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Plant These Two Trees To Attract Blue Jays To
Your Yard
By ROCHELLE HEATH-HARRIS
Blue jays can be one of the most interesting birds to watch. Two of their favorite foods are acorns and beechnuts, so to attract them, plant oak and beech trees in your yard.
It's possible to collect a few acorns, and with a little preparation, plant them and grow an oak tree. These trees are wonderful for native wildlife, and blue jays love them.
Plant two acorns in one pot, and when the seedlings are one to two weeks old, cut off the weaker one at the soil level. Use a mesh tree guard for at least the first three years.
An adult beech tree ranges from 50 to 80 feet tall and 40 and 80 feet wide. It produces beechnuts, and some birds also eat the buds from these trees.
Planting a beech tree from seed can take 40 years or more before it's mature enough to produce beechnuts. You can plant it in much the same way as an oak.