Today I received this postcard from the American Academy of Landscape Design (AALD), a professional development organization for landscape design professionals based in Glenville, IL. They run design courses in the quiet winter season, aiming to raise the skills, confidence, knowledge, and professionalism of American landscape designers. A laudable aim indeed and their courses look excellent. But their publicity postcard sent out to members of the American Garden Writers Association to increase interest in the Academy features a British bird.

The Blue Tit (it’s short for titmouse) is an iconic British garden bird, one of Britain’s favorites and a close relation of the American chickadee. It’s usually the first bird to find a new bird feeder and is famous (for the benefit of younger and American readers) for learning to peck through the tinfoil that is still sometimes used to seal milk bottles delivered to British doorsteps to get at the cream. Delightful bird, and it’s a lovely picture of one making its valuable contribution to spring pest control. (You can find out more about blue tits here and listen to its song here.) But what’s it doing publicizing the AALD? Are there no American birds that would have made an attractive postcard?