This Magazine Shares "Beauty in Your Own Backyard" -- Wonderful!

We have subscribed to Birds & Blooms Magazine for years. This magazine is a keeper!


Description

Each issue measures 10 1/2” high x 7 3/4” wide. The magazine has 68 pages. The paper is a nice weight, and the magazine has a lot of full-color photography. The print is a size that is easy to read. The tagline of this magazine is: Beauty in Your Own Backyard. It's an apt phrase.

The cover always features a photograph of a bird, usually near or on a flower or blossoming tree branch. The inside cover and the following page offer a Table of Contents. The Table of Contents lists the feature articles and regular pieces. What is unusual and eye-catching is that a photo montage from the various articles is displayed with large page numbers on the photos to easily find the stories that go with the photographs.

This magazine is now printed on recycled paper. The paper quality is so good that I never would have detected the difference if I hadn't read the "From the Editor" at the front of the magazine, which announced the change.

Reiman Publications is known for producing magazines with no advertising. Birds & Blooms used to also have no advertising. The magazine now includes a few full-page advertisements for items like health and sleep products.


My Experiences

This magazine always inspires me to exclaim, "Wow!" The color photography is incredible. Opening the pages is like letting Spring, Summer and Sunshine into the room. As you can imagine from the title of the publication, this magazine is filled with images of birds and flowers as well as butterflies. The magazine tries to balance those three elements. Some of the photographs are on two-page spreads, and others fill one page. No matter their size, the photos have amazing color and are exquisite.

There are articles that focus on specific birds such as the Eagles, Eastern Phoebe, Herons, Hummingbirds, Steller's Jay, Woodpeckers. And we can't forget the birdhouses and feeders. Each issue features wonderful, beautiful, original and quirky houses and birdfeeders for our feathered friends. I also like the pieces that focus on what to feed the birds and how to attract them. Butterflies are also included with feature articles. I love butterflies and am always on the lookout for the ones who visit my yard. Other articles focus on plant life such as Bougainvillea, Coral Bells, Lavender, Lungwort, Orchids, Pentas, Snapdragon, Yucca.

I feel like I'm on a travelogue when I read this magazine since it also takes me to areas that are often new to me. Each issue focuses on a specific place. Here are some examples: Cypress Island Preserve in Louisiana, International Peace Garden, Myakka River in Florida, Quail Botanical Gardens in California. There are also articles that take me for a stroll through someone else's yard or garden. It's always interesting to view other people's landscaping and yard decoration.

Throughout the magazine are also margin notes. In the vertical white space along the edge of certain pages, the editors have inserted "fact bits". For instance, the one-liners might say "Lady slippers are part of the orchid family" or "Kudzu was brought to America to use for erosion control".

Reiman Publications knows how to include the "people factor," too. Each issue incorporates notes and photographs submitted from readers. I enjoy reading the personal stories, connecting with other people who enjoy nature. There is also a section titled "Questions Across the Fence" where readers can write in for help from other readers. Questions usually include requests for information and advice.

I enjoy puzzles, and this magazine always provides me puzzle entertainment. Some issues include games like a Word Scramble or Word Search. Every issue also has a "Find the Acorn" game. Somewhere in each issue is hidden an acorn illustration. The challenge is to locate it. Write to Reiman Publications with the answer, and you'll be included in a prize drawing. The acorn isn't easy to locate either. I love a challenge!


Subscription Price

This magazine comes out every other month; six issues a year.

This magazine costs $19.98 a year / 2 years $29.98 / 3 years $39.98 if the magazine is shipped within the United States.

Note that Reiman Publications also puts out a magazine titled "Birds & Blooms Extra". The magazine content is different from the regular "Birds & Blooms".


Summary

I enjoy Birds & Blooms Magazine magazine. This publication offers a lot of information about birds, butterflies, plants and the people who love them. It's an entertaining read with lots of interesting photographs.

I hope you found this review useful.

Enjoy the day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com


Please read my other reviews:

Bird Watcher's Digest Magazine

Country Extra Magazine

Track Finder (A guide to mammal tracks of eastern North America) -- book

Bird Illustration Clipart Book & CD (Dover Publications)

Droll Yankee Tipper Bird Feeder – squirrel proof

Deluxe Pyramid Composter

Upside-Down Tomato Garden

Rubbermaid Big Max Storage Shed

Black & Decker Cordless Battery Mulching Lawnmower


Copyright 2008 Dawn L. Stewart