Blog - Nature Center at Greenburgh

January 24, 2025January 24, 2025 Cathy Ludden Around the Grounds, Native Plants

American Evergreen: Revisiting the White Pine

Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) is a magnificent tree that once dominated the North American landscape in the east from Newfoundland to Georgia and farther west from Ontario to Arkansas. One of the tallest trees in North America, it can reach well over 100 feet in height and live for hundreds of years. Its long, soft needles give it a somewhat fuzzy appearance at a distance, and with age, it takes on an irregular flat-topped shape that is unmistakable.

The needles are fragrant, 2 to 5 inches long, and held in bundles of 5. Young pine cones are 4 to 8 inches long and green, turning brown as they mature. Older cones are often tipped with whitish sap and are quite ornamental.

White Pine needles with a mature pine cone

White Pine is incredibly important to wildlife. Over 200 species of caterpillars develop on the needles of White Pine, making it one of the most important sources of food for baby songbirds. Many other insects also depend upon the bark, buds, cones, or needles of White Pine, so dozens of species of birds hunt and nest on the trees year-round. The tops of large White Pines are favored nesting sites for hawks, owls, and bald eagles. Numerous small mammals feed on the seeds produced in the pine cones, but deer avoid White Pine altogether, unless they are near starvation.

White Pine is relatively fast-growing, adding 2 to 3 feet per year. It typically grows a straight trunk with rows of parallel branches in whorls around the trunk, adding a new row each year. As the tree ages, it tends to shed its lower branches, which makes it great for lumber, but not for a privacy screen!

Taller than most of the trees around them, White Pines often take the brunt of wind storms, causing heavy branches to fall. For that reason, planting White Pines too close to houses or other structures can be risky, especially as weather becomes more extreme. So, homeowners these days are being advised against planting White Pines.

But wait! Not all White Pines grow to be giant trees! There are over 100 modern cultivars of White Pine, and many of them are slow-growing, small-to-medium-sized trees and shrubs! You can easily find a beautiful White Pine – or several! — for your landscape.

An elegant planting of several White Pine cultivars with a
mature White Pine tree in the background

The word “cultivar” is short for “cultivated variety” and means that a plant has been propagated through human intervention to develop certain desirable features. In this case, the desirable feature is smaller size. Shrub-sized White Pines are a great choice for evergreen foundation plants in residential landscapes.

*Pinus strobus* ‘Soft Touch’ 3 years after planting

Pinus strobus ‘Soft Touch’ is a dwarf cultivar that reaches a maximum size of 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide over 20 years. It is a lovely pine-green all summer long and, like the big White Pines, will drop some of its needles in the spring before putting out new growth. It looks almost fluffy, and it really is soft to the touch! The pictured 10-year-old specimen has yet to produce pine cones, but ‘Soft Touch’ is reported to produce small green cones eventually. Slow growth even makes it suitable for containers without need for transplanting for many years. It requires almost no care. No pruning, average water amounts, and application of compost rather than fertilizer, have kept both of the pictured plants happy. Full sun is best for virtually all evergreens, and White Pine definitely prefers it.

‘Blue Shag’ is another dwarf cultivar with blue-green foliage and a rounded, mounding form. It will slowly reach 2 to 4 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet wide. Its needles are shorter and its growth somewhat denser than ‘Soft Touch,’ but it does just as well with just as little fuss.

One of the more interesting cultivars of White Pine is a medium-sized tree, 20 to 40 feet tall, with curling needles, Pinus strobus ‘Torulosa.’ Its unusual needles apparently inspired efforts to create a dwarf cultivar with the same look. One result is Pinus strobus ‘Mini Twists.’

‘Mini Twists’ is a dwarf tree that begins as a rounded, globular shrub when young, but matures into a broad pyramidal form up to 6 feet tall at maturity. It grows very slowly and can live up to 50 years, making it an interesting accent in a suburban landscape.

There is even a “weeping” cultivar of White Pine that is a “semi-dwarf” tree growing 6 to 15 feet tall with long, drooping branches that may touch the ground.

Each White Pine cultivar has its own characteristics, including preferred growing conditions, so read nursery tags and on-line information before selecting one of the many offered for sale.

While native plant advocates generally recommend planting straight species of native plants rather than cultivars, in some cases, cultivars are the only real option. White Pines are in that category. A species White Pine that will grow 80 feet tall may not be a viable choice for the average suburban lot. But a White Pine cultivar of manageable size is an excellent choice, and far superior to those delicate non-native shrubs that need burlap wrappings just to survive Northeastern winters.

So, go ahead! Check out the interesting White Pines that work best for your landscape and add winter interest and native habitat for our wildlife friends!

For more on White Pines and their incredible role in American history, see the blog post linked here.

THIS BLOG IS WRITTEN BY CATHY LUDDEN, CONSERVATIONIST AND NATIVE PLANT EDUCATOR; AND BOARD MEMBER, NATURE CENTER at greenburgh. FOLLOW CATHY ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE PHOTOS AND GARDENING TIPS @CATHYLUDDEN.

January 17, 2025January 24, 2025 Cathy Ludden Around the Grounds, Native Plants

American Evergreen: The Junipers

Featured photo by Alix Dunn

Evergreens are an important part of residential landscapes. They offer year-round structure, winter interest, and habitat for winter birds and animals.

In the Northeastern US, we are fortunate to have a great variety of excellent native evergreens to choose from. Long before European settlers arrived, native evergreens — trees, shrubs, perennials, and groundcovers — populated Northeastern forests, open meadows, and rocky coastlines, supplying local wildlife with food and shelter through long, cold winters.

So, why are modern suburban landscapes in the Northeast dominated by non-native evergreens?

English and Asian boxwoods, European hollies, and many Asian azaleas need special winter protection from snow and ice, dry winds, and salt. These plants are not well-adapted to winters in the Northern parts of the US because they evolved on continents with milder winters and very different soil chemistry. So, if we plant these non-native plants, we are advised to wrap them in unattractive burlap bags all winter, or expect dead patches of winter-burn and salt damage in the spring.

Native junipers, on the other hand, need no coddling.

Creeping Juniper
Juniperus horizontalis or Creeping Juniper evolved growing on rocky, wind-swept cliffs from the Yukon Territory across Canada to Newfoundland and from Montana through New York and New England. It makes sense that a plant that evolved in the glacier-scarred North does not need to be swaddled in burlap to survive our modern winters! Yet, Creeping Juniper is so tough that today it also survives surrounded by asphalt in parking lots and traffic circles in Florida!

Creeping Juniper is a conifer that makes an outstanding evergreen groundcover in suburban landscapes. It grows close to the ground, typically staying under 18 inches in height but will gradually spread its long horizontal branches out 5 to 8 feet wide. Like most evergreens, it prefers full sun, but it is not at all fussy about soil, does not need fertilizer, and is extraordinarily drought tolerant. It is also salt-tolerant, and doesn’t mind being buried by snow, so it is a great choice for edging roadsides, driveways, and walkways. It also works well to stabilize slopes and prevent erosion.

*Juniperus horizontalis* ‘Wiltonii’ planted on a steep slope

Deer, rabbits, and woodchucks usually ignore Creeping Juniper. Its aromatic foliage includes both scale-like leaves and spiky awl-shaped leaves that seem to discourage nibbling. But, much like the greatest American juniper, Eastern Red-cedar discussed in our last post here, the “berries,” which are really cones produced by female plants, are prized by native birds. Cedar waxwings, robins, blue jays, flickers, catbirds, and chipping sparrows all are attracted to the tasty berries.

Unfortunately, the junipers most commonly offered for sale in the nursery trade are not native to the US, but are from Asia. Juniperus chinensis, Juniperus japonica, and their many cultivars are neither more attractive than our native junipers, nor as hardy, and are definitely less appreciated by birds. Though birds will eat berries from the Asian species, studies have shown that native birds have a definite preference for native juniper berries.

So, look for shrubs labelled Juniperus horizontalis, Juniperus virginiana, or Juniperus communis (discussed below) as you shop for evergreens. There are loads of attractive cultivars of each of these native plants that are at least as appealing the cultivars of non-native junipers.

Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltonii’ (pictured above), often called ‘Blue Rug’ Juniper, stays very low at about 4 inches in height. It makes a great groundcover and looks fabulous draping over a garden wall. Juniperus horizontalis ‘Bar Harbor’ is fast-growing and stays low, but will spread up to 10 feet wide with blue-gray foliage that turns purplish in winter. ‘Gold Strike’ has light green to gold foliage and mounds up a bit taller. All of them are incredibly durable and care-free garden shrubs.

Common Juniper
And then there is the most wide-spread evergreen conifer in the world: Juniperus communis or Common Juniper. It is native not only to the Northeastern US, but throughout the Northern Hemisphere all around the planet! Its native habitats range from European coniferous forests and alpine open areas, to the northern parts of Eurasia, including Siberia and Mongolia, and even within the Arctic Circle. In the US, it is found from Alaska to New England and from the Rocky Mountains south to Arizona and across the country to Kentucky and the Carolinas.

Its form around the world varies from medium-sized trees up to 45 feet tall, to multi-stemmed shrubs 9 or 10 feet tall. In very tough conditions, on frozen rocky outcroppings, it appears as a prostrate, low-growing shrub. All of these forms can exist together in parts of the US.

Common Juniper is easy to distinguish from other junipers because its leaves are all the spiky awl-shaped type without any scaled needles.

As with other junipers, Common Juniper has given rise to many ornamental cultivars, both in shrub and tree form. One of the most popular tree forms is ‘Compressa,’ also known as “Pencil Point Juniper” for its extremely narrow columnar shape. In the opposite direction is Juniperus communis var. depressa, a shrub form that grows 3 to 6 feet tall and up to 10 feet wide, also noted for its large berries attractive to wildlife.

Given the world-wide presence of Common Juniper, it is not surprising that humans have found many uses for it over the centuries. Arguably the most successful and popular use of the berries is to flavor to gin. The words “gin” and “juniper” are both derived from the Dutch word “genever” or the French word “genievre” referring to the plant. The berries are also used to flavor roasts, especially game meats, and other foods. Eating large quantities of the berries directly is not advised as they can have a toxic effect. But the foliage, oil, bark, and berries of Common Juniper have been used around the world in medicines, soaps and fragrances, insect repellants, and in religious ceremonies.

Today, the greatest value of all 3 of our region’s native junipers, Juniperis virginiana, J. horizontalis, and J. communis, is as landscape plants that are beautiful, perfectly adapted to our climate and soil, and beneficial to birds and other wildlife as food and shelter. Consider replacing some of those fussy non-native shrubs (that you may have wrapped in burlap) with these indispensable native plants.

THIS BLOG IS WRITTEN BY CATHY LUDDEN, CONSERVATIONIST AND NATIVE PLANT EDUCATOR; AND BOARD MEMBER, NATURE CENTER at greenburgh. FOLLOW CATHY ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE PHOTOS AND GARDENING TIPS @CATHYLUDDEN.

January 10, 2025January 24, 2025 Cathy Ludden Around the Grounds, Native Plants

American Evergreen: Eastern Red-cedar

Featured photo: Yellow-rumped Warbler on Juniper — Sav DiGiorgio @Savwildlifephotography

In 1584, English explorers Arthur Barlowe and Philip Amadus were sent by Sir Walter Raleigh to investigate the North American coastline. After finding shallow water and encountering a fragrance “so sweet, and so strong… as if we had been in the midst of some delicate garden,” they landed on Roanoke Island, just off the coast of today’s North Carolina. There, they encountered the fragrant trees and described them as “the tallest and reddest cedars in the world.” Though the first settlement at Roanoke was doomed, the trees so admired by these earliest explorers proved enormously valuable to early American colonists.

But Barlowe and Amadus had the identification wrong. The Eastern Red-cedar is not a cedar at all. It is America’s most important juniper, Juniperus virginiana. Junipers and cedars both have aromatic qualities, which is probably the cause of the confusion, but true cedars are in the genus Cedrus, and not native to North America. Today, the common name of the American tree is either hyphenated (Red-cedar