enjoy berries and other fruits. Make them welcome in winter by filling feeders dried berries, raisins, chopped bananas, oranges and other fruit. They also like peanuts and cheese. Good luck!

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Alexandria, Va.: Kris, what can we do at this time of year (fall) to prep our gardens for welcoming butterflies and hummingbirds next spring and summer?

Kris Wetherbee: Great question. First off, now is a good time to plant perennials and shrubs that will provide nectar for them next season, such as buddleja, lavatera, roses, cosmos, salvia and heuchera. And if you want butterflies to stay around longer, and not just stop in for a quick visit, be sure to have host plants available where they will lay their eggs and the caterpillars can feed. (Caterpillars have very specialized diets, and the adult butterflies will only lay eggs on specific plants as a result.) As an example, good host plants for painted lady butterflies include sunflowers and hollyhocks. And of course, monarchs only use members of the milkweed family as nursery plants. The needs vary greatly among species, and specifics can be found in my new book. Also some butterflies will winter over in your area, so provide brush piles where they can hibernate. And be sure to have your hummingbird feeder filled and ready to go in early spring. By the way, there's a fun project in my book on page 86 for making your own hummingbird feeder.

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Olney, Md.: Howdy Kris. Thanks for taking our questions.

I have planted several butterfly loving plants including several butterfly bushes.

The hummingbirds love to gather around the Daddy petunias and also Million Dollar Babies that I planted in planters along the deck railing.

I find that with the squirrels and various birds at the multilevel bird feeder I constructed and the hummingbirds and butterflies, I can find solace and comfort and a space all my won to sit, relax and enjoy nature. thanks for sharing your photos and stories as well. A little butterfly and bird watching could be just what the doctor ordered.

Kris Wetherbee: You hit so many nails right on the head! Planting the right plants and especially being what the doctor ordered as studies show that plants and getting in touch with nature via butterfly- and bird-watching is great exercise for both body and mind, plus it reduces stress, improves mood, and enhances overall health. And it's a great way for a family to bond together.

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Arlington, Va.: I'm a butterfly lover. I have two butterfly bushes in my yard that grow over 6 feet tall and attract lots of butterflies. Is it better to trim these bushes now or in early spring? How close to the ground can you cut them without fear of killing them?

Thanks so much!!

Kris Wetherbee: Wait till late winter or early spring to prune--when the plant is still dormant and before it starts to bud out. It's best to cut the bush just above ground level if you live in zones 4 to 5, but in your area I would recommend cutting it back by up to two-thirds.

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Falls Church, Va.: I have a butterfly bush planted in a modest-sized flower bed. Each year it seems to grow bigger and bigger and more out of control. It's beautiful, but it's taking over the bed and crowding out boltonia and some other perennials.

Can I safely prune the butterfly bush?

Kris Wetherbee: Yes, you can and should prune the bush every year in late winter or early spring. We neglected to do so a couple of years ago on a couple of our buddlejas (got too busy) and they get too large and woody with less blooms and foliage and are certainly less attractive.

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Alexandria, Va.: Thanks for taking my question. I purchased some healthy heather a few weeks ago as a border plant.

Now only one of the plants is green at all while the remainder are brown and dessicated.

Are they dead or dormant? Did I plant at the wrong time of year? Any chance they'll come back? Did I kill them? They seem to have attacted squirrels, at least I see a lot burrowing around their bases. Can I pin the rap on those furry critters?