Decorate a Christmas Tree for Wildlife.

While Christmas season is a joyful time of year, blessed with excess for many, for wildlife it often marks a time of hardship, especially when it comes to the search for food. A nice family project that will also help bring a little Christmas cheer for the birds and squirrels is to decorate a Christmas tree with edible decorations for them. Find an outside tree near a window to decorate, and you can watch while the birds enjoy the holiday feast you created for them.

Here are some ideas for "decorations" for an edible Christmas tree for wildlife. We have some cedar trees here on the farm that make great "wildlife" Christmas trees. I am going to set some time aside this weekend to decorate a couple wildlife Christmas trees and I thought I would share some ideas for edible decorations!
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String pop corn or cranberries. (Note: Do not use fishing line or thread as birds could become tangled in it) Use thin twine or ribbon.

Mix 1/2 part peanut butter and 1/2 part yellow corn meal, then spread it on pinecones and attach them to your tree.

Spread bagels thinly with peanut butter, then sprinkle with small seeds such as millet, thistle, or a finch mix.

Ears of dried corn attached to the tree.

String unsalted peanuts in the shell with thin twine or ribbon.

Whole, dried sunflower heads attached with thin twine or ribbon.

Cut thin slices of apples and oranges. Hang each slice separately, from colorful ribbons, all over the tree.

Use holiday cookie cutters to cut shapes from white or whole wheat bread. Make a hole on top before bread dries. When dried out, spread with peanut butter, sprinkle with bird seed, and pull thin twine or ribbon through hole. Attach to tree.