Blaze Orange

Tempt colorful nectar-loving Baltimore orioles with sugar water and ripe fruit.

- Lisa Ballard

Gene Stratton-Porter, a naturalist in the early years of the 20th century, described the Baltimore oriole as “spilling notes of molten sweetness, as it shot like a ray of detached sunshine.” It’s true, nothing brightens a day like this member of the blackbird family, thanks to its striking orange breast, black head and white-barred wings, plus its bold, melodic call.

Baltimore orioles are one of eight orioles found in North America. Its relatives are Bullock’s, orchard, spot-breasted, hooded, Audubon’s, Scott’s and Altamira. Where the ranges of Bullock’s and Baltimore overlap in the Midwest, the two sometimes interbreed.