This section deals with plants, trees, and shrubs that are beneficial to wildlife (specifically birds) for the fruit they produce. Providing fruit producing shrubs and trees can be a boost to the birds visiting your yard – especilly for late-summer and migration. Some fruits are left overwinter to ripen and soften, providing an overwinter, or early spring food source for residents and early migrants.
Winterberry (Illex spp.) Size: 4-6′ tall and 3′ spread Flowering: late summer Fruiting: late fall and throughout winter Birds: spring migrants including bluebird, thrasher, waxwings, flicker, catbird, mockingbird and robins. From early fall through winter, Winterberry branches are covered in bright-red or orange fruits. The fruiting branches are great for decoration in the garden or in […]
read moreEastern Wahoo (Euonymus atropurpurea) Size: 8-15′ tall/6-15′ wide. Sometimes referred to as “burning bush”, the name ‘Wahoo’ is derived from the Native American Otoe word meaning arrowwood. It’s a native plant that can be grown into a large shrub or small tree, up to 15 feet tall, or trimmed to maintain a lower height. The […]
read moreVirginia Creeper
- 14
- November
- 2013
- By Rog
- Fruiting Plants, Seed Bearing & Others
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Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Vining: 30-50′ tall (with support.) Flowering: mid-late August Fruiting: September Birds: thrushes, woodpeckers, vireos, and warblers. CAUTION: VIRGINIA CREEPER FRUITS ARE POISONOUS. The fruits can produce symptoms including: Nausea, abdominal pain, bloody vomiting and diarrhea, dilated pupils, headache, sweating, weak pulse, drowsiness, twitching of face. ***Though considered poisonous, it is generally thought […]
read moreViburnums are shrubs with attractive foliage, flowers and fruit. They are great ornamental landscape plants and wonderful natives. The fruit attracts most fruit-eating birds, including bluebirds, thrashers, waxwings, vireos, catbirds, robins and thrushes. They are virtually pest free and easy to grow. FOR BIRDS: Cardinals, vireos, pheasants, robins, starlings, thrashers, thrushes, catbird, wild turkeys, waxwings, woodpeckers Fruiting: Late […]
read moreSumacs (Rhus spp.) Size: 8-12′ tall with canopy spread up to 6′ Flowering: Fruiting: late summer – early autumn Birds: cardinals, eastern bluebirds, purple finches, and even wild turkeys Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica) 10-15′ tall/’ wide. Fragrant sumac is a rapid growing, a short-lived (20-30 years) shrub, which reproduces from seed or by shooting roots. Seed production […]
read moreSnowberry (Symphoricarpos albus laevigatus) Size: 4′ tall and 3′ spread Flowering: June Fruiting: mid-late August Birds: late-fall and early winter migrants including grouse, kingbirds, flycatchers, towhees, and purple finches Snowberry is closely related to Indian currant, or coralberry, but produces white fruits rather than red. The fruit is generally not held into winter, and is not […]
read moreRugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa) Rugosa ‘Saltspray’ Rose (Rosa rugosa) is a coarse, dense shrub 4 to 6′ in height with pink, occasionally white flowers. Fruit is a large persistent ‘hip’ filled with seeds, which is used by songbirds, mammals and upland game birds. It grows well in dry, sandy soils, and is recommended for hedge […]
read moreRed Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) Size: 3-4′ canes usually in large swath of growth Fruiting: July-August Birds: late-Summer feeding of young such as red-headed woodpecker, robin, thrasher, and catbird. Red Raspberry plants are broadly distributed throughout North America; most often found in open woodlands and streamsides growing from 3 – 5 feet tall. The juicy, red fruits […]
read moreAmerican Plum (Prunus americana) Size: 8′ to 20′ tall/ 10-15′ spread. Flowering: early-mid May Fruiting: September Birds: warblers attracted to pollenating insects. Fruit eaten by larger birds such as robins, orioles, blackbirds, or some woodpeckers One of my personal favorites for the insect attracting flowers in the spring, and the edible fruits (for me) in the […]
read moreNannyberry (Viburnum lentago ‘Nannyberry’) Size: 12′ tall and canopy spread to 10′ Flowering: mid-June Fruiting: ripens in late August Birds: late-summer feeding, and fall migrants such as catbird, thrasher, robin, blackbirds, waxwing, sometimes orioles and grosbeaks This native species Viburnum grows as a tall shrub or small tree. In late spring it produces small, white flowers in […]
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