Wonderful Plants for the Birds

Blog Updates

An eagle enjoying an early morning flight

Hello readers: Before I introduce this weeks article, I wanted to give a few updates about the blog. I am still playing around with the site's features and tools and have added a tab with pages at the top of the main screen. I am looking at other ways to improve the layout for easier navigation including rearranging the links to posts in a sidebar and putting one article per page. In addition, I am looking at a way to group posts such as guides, species highlights, or information about locations into menus so they won't get lost in the list. Thank you for understanding.

I would like to thank the Cape Fear Audubon Society chapter, and Wrightsville Beach Bird Stewards for sharing the link to this blog. We all eagerly await the return of organized nature walks or birdwatching outings, but until then, sit back and the birds and wildlife in your garden or visit a local park or woodland.

Please check out the posts about Hugh McRae Park, Greenfield Lake Park in May, and Declining Songsters as these have interesting photos and insights. Stay tuned for weekly posts on Wednesdays as well as any additional specials I may add between normal uploads.

Birds and Plants 

Today I wanted to highlight the importance of choosing plants that attract and host local birds and pollinators. As spring turns into summer, many gardens in the Carolinas have already been started and we can't wait for the reward of colorful flowerbeds, juicy tomatoes or bushes of blackberries. It is never too late to improve your garden for birds and today I will highlight just a few plants that will bring in birds to the gardens this summer. I will feature both native and nonnative plants that I find easy to grow in Southeastern NC, require minimal maintenance and are good for the birds.

Blackberries 

Genus Rubus 

Dewberry with fruits, a vining species

Flowers of a typical bramble forming blackberry

Blackberries are a type of bramble related to roses and are among the most commonly grown fruit in gardens. There are hundreds of blackberry species across the world and North Carolina has dozens of native species. Some species such as Common Dewberry are groundcovers or climbers, while others such as Common Blackberry form bushes or coppices. There are even thornless blackberry varieties suited for home gardens. Blackberries are easy to grow in gardens and are numerous across the countryside, in forest openings, meadows, and even vacant lots in cities. The fruits are a staple of cuisine and are fun just to eat during the early summer. For birds, blackberries provide more than just fruits. Many species such as Indigo Buntings, cardinals, towhees, catbirds, and bobwhites nest in blackberry brambles, while the white flowers attract bees and other insects in the spring. A blackberry bramble in your yard can be a good haven for wrens, sparrows, cardinals, warblers, and even Yellow Billed Cuckoos in the summer, as well as bringing fruit eating orioles, tanagers, and catbirds. Most varieties produce so many fruits that you are sure to get your share of the harvest even as birds, squirrels, and certain insects enjoy them as well. Be advised that most blackberries are aggressive and will take over your garden if poorly contained. I recommend dedicating a section of your property as a bramble or planting blackberries along a woodland, fencerow or hedge where it has room to expand. Dewberries and most native blackberries have nasty prickles as well. 

• Good for nesting habitat 
• Attracts fruit eating orioles, tanagers, mockingbirds, starlings and much more 
• Migrants and wintering songbirds shelter in brambles 
• Dewberry is a good cat, fox, or raccoon deterrent and can be planted under birdhouses 
• Flowers attract bees and butterflies, many insects also feed on the leaves. 
• Drought tolerant, durable, and easy to grow, but give it extra space. 
• Thornless varieties are available as well.  

Climbing Roses 

Rosa carolina, Rosa Ragusa, Rosa laevigata 

Climbing Roses in our garden (Cherokee Rose)

