Berries for Birds and Beauty

By Joanne K., Pitt County Arboretum Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

With the leaves on the ground and winter upon us, this is a great time to see the bones of your garden to determine if changes and/or additions are needed. Perhaps a shrub didn't live up to expectations or has outgrown its space. Maybe a tree has been damaged beyond recovery. Or your plants are fine, but you'd like to add more color and variety to your landscape in order to attract more birds.

1. Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria)

In any case, when adding new plants, consider native plants with their colorful flowers, seeds, fruits, and fall leaves that will provide year-round beauty in your garden, as well as food sources for the birds.

Commercial and residential developments over the years have reduced the number of natural habitats that supply the nutrients needed by birds to thrive. The extensive planting of nonnative species, which have less of the fats, carbohydrates, and nutrients required in the birds' diets, threatens their existence.

Native plants and birds have evolved together, making them beneficial to each other. Year-round, the plants provide food for the birds through their flowers, fruits, seeds, and the insects that they attract. In turn, the birds propagate the plants by pollinating them and spreading their fruits and seeds and eating harmful insects. The birds also feed the insects that are high in protein to their young.

However, during the fall and winter, food is scarce, so late fruit-bearing trees and shrubs are a welcome source of nutrition for both resident and migrating birds. Since migrating birds use a lot of energy, the berries and insects provide an important source of fuel.

Hollies are always a popular choice with both gardeners and birds. Their bright red berries add vibrant color to the winter landscape and are bird magnets. The native Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria) is beloved by cedar waxwings, gorge eaters that swoop down en masse, demolishing all of its berries in minutes and getting a little tipsy in the process. Hollies also bring in catbirds, mockingbirds, robins, thrashers, thrushes, and woodpeckers.

7. A cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) in Juniperus-virginiana

2. Ilex serrata x verticillata 'Sparkleberry'

These birds also enjoy feasting on other hollies, including the native deciduous Winterberry Holly (Ilex serrata x verticillata 'Sparkleberry') with its show-stopping red berry display and the Native Holly (Ilex opaca), a heavy fruit bearer.

The native Beautyberry Shrub (Callicarpa americana) has lavender, pink, and white flowers that turn into purple berries that really stand out once the leaves drop. Catbirds, mockingbirds, robins, thrushes, and thrashers are attracted to them.

3. Native Holly (Ilex opaca)

4. Beauty Berry (Callicarpa americana)

Other natives, such as Dogwood (Cornus florida), Possumhaw viburnum (Viburnum nudum), Carolina Cherry Laurel (Prunus caroliniana), Hawthorne (Crataegus viridis), Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), and Southern Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera) also attract a variety of birds as their berries have a high fat, carbohydrate, and nutrient content.

5. Dogwood berry  (Cornus-florida)

6. Possumhaw Viburnum (Viburnum nudum)

8. Eastern Red Cedar berry (Juniperus-virginiana)

Enjoy the year-round beauty of native plants and the colorful array of birds they attract by adding these plants to your garden.

For information about specific native plants, go to
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/
For information about the plants birds prefer and when these plants produce berries, go to:
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/managing-backyards-and-other-urban-habitats-for-birds
For information on landscaping for wildlife, go to
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/landscaping-for-wildlife-with-native-plants

Photos:
1. Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria)—Joanne K.
2. Winterberry Holly—Female (Ilex serrata x verticillata 'Sparkleberry')—Joanne K.
3. Native Holly (Ilex opaca)—Joanne K.
4. Beautyberry Shrub (Callicarpa americana)—Joanne K.
5. Berry—Dogwood (Cornus florida)
    Fruit-Fall-Moore Co., NC
    Cathy DeWitt
    CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
6. Possumhaw Viburnum (Viburnum nudum)—Joanne K.7
7. Cedar waxwing in Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
    Janet and Phil
    CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
8. Berry—Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
    CameliaTWU
    CC BY-NC-ND 2.0