Beautiful Red Berries On Hawthorn Tree Thrills Me
RIGHT NOW, my hawthorn tree is gorgeous. Red berries crowd its branches in decadent profusion, glowing in a shaft of sunlight. The landscaper in me is thrilled. My habitat naturalist side wants to know why nothing is eating that delectable-looking fruit!
The hawthorn is actually a plant which serves both wildlife and homeowners. We can enjoy the beauty of the berries for a long time, and that fruit will still be there to feed birds in late winter, when most other food has already been consumed. Many birds which are normally insect-eaters during the warmer months will become fruit-eaters as cold weather reduces the availability of their normal diet.
Just like unsupervised children, birds will eat the candy first--the dogwood, elderberry, and black cherry fruit, for instance. Other berries, such as those of the hawthorn and sumac, are the brussels sprouts, to be consumed only when nothing else stands between them and starvation. Thank goodness for these brussels sprouts, because they allow those of us in northern climates to have birds remain with us and survive the winter, waiting for the insects of spring to return.
While bird feeders provide supplemental food, even those species which eat birdseed will only get about 25% of their nutritional needs from feeding stations. Nut trees are a good source of food, but often take many years to produce nuts.
If you’d like to provide some winter survival foods for wildlife which will give quick results and also reward you with beauty in your garden, try adding some of the following native plants to your landscape:
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Hollies (Ilex), American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), Viburnums, Sumacs (Rhus), Bayberry (Myrica), Hawthorn (Crataegus)
Add some shelter and a dependable clean, unfrozen water supply, and enjoy the beauty and activity in your wildlife-friendly winter yard. As for me, I’m keeping my eyes trained on that hawthorn, waiting for the flocks to arrive!
Cathy Gilleland
Finksburg, MD
