Bayscape Blog 10/25/10
This is for the Birds!
By Judy DeFiglio

There are so many great reasons to grow native plants in your garden and one of the best ones is that many natives have wonderful berries that add interest to your landscape and attracts birds. This is the time of year that many of the plants display their red, blue and orange fruit. Along with the vibrant autumn leaves, they really add gorgeous color throughout the fall.

Welcome birds into your yard. Not only are they fun to watch, they also do a great job of eating unwelcomed insects that could harm your plants. Plant a variety of native trees, shrubs and flowers to provide a food source for the birds as well as place to nest and protection from predators.
The following are some good choices for native trees and shrubs with great fruit displays:
• Serviceberry (Amelanchier) is a tree that has white flowers in early spring and tons of red berries in the fall.
• The chokeberry (Aronia), highlighted in an earlier blog (9/20/10), also has white flowers in spring and long lasting red berries into the winter.
• The American holly (Ilex opaca) is a large evergreen tree with typical holly leaves and clusters of red berries that you can enjoy all winter long.
• One of the natives that is good for a wet site is winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata). It is a deciduous holly that has a brilliant display of large red berries after the leaves drop.
• The arrow wood (Viburnum dentatum) is a large shrub that has clusters of white flowers in late spring and dark blue fruit in autumn.
• For a different color try American beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana). This shrub is aptly named because it has spectacular lavender berries that really add beauty to your landscape.
Bird watching is an interesting hobby that the whole family can enjoy and if you plant natives that berry they will come.