By Kathy Hart 



A 



variety of native coastal 

 plants provides a bountiful meal of 

 berries for migrating and overwinter- 

 ing birds in the fall and early winter. 

 Many of the shrubs and plants grow 

 wild, but cultured varieties can also 

 be added to your landscape to attract 

 our feathered friends. 



• The gray-white berries of the 

 southern wax myrtle offer a feast for 

 the white-eyed vireo, myrtle warbler, 

 bobwhite, grackle, scrub jay, towhee 

 and red-bellied woodpecker. This 

 dense, native evergreen provides 

 good nesting sites and wildlife cover 

 too. The wax myrtle grows abun- 

 dantly in the wild, but it can also be 

 added to your yard as a border or 

 screen. 



• The hairy, red seed clusters of 

 the flameleaf sumac are a winter 

 favorite of the catbird and a so-so 

 meal for the bluebird, mockingbird, 



a Berry 



Good Meal 



FoR Binds 



robin, starling, hermit thrush, wild 

 turkey and red-headed woodpecker. 

 In the fall, the sumac is spectacular 

 with scarlet leaves and red berries. 

 Although the sumac grows wild, its 

 beauty and unique form should not 

 be overlooked in landscaping, 

 especially if it can be trained into 

 a palm tree form. 



• A host of birds — the cedar 

 waxwing, cardinal, flicker, robin, 



yellow-bellied sapsucker, hermit 

 thrush, Bohemian waxwing and red- 

 bellied woodpecker — favors the 

 familiar red berries of the native 

 American holly. This Christmas 

 favorite should be purchased from a 

 nursery to ensure berry production. 

 Wild hollies are difficult to move, 

 and survival rates are low. In its 

 natural habitat, the holly is an 

 understory shrub in the forest. 



Red Cedar 



Red Ray 



American Holly 



20 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1995 