Carolina Rose in flower

My second choice of plants that are good for birds are climbing roses. The Rose family is a large group of plants that include roses, brambles, hawthorns, apples, and much more. There are hundreds of "true roses" including familiar garden staples such as tea rose (the ones used for rose hip tea) as well as popular cultivars such as the Knock Out Roses planted in gardens and landscaped areas. We also have some native roses in the Carolina including the Swamp Rose that grows in wetlands, Carolina Rose which is a oldfield colonizer, and the climbing Cherokee Rose. Roses are the perfect plant for birds as they have large thorns that provide safe nesting habitat and cover, the flowers and leaves attract insects, and rose hips provide winter fruit for songbirds. In my garden I love the Cherokee and the nonnative Rugosa Rose because it forms brambles, climbs fences or trellises and can make a good nest site for birds in just a season. We also have Carolina Rose and various cultivated varieties that provide homes for everything from mockingbirds in the front yard to nesting thrashers, and Indigo Buntings along the hedge. Both climbing varieties are durable, drought tolerant and easy to root, but like the Blackberries, be prepared to prune, weed out runners. Train roses up arbors, trellises, or walls to create habitat and maximize flowering, although I often just let them form thickets if space allows. Both roses have nasty thorns and will rip you up, so wear gloves and avoid planting them in cultivated areas. Avoid the invasive Multiflora Rose at all costs as it will take over and birds will spread it into woodlots and fields.

• Roses are of the fastest ways to create nest habitat for birds 
• Carolina, Cherokee, and Ragusa Rose flower thought the summer and into autumn 
• I find the three species to be a boon for native bees and honeybees alike
• Rose hips from these plants are eaten by songbirds in the winter
• Drought tolerant, no insect management needed, Japanese Beetles are rarely an issue
• Beware of powdered mildew during the midsummer or in rainy periods 
• Allow a lot of space and be prepared to cut back, or remove runner  

Green Headed Coneflower 

Rubeckia laciniata 

Close up of flower

Here is a nice perennial species that is native to our region. The Green Headed Coneflower is a relative of the familiar Black Eyed Susan that grows in wet meadows, woodland openings, and along roadsides in all parts of North and South Carolina. This plant is fairly common in gardens but is much harder to find than other Rubeckia or Echinacea species. This plant blooms from late May all the way to November and each plant has dozens, if not hundreds of yellow or greenish composite flowers. This plant grows 24-36" and colonizes by runners, or seeds. It attracts bees, wasps, butterflies, and hoverflies and is a host to a number of butterflies including Pearl Crescents. From late summer to autumn, seed heads form although this plant can be pruned to extend flowering. American Goldfinches, Siskins, House Finches, White Throated Sparrows, and cardinals love the seeds as do migrating Indigo Buntings, other sparrows, and flocks of Mourning Doves. Dense colonies may also provide enough cover to hide a yellowthroat, wren, or sparrow nest and will certainly lure post breeding chickadee flocks, and local insect eaters all summer long. The main issue with this plant is that it will takeover a perennial border if left unchecked as it spreads by runners and seeds. This plant will flop over if it grows too tall although not as bad as Narrowleaf and Swamp Sunflowers. I recommend planting this species in meadow gardens, hedges, or along fences with asters sunflowers, blazing stars, bee balm, and one or more native grasses. Cosmos, Zinnias, and Salvias are also good companions. 

• Flowers prolifically from late May to November and can be enhanced with deadheading 
• Low maintenance, drought tolerant, also does well in rain or bog gardens 
• Naturalizes and shades out weeds 
• Flowers bring bees, wasps, butterflies, and beneficial insects all summer long
• Finches, buntings, sparrows, and cardinals eat the seeds
• Consider pruning tall plants or bracing them with stakes to prevent flopping 
• It takes over, so give it space or plant in meadows, or along a hedge or fence 
• Mix well with other summer and autumn flowers, native or cultivated. 

