By Jody Walthall
We can welcome winter migrating birds to our yards by planting American (native) trees and shrubs to create habitat. Birds need insects, berries and seeds, as well as cover, that native plants offer.
Cool autumn temperatures bring winter migrating birds to our area. The greater the percentage of native plants in your yard, the more birds will be able to thrive there. Research by nationally celebrated entomologist Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, has shown that 96% of land birds feed their young insects that rely on native plants for sustenance. Native plants are the base of the ecological food web. In addition, his research indicates that when a landscape dips below 80% native plants, the reproduction rate of birds begins to drop. Thus, we can all make a difference in our yards by increasing the percentage of native plants each year.
Insects are important for some birds year-round, but other birds depend on berries to make it through the winter. Florida’s state bird, the northern mockingbird, eats primarily insects in spring and summer. Late summer through winter its diet is heavy in berries from pokeweed, elderberry, arrowwood, bluestem palmetto, American beautyberry and hollies, among many others.
Wax myrtle grown as a small tree. Photo by Jody Walthall.
Wax myrtle is another native shrub, having berries ripening in October and November. Unlike the bright red berries of holly, wax myrtle berries are not real visible. The very small, hard berries are arranged in clusters along the stem and are covered in a thin gray waxy coating. Two small birds that breed in the boreal forests of Canada, the ruby-crowned kinglet and yellow-rumped warbler, relish wax myrtle berries here in winter and are closely affiliated with this shrub. The birds get nourishment from the berries; the wax myrtle shrub receives seed dispersal service via the digestive tract of the birds in return, delivered complete with fertilizer.
The yellow-rumped warbler used to be known as myrtle warbler because it is so fond of wax myrtle berries. On our neighborhood morning walks, we have been hearing the distinctive “chips” of yellow-rumped warblers coming from the thick wax myrtle bushes around McCord Pond. Wax myrtle berries are an important source of winter food for this warbler, as they are for the kinglet.
Speaking of kinglets, last Christmas season at Native Nurseries, our supply of wax myrtle berries for decorating wreaths was discovered by a ruby-crowned kinglet. This diminutive bird, in its constantly flitting manner, put on quite a show for staff and customers alike as it stole wax myrtle berries from wreaths and then discovered its reflection in a nearby silver gazing globe. For several days it could be seen flashing its normally hidden red feathers on its head at the “interloper” in the globe.
Gray catbirds and white-eyed vireos are also known to feed on wax myrtle berries. Apparently not all birds can digest the waxy coating. Another winter visitor that sometimes depends on wax myrtle berries, along with holly and other winter fruit, is the tree swallow. During much of the winter these birds can obtain enough insects, but during sharp cold spells when there are few insects to be found, they will descend in numbers for a feeding frenzy on wax myrtle and holly.
As a landscape plant in your yard, wax myrtle will be a fast-growing, large evergreen shrub. Sometimes it is used as a small, multiple trunk tree. It prefers full sun, but light dappled shade is fine. Wax myrtle does best when allowed to grow to its full size and natural shape. That said, it responds well to periodic pruning, especially on old growth. Only female plants will produce berries, but all wax myrtle will provide excellent cover for birds.
North Florida still has a fair amount of native forest of both pines and hardwoods. Tallahassee is one of the most forested cities in the country. Our urban forest consists primarily of native species, though we have problems with Chinese camphor, Chinese elm, Chinese tallow, mimosa, tree Ligustrum, and Taiwan cherry. You can improve your yard by removing these space-hogging invasive alien plants and replacing them with American native species. You will be doing the birds a favor!
Learn more about the importance of native species for wildlife when Dr. Doug Tallamy speaks in Tallahassee on March 19, 2020 (location to be announced). Dr. Tallamy’s presentation is titled, The Insect/Native Plant Connection: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants.