Bio Bits:Early Blossoming Shadbush

The shad migration heralds in spring for many people in New England, as does the flowering of an understory tree known as shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis). Since these two events coincide, early settlers gave the tree its common name that forever associates it with the upstream spawning migration of the fish. 

Shadbush is a species of serviceberry that grows across much of the eastern United States. There are dozens of species of serviceberry (Amelanchier) found in North America, Europe and Asia. Though most are shrubs, some are considered small trees. These members of the rose family can grow up to 30 feet tall, but our local shadbush usually reaches heights of only 20 feet. Its multi-stemmed trunk and its habit of sending out suckers allow the shrub to spread to form a thicket. Look for it in damp areas of the forest understory. 

Racemes of snowy white flowers crowd the tips of the shadbush’s branches in early spring, just as its leaves are about to unfurl. These short-lived blossoms attract bees and other insects to pollinate them. Then, sadly, the five narrow petals of individual flowers will delicately drift to the ground as the blossoms fade. Small berrylike fruit will form in their place over the next couple of months, turning from red to a dark purple-black when ripe. 

Another common name for shadbush is Juneberry, in celebration of the early summer ripening of its fruit. Edible and quite delicious, the fruits are used in jams and pies. They were also collected and dried by Native Americans and early European colonists to be added to pemmican, a dried meat and suet food staple. But humans are not the only creatures who love shadbush fruits. Numerous birds, such as the gray catbird; American robin; eastern bluebird; veery; wood thrush; cedar waxwing; mourning dove; downy, hairy, and red-bellied woodpeckers; tufted titmouse; scarlet tanager; rose-breasted grosbeak; and wild turkey appreciate these ripe fruits so early in the season.  

This native tree is a great addition to a homeowner’s natural landscape plan. In addition to its early spring blossoms, the fruits are sure to attract many birds to your yard, often simultaneously. One homeowner in North Guilford witnessed six different species of birds crowding together in her shadbush to share in the bounty. 

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

Images: www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/.

Menunkatuck Audubon will have shadbush available to order from our Plant Sale for the Birds this spring.

Please visit our website www.menunkatuck.org for an order form.

(From the March, 2014 newsletter.)

Invasive Plants Destructive to the Environment; Natives Are More Suitable Alternatives

With spring and a new gardening season coming in a few weeks, it is an ideal time to consider the invasive plants in our landscape and native plants that are suitable alternatives.

The Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group defines an “invasive plant as a species non-native to the ecosystem under consideration, and whose introduction, whether accidental or intentional, causes or is likely to cause harm to the environment, economy or human health.”

Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) was introduced into North America from eastern Asia. With fragrant flowers, the ability to grow in adverse conditions, and fruit that is eaten by dozens of bird species, autumn olive has been promoted as an ornamental and wildlife plant. 

If so many birds love its fruit, what is the problem with autumn olive? With the potential for a mature plant to produce as many as 66,000 seeds annually, it can quickly become the dominant plant in an area, outcompeting native plants. It also has allelopathic properties. It releases growth-compounds from its roots and other plants that try to establish themselves absorb the chemicals and die. Few insects feed on autumn olive  giving it little value for spring migrating and nesting birds.

Autumn olive. Photo: nps.gov

Three other plants introduced into North America from Asia, Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), winged euonymus (burning bush) (Euonymus alatus), and Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), can also become dominant plants in the landscape. They are especially harmful in the forest understory where they shade out native plants and result in a monoculture. And again, they do not support the insects that birds need for their growing chicks. 

Japanese honeysuckle. Photo: hort.uconn.edu/plants

More suitable native plant alternatives for these non-native plants include several of the plants that are included in Menunkatuck’s Plant Sale for the Birds. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia), and highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) all have berries that provide food for wildlife with the additional benefit of flowering in May, June, or July, attracting insects that nesting birds can feed their chicks. An alternative to Japanese honeysuckle is trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), a native vine that is attractive to ruby-throated hummingbirds.

