Part 1 - February
For Christmas a friend gave me a bird feeder and a bag of bird seed. It wasn’t just any old bag of bird seed, it was Premium Sizzle N’ Heat bird seed! The label says it is designed for BIRDS ONLY ! Apparently the seeds are coated with red hot chili pepper juice so one must handle this product carefully and wash your hands after coming in contact with the seeds. The really neat thing about these seeds is that while the red hot chili peppers don’t bother the birds, the squirrels hate the stuff!! So good-bye you little gray varmints, all those years you’ve hung upside down sucking all the expensive bird seed out of my feeder; feast no more at my house, Aha!! All this got me to thinking about other ways to take care of our fine feathered friends during the winter months other than by putting out feeders, which usually fall prey to the bears anyway. As I looked around my yard I realized that I actually already had a wildlife oasis of shrubs that not only produce berries, that can be a ready source of nutrition, but added shelter protection during the snowy winter months.
Here is a brief list of berry bearing bushes, most berries founds on these common shrubs are edible by birds and often humans as well. But choose carefully and know your identifications because some berries are poison, some lose their poison when cooked, and some you just stay away from period! These berry bearing bushes are on my property and you may have them as well since they are common here in the Northeast. Luckily birds love these berries and will chomp on them when I forget to keep my “Sizzle ‘N Seed feeder filled. If you would like to create a bird friendly yard, try planting some of these berry bird bushes and watch the birds flock to your yard.
Bittersweet- (celastrus scandens) A deciduous vine that can climb 20 feet or more and is very invasive. It has tiny orange berries that split open in the fall to reveal scarlet colored seeds inside. While poisonous to humans, some birds can tolerate the bitter taste.
Cotoneaster- (cotoneaster) A deciduous evergreen bearing a multitude of orange or red berries in the fall. Berries are NOT poisionus to birds. They have a high antioxidant content and are loved by Blackbirds, Thrushes, Robins, Black Cap Chickadees and Cedar Waxwings.
Holly- (aquifolales) Leaves and bright red berries ARE poisonous to dogs and humans however some birds like Eastern Bluebirds, Hermit Thrush, Cedar Waxwings and Robins will eat the berries.
Mountain Ash- (sorbus Americana) Ornamental tree usually 15 -20 ft tall. Has deciduous leaves and bears bright red clusters of sour berries that remain all winter, (if the birds don’t clean it first). Berries are safe for humans if cooked and are reported to have some medicinal value. Berries have a high antioxidant value and serve as a good source of bird nutrition.
See March (below) for more bird friendly shrubs that you can consider planting next spring to enhance your aviary oasis. Till then, keep your feeders full.
Part 2 - March
This month’s Garden Tip is a continuation of common berry bearing bird friendly bushes that are native to our zone that you might consider planting to round out your aviary oasis.
Black Chokeberry (aronia melanocarpa)
Red Chokeberry (aronia arbutifolia)—Both of these plants are found in eastern North America. Long lived, slow growing deciduous shrubs with red leaves in the fall. Black Chokeberry is grown for it’s juice and jelly production. Red Chokeberry is mostly used for ornamental use. Both species are edible but “tart” if eaten fresh. High in antioxidents and vitamin C, they give good bird nutrition and good for humans too. Birds devour these berries.
Rugosa Rose (Rosa Rugosa)—Often called beach rose because it thrives in the sandy, windblown beaches from Siberia to Asia to North America. Rose blooms are followed by seedy red fruits known as rose hips. Rich in vitamin C, antioxidents and flavinoids. Birds will feast on the orange/red nutritious rose hips in fall and winter. Roses are non-toxic to pets and humans, and in fact flowers and hips are edible and made a medicinal tea.
Viburnum (viburnum trilobum)—Great plant for creating a bird habitat. Viburnums provide everything from a canopy to shelter nests, to providing abundant bright red fruit in the fall. A host of different birds will flock to this fruit such as Cardinals, Eastern Bluebirds, Cedar Waxwings, Pine Grosbeaks and other song birds.
Firethorn Bush (pyracantha coccinea)—A tall, thorny, evergreen which is easy to grow that gives seasonal color and interest. Watch out for the thorns! But birds love this bush covered with red/orange berries. The raw fruit is bitter, toxic to dogs, but liked by the birds as a winter food source. This bush easily grows in zone 6-8 but can sometimes be found in zone 5.
Part 3 - April
I bought a book of stamps at the post office recently called “Winter Berries”, and Yes, I know this is supposed to be an April garden tip, but I am writing this column on February 2nd because I have to, I want to, and these berries are rather interesting which fits my current berry theme. That aside, there seems to be no end to the varieties of bird friendly berry bearing bushes available from Mother Nature. Our yards and gardens can be feeding stations for multitudes of birds all season long, although the need is greater during the winter. Getting back to the stamps….the four stamps featured by the U.S. Postal Service were berries that I had not heard of before, perhaps with the exception of Winter Berry (llex verticillata), a member of the holly family. I decided to finish off my two month theme of berry bushes for birds by sharing a little information that I found about these unusual, out of our zone berry plants.
Winter Berry—(llex verticillata) A deciduous holly shrub that many birds turn to for nourishment such as Northern Mockingbird, Bluebird, Robins, Sparrows, Cardinals, Woodpeckers, Jays (actually about 48 different bird varieties as well as deer and moose) It is a popular and abundant winter food source.
Juniper Berry—(juniperus communis) All of the Juniper species are sought after by animals in winter when all food sources can be scarce. Favored by Bobwhites, Turkeys, Jays, Woodpeckers, Thrushes, and Mockingbirds. This shrub offers good nesting cover as well as being a nutritious food source.
Beauty Berry—(callicarpa americana) Native to southern United States it is grown as an ornamental in gardens. The clusters of purple berries which birds and deer eat are not toxic, but very bitter and are eaten only as a last resort. However, when cooked and lots of sugar added, it is used as a jelly. Tolerated by Quail, Cat Birds,Finches, Robins, and Mockingbirds as well as raccoons, squirrels gray fox and small rodents, it grows mainly in Florida and Texas. Boiling the bark and stems of this plant creates a good insect repellent.
Soapberry—(sapindus saponaria) Native to temperate and tropical regions, the berries of this plant contain a natural low-sudsing detergent called saponin. The berries are small, leathery skinned pods containing 1-3 seeds that ripen to a black color. Berries are NOT edible but butterflies are attracted to its flowers in spring. Apparently this shrub is not edible by anything, but you can wash your hands with it.
This month’s Garden Tip concludes my three month investigation of bird friendly berry bearing bushes that we can all consider planting in our landscape to create color, interest and nutrition for our furry and feathered friends. Now….on to Spring.
Cheers,
(February-April 2020 Horticultural Newsletter)
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