A garden can be more than just a beautiful place for people to enjoy. It can also provide food, shelter and small habitats for birds, butterflies, bees and other wildlife.
At Chiang Dao Hut, we grow a variety of flowering plants and trees around our accommodation. Over time, we have noticed that when certain plants begin to bloom, birds soon discover them too.
For our guests, this creates wonderful opportunities to enjoy birds naturally — sometimes right outside their rooms.
When the Flowers Bloom, the Birds Arrive
Different flowers attract different visitors.
Nectar-rich flowers can attract sunbirds, while flowering trees may bring leafbirds and other species searching for nectar, insects or small fruits.
One example around Chiang Dao Hut is the Chinese Hat Plant. When its flowers are producing nectar, colorful Crimson Sunbirds can sometimes be seen moving from flower to flower.
Watching such a small, brightly colored bird feeding naturally among the flowers can be one of the simple pleasures of a morning in the garden.
Pink Powder Puff and Its Visitors
Another beautiful flowering plant at Chiang Dao Hut is the Pink Powder Puff.
Its distinctive pink flowers are attractive to us, but they can also become a source of food and activity for wildlife.
When the plant is flowering, we sometimes notice birds visiting the area, including leafbirds and other species moving among the flowers and surrounding branches.
Instead of seeing the flowers and birds as separate subjects, we enjoy observing how they are connected.
A Garden That Changes with the Seasons
The garden never looks exactly the same throughout the year.
Some plants flower during particular months, while others respond to rainfall, temperature and changing seasonal conditions.
Bird activity changes with them.
A flowering plant that seems quiet one week may suddenly become a busy feeding place when it produces nectar or attracts insects.
This is one reason why walking around Chiang Dao Hut at different times of the year can bring different experiences.
Planting with Nature in Mind
As we continue developing the gardens at Chiang Dao Hut, we want to think about more than appearance alone.
Where possible, we would like to grow plants and trees that can provide natural food, shelter and useful habitat for birds, butterflies, insects and other small wildlife.
A garden does not need to be perfectly manicured to be beautiful.
Sometimes a flower visited by a sunbird, a butterfly resting on a leaf or a bird searching for insects among the branches can make the garden much more interesting.
Enjoy the Garden During Your Stay
Guests staying at Chiang Dao Hut are welcome to take their time exploring the gardens.
Early morning is particularly enjoyable. Walk slowly, look at the flowers and trees, and listen for birds before trying to find them.
You don’t need to be an experienced birdwatcher.
Sometimes simply sitting quietly near a flowering plant is enough to discover how much activity is happening around you.
Our garden continues to grow and change, and so do the birds and other wildlife that visit it.
For us, creating a greener Chiang Dao Hut is not only about making a pleasant place to stay — it is also about making a little more space for nature.
Birds and other wildlife at Chiang Dao Hut are wild. Their presence and activity vary naturally according to season, weather, flowering periods and food availability.