Salvia Species (Sages) 

Salvia lyrata S. azurea, S. splendens S. guaranitca and S. elegans

Pineapple Sage in full bloom

Black and Blue Salvia (left), with New England Aster, and Bugleweed (purple groundcover)

The next plant I will highlight for birds is a member of the mint family known as the Salvias. Most salvias are native to the Americas with the Carolinas hosting numerous species such as Azure Sage (Blue Salvia), Lyre-Leaved Sage, and Scarlet Sage, among others. Salvia species do well in the hot, humid climates of the Carolinas and tolerate both dry and damp areas. Many species will bloom from May to Frost in the Cape Fear Region while Lyre Leaved Sage is an early to mid-spring flower. This family of plants is ideal for perennial borders, wildlife gardens, or to fill a meadow, woodland edge, and will also grow in containers. We use the Lyre Leaved, Scarlet, Azure, Black and Blue, and Pineapple Sages extensively in our garden. All of these plants provide flowers for hummingbirds, sphinx moths, and long-tongued bees, and create a sea of blue, purple, red, or even white. Salvias need little care once established, and will hold their own although all thicket forming species (Black and Blue, Pine Apple esp) will takeover and grow as tall as 4ft. Salvias spread by runners and like many plants in the mint family, must be watched and control if you plant them with other plants. Like the coneflower, salvia meadows might offer thick enough cover for nesting songbirds, and will certainly be good foraging sites. Pineapple Sage is a favorite of Ruby Throated and Rufous Hummingbirds as this plant often starts blooming from August and will persist until the first hard frost (as late ad December). All species are readily available and are also found in the wild. Chances are Lyre-Leaved and Azure Sage already grows in your front lawn if herbicides are not sprayed.

• Dozens of species and numerous cultivars to choose from, all of the mentioned species are native to North America 
• The bush species bloom from May to Frost and require minimal care 
• Lyre Leaved Sage is a spring bloomer and does better in mown areas 
• Attracts hummingbirds, sphinx moths, native bees, and sometimes orioles 
• Cover for nesting birds such as yellowthroats, wrens, or sparrows 
• Pineapple and Black and Blue Salvia will takeover beds if left unchecked 
• Most plants have very few pests or problems 

Coral Honeysuckle 

Lonicera sempervirens 

Coral Honeysuckle in flower

Last but not least, I will highlight a good vine (or kind-of a vine). The Coral Honeysuckle or Mailbox Honeysuckle is our native species and is far less aggressive as the more familiar Japanese Honeysuckle that is seen in hedges, woodlands, and urban lots across the Carolinas. This plant is found in all regions of Carolina and can bloom any month of the year, although it peaks in spring and again in late summer. Coral Honeysuckles primarily grow as bushes or groundcovers and are rather difficult to train up trellises, arbors, or walls, although it can be done with patience. The plant produces long red or pinkish flowers that are adapted to be pollenated by long-tongued moths and birds. They produce reddish fruits in the autumn which are enjoyed by cardinals, orioles, mockingbirds, thrushes, and much more. The flowers are guaranteed to draw in hummingbirds which is the plant's main pollinator while Orchard and Baltimore Orioles will also sip from the plant as well as warblers, kinglets, and certain woodpeckers. This honeysuckle also hosts insects for other birds and can grow thick enough to support a cardinal or mockingbird nest although it is not the best nesting plant. Coral Honeysuckles rarely take over like its Asian counterpart and spread mostly by seedlings. Plant this plant along fencerows, hedges, or trained them up trellises mailboxes, porches, and even birdhouses. The plant is drought tolerant and has very few issues although I advise pruning it after each flowering period to prevent it from getting leggy. Pruning also allows more buds to form, although allow some flowers to form fruits.

• A native plant that is readily available in nurseries or online 
• Rarely takes over like Japanese Honeysuckle, and forms a bush 
• Can flower any  month of the year in the Cape Fear, although it flowers mostly from Apr to Oct
• Red flowers are pollenated mostly hummingbirds although sphinx moths also visit 
• Also attracts orioles, warblers, kinglets, and insect eating birds 
• Thick vines or trellised plants could be used as nesting sites by some birds 
• Fruits eaten by cardinals, thrushes, mockingbirds, and Carolina Wrens 
• Requires occasional pruning to maintain shape and extend flowering 
• Can be difficult to grow vertically but will make a nice arrangement once it is trained 
• Has few pests or problems and does well in more formal gardens or near homes.