It started in the red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) in late July. The ripening white berries brought a steady stream of Northern Cardinals from early morning until late evening. A few weeks later, the pagoda dogwood (C. alternifolia) berries ripened to a blue-black color and within a day, each shrub resembled a busy school lunch line. The line-up consisted of Eastern Kingbirds, Eastern Phoebes, immature Eastern Bluebirds, and a Great-crested flycatcher.
Soon, the black cherry trees begin to look like holly trees filled with red berries. The red clusters are the unripe cherries, and the red stems after the blue-black ripe cherries have been stripped. This is the handiwork of the kingbirds, phoebes, and bluebirds who have finished off the pagoda dogwood berries. They are joined by immature American Robins, Blue Jays, immature Northern Flickers, European Starlings, and of course, flocks of Cedar Waxwings. I also suspect that the Pileated Woodpecker that I keep hearing has joined the feast.
A Cedar Waxwing perched among the berries of a dogwood tree on a sunny day at Fair Meadows Sanctuary (photo by Gary Shackelford).
For the mid-August to September menu, the silky dogwood (C. amomum) puts out its blue-purplish berries along the edge of the sedge meadows, and the gray dogwood (C. racemosa) presents white berries along the trails in the open woodlands. A few berries are still available on the American elderberry bushes.
And don’t forget the vines! Wild grapes are ripening in late August, producing purple (i.e., grape-colored) berries. Virginia creeper, climbing to the top of the tallest trees, will produce beautiful, bright red leaves in September and bluish-black berries. Everyone’s favorite—poison ivy—is an important food for birds during migration. Its white berries are often held through the winter, and they provide food for resident birds and mammals. Still, do not plant this in your yard!
European Starlings (a non-native species) partake in the berries on a wild black cherry tree (photo by Gary Shackelford).
Another tree and shrub dweller that loves these berries is the eastern chipmunk. We love watching them compete with the birds at the very top of the cherry trees!
One more under-appreciated native plant that is an important food for birds in the fall is American pokeweed. Its blue-black ripe berries are poisonous to mammals but a favorite food of many songbirds. We welcome this plant in our woodlands.
Any of these native shrubs or trees can make a wonderful addition to your yard or rural property, too. A recent article from National Audubon reported on a study showing that migratory birds chose to feast on native berries and almost entirely ignored non-native fruit.
Fall is a great time to plant native species for birds to enjoy in the seasons to come! Here’s a great list to get you started.
Written by Penny Shackelford, Fair Meadows Sanctuary resident manager
Cover image by Gary Shackelford. An Eastern Kingbird catches a dark blue drupe from a pagoda dogwood in midair while perched on the tree’s leafy branch at Fair Meadows Sanctuary.