Trumpet honeysuckle. 

Photo (color adjusted): hort.uconn.edu/plants 

Karen Bussolini will discuss more ideas for Landscaping with Native Plants: Healing Our Home Turf at Menunkatuck’s March 13 program. 

(From the March 2013 Newsletter)

Citizen Science: Neotropical Migrant Survey

USFWS

Once again Audubon Connecticut is seeking citizen scientists (volunteer birdwatchers) to participate in surveys of Neotropical migrant songbirds during fall migration, one morning per week from August 20 through October 20, 2012. Volunteers should have strong bird identification skills and at least a basic ability to identify common plants. Our priority sites for the surveys are coastal sites from Greenwich to New London as well as sites in the greater Hartford area, but people interested in conducting the surveys at other sites in Connecticut are welcome to participate as well. To volunteer or for more information, contact Lori Mott at zoogirl527@gmail.com.

The songbird surveys are part of Audubon’s new Habitat Oases for Migrating Songbirds program, which seeks to identify, improve and conserve important stop-over habitat for migrating songbirds all along the Atlantic migratory flyway, focusing on urban areas and other landscapes where there is limited quality habitat.

The program, performed in collaboration with Audubon chapters, botanical gardens, state and municipal parks departments, and other groups, engages citizen scientists in migratory songbird surveys of urban green spaces and rural forest remnants. The surveys help us to determine the characteristics of high quality stop-over habitat and which species of plants are most beneficial as food sources for migrating songbirds. Audubon and its partners are using the results of this study to:  

• Promote the protection of critical stop-over habitats by helping government agencies, corporations, land trusts, and other landowners make informed land use and land protection decisions
• Improve the quality of public and private lands as stop-over habitat for migrating birds by guiding the management and landscaping practices of natural resource managers, private landowners and professional landscapers
• Develop regionally-specific lists of “bird-friendly” native plants that may be used to guide landscaping practices in parks, gardens and backyards.

Bio Bits: The Other Dogwoods The Other Dogwoods

As we eagerly await spring and the showy “blossoms” of the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), many people may not realize that several other native dogwood species can be found in Connecticut’s woodlands, thickets, and wetlands. Though not as showy as the flowering dogwood, they all provide an abundance of late spring blossoms and summer fruit so important to insects and birds. It’s time to get to know and appreciate our lesser-known dogwoods.

Members of the dogwood family can be identified as such by their distinctive foliage: the primary veins on dogwood leaves radiate from the midrib in a curve toward the leaf tip. While the leaves of each species may differ in size and shape, their veins all form this same basic pattern. All of our local species have opposite leaves (leaves are paired opposite one another along the branch), except for the alternate-leaved dogwood (Cornus alternifolia), which, as its name suggests, bears leaves that alternate along its stems. 

Silky dogwood leaves and flower.

Clusters of small green or white flowers form on the ends of the branches, but unlike those of the flowering dogwood, our other dogwoods’ flowers are not surrounded by large white or pink bracts. Most bear flat-topped flower clusters, except for the gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa), which has loose cone-shaped clusters. Several species of native bees, wasps, butterflies, and beetles find dogwood blossoms irresistible. While the insects busily feed on nectar and pollen, they help to pollinate the plants, which can then produce fruit.

Silky dogwood fruit

Most of these dogwoods are considered shrubs, varying in size from only three to ten feet tall. Again, the exception is the alternate-leaved, which can reach heights of twenty-five feet in its upland woodland habitat. While not gaining the height of their cousin, the red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) and gray dogwood will spread to form thickets. A welcomed sight in winter, the red osier’s striking red branches provide some much-needed color along a chilly stream or woodland swamp. The silky dogwood (Cornus amomum) also thrives in wet areas and bears blue berry-like clusters of fruits, while the red osier’s fruits are an opaque white. White fruit on red stalks identifies the gray dogwood along hedgerows and thickets; the alternate-leaved dogwood’s mature fruit is a deep purple on red stalks. 

Whether red, white, blue, or purple, a dogwood’s fruit will provide an important food for local and migrating birds this summer and fall. Wood ducks, wild turkeys, northern flickers, eastern bluebirds, and northern cardinals are some of the colorful avian visitors attracted to dogwoods.

We will be offering both silky dogwood and red osier dogwood for sale this spring at our Native Plant Sale for the Birds. Please visit our website for ordering information.

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

Photos: www.hort.uconn.edu/plants

(From the March 2012 Newsletter)

Native Plants Support Native Insects; Native Insects Help Sustain Bird Populations

Most of us are aware that many birds are fond of the fruits and berries found on non-native plants as well as natives. 

One of the ways non-native plants spread and become invasive is through the guts of birds. Birds act as seed dispersers moving from one location to another taking invasive plants with them from your backyard to another backyard and often, into wild spaces.

Non-native plants ultimately cannot sustain bird populations because they do not support native insects. Native plants act as host plants and nectar sources for an insect’s entire life cycle, from larvae to adult. 

Native insects have evolved such that in their larval form they feed on a small number of plants and do not see non-native plants as food. For example, native plant expert Doug Tallamy writes that while the Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), a species from China, supports no insect herbivores in North America, our native flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) supports 117 species of moths and butterflies! Oaks are hosts to an astonishing 532 species of caterpillars. 

Blueberry plants, such as this lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium - myrtilloides) support 288 species of Lepidoptera.

Photo: www.hort.uconn.edu/plants

Many invasive insects thrive here because birds do not recognize them as food. Perhaps you’ve heard of the gypsy moths that are destroying our hardwood forests or experienced hemlock woolly adelgid in your own backyard. Birds seek out indigenous insect species.

Spring azures are one type of Lepidoptera for which blueberry is a host. 

Photo: en.wikipedia.org/

Healthy insect populations are vital for birds during spring migration. During nesting season 96% of songbirds feed their young on insect protein.

During spring migration black-and-white warblers can be seen crawling up and down tree branches foraging for insects in bark crevices. Photo: education.eol.org

It starts with native plants. NATIVE plants + NATIVE insects = healthier bird populations.

Menunkatuck’s Native Plant Sale for the Birds offers trees and shrubs that will host native insects and feed birds. Please visit our website for ordering information. 

(From the March 2012 Newsletter)

A Plant Sale for the Birds

The excitement created by our recent project of planting native trees and shrubs at the Guilford Salt Meadows Sanctuary has not worn off. We’d like to share our experience with our members and the public, so next spring Menunkatuck Audubon will hold a plant sale.

And not just any plant sale. In an effort to discourage the continued planting and spread of invasive garden species, and to promote native plants that provide valuable food for birds, Menunkatuck will offer several native trees and shrubs that produce delicious fruits for some of our much loved birds.

Shadbush Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) blooms in early spring with a profusion of small white flowers. This tree is adaptable to a wide variety of habitats, from wet swampy areas to dry uplands. Shadbush, or shadblow or Juneberry, grows from 10 to 20 feet tall and flowers best in full sun. It suckers quite freely. The hard red fruits ripen in June, providing an early summer feast for many species of birds, including scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak, American robin, hermit thrush, red-bellied woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, tufted titmouse, cedar waxwing, blue jay, and gray catbird. 

Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) is a hardy shrub that grows to about 8 feet in height, and half that in width. It can tolerate both wet and dry soils.  Full sun produces the most fruit. Nice leaf color in the fall. It has small white flowers that produce clusters of bright red berries later in the summer that attract several birds, including wild turkey, black-capped chickadee, eastern meadowlark, and cedar waxwing. 

Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum)  is a multi-stemmed tree with a rounded growth habit, growing to about 10 feet tall and wide. Umbels of creamy white flowers bloom in late spring, with deep blue clusters of fruits in the summer.  Likes moist soils and is a good plant to use on wet sites for mass border plantings. The fruits attract many birds, including wood duck, wild turkey, northern flicker, downy woodpecker, gray catbird, thrushes, northern mockingbird, and northern cardinal.  

Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea) is a shrub dogwood with a multi-stem habit and grows to 10 feet or more.  Umbels of white flowers bloom in late spring. The late summer fruit are round white drupes that can be quite spectacular.  The stems turn a brilliant scarlet red in the winter, dramatic against snow cover. This dogwood likes moist soil and is an excellent plant to use for stream bank stabilization. Adaptable to other soil types as well. Birds attracted to the fruit include wild turkey, northern flicker, downy woodpecker, brown thrasher, eastern bluebird, purple finch, and white-throated sparrow. 

Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) ‘Jolly Red’ can grow 10 to 15 feet in height. Its tiny white flowers bloom in June; you’ll need at least one male plant to pollinate the female plants to produce berries. Unlike other hollies, the dark green leaves are deciduous and its bright red berries crowd its bare winter stems, making a spectacular show. Winterberry is a plant of wet areas, but will do reasonably well under dry conditions.  Acid soil is preferable, and full sun will produce the most berries. It is a favorite of many bird species including American robin, hermit thrush, eastern bluebird, yellow-bellied sapsucker, and white-throated sparrow. 

Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)  is a twining vine with round to oval leaves.  The lovely, tubular flowers make quite a show in late spring to early summer and are a favorite of ruby-throated hummingbirds. Prefers well-drained neutral soil. Encourage vine to climb a trellis or other support. Two varieties available: ‘Alabama Crimson’ blooms are darker red than usual type; ‘Manifich’ is orange with a clear yellow throat.  

Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium - myrtilloides) is a wonderful little groundcover that is not too fussy as to soil type.  Grows to about 18 inches tall, with shiny leaves. White urn-shaped flowers in early summer produce small blueberries in August. Birds known to enjoy the bonanza include wild turkey, scarlet tanager, American robin, eastern bluebird, northern flicker, gray catbird, blue jay, and orioles.

Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) is a 6 to 8 foot shrub with glossy leaves that turn spectacular colors in the fall, including dark mahogany. Though it grows in dry, open fields, it is happiest in wet, boggy areas where soil is peaty and acidic. White urn-shaped flowers in early summer produce delicious berries in mid-summer that are loved by wild turkey, scarlet tanager, most thrush species, black-capped chickadee, tufted titmouse, gray catbird, blue jay, eastern towhee, and orioles. 

Possumhaw  Viburnum (Viburnum cassinoides/nudum), aka Witherod, grows about 8 to 10 feet in height and produces flat-topped clusters of small white flowers in early summer. Its fruits turn from green to pink with purple centers as summer progresses. Peaty damp soil is preferred; it can grow along the edge of ponds in very wet conditions. Also adaptable to drier soils.Wild turkey, brown thrasher, American robin, eastern bluebird, northern cardinal, pileated woodpecker, and cedar waxwing eat the fruits.

Cranberrybush Viburnum (Viburnum trilobum) ‘Wentworth’ grown in full sun can be quite spectacular when in bloom with its showy white 3 to 4 inch wide flower clusters.  This large shrub grows 8 to 10 feet in height with a spread of about the same.  It has three lobed, shiny leaves and likes moist soil with good drainage.  Bright red fruit clusters mature in September and can hang on the plant into the winter, providing food for wild turkey, various thrushes, cedar waxwing, and northern cardinal.  

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Though many of these plants grow in the understory in the wild, all will produce more flowers and fruit when grown in full sun.

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Watch for the native plant sale brochure in March.

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Images: Hermit thrush - beidlerforest.blogspot.com/, fruits -  www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/.