Martin houses are iconic totems in the Southern landscape. But they are more than birdhouses - they are a symbol of the thousand-year-old relationship between these beautiful migratory birds and the humans on whom they depend. Purple martins are the largest of swallows and voraciously feed in midair on insects. Homemade birdhouses fashioned from gourds have been used for centuries to attract purple martins. Native Americans used to hang hollowed out gourds to attract martins to their settlements to help control insects. Many today say that gourds are the best attractors. We think so too.
