Shared by Astrid Moffett, Park Interpreter, First Landing State Park, as Guest Blogger.

Share your holidays with the birds and wildlife with these easy to make treats. This is a craft project appropriate for the whole family.

Pine Cone Bird Feeder and Wildlife Edible Ornaments

• Go for a hike and collect several large pine cones. 
• Put peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, or Crisco on one plate.
• Put small birdseed mix on another plate. 
• Tie a string or ribbon to your pinecones.
• Roll your pinecones in your choice of butter. Then roll your pinecone in the birdseed so that lots of seeds stick to the butter you used.
• Hang the cones by the ribbons as decorations in a tree in your yard 

The wildlife will love your edible ornaments. When they eat the seeds off the pinecones and the peanut butter, just add some more and rehang them!

If you want to make cut-out ornaments with cookie cutters, then make them of flour and water and once baked and cooled you can spread some peanut butter on each one and press the bird seed onto them (like in the photo above).

Have fun and remember to send us some photos of your family creating edible ornaments to our Virginia State Parks Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Tony Alter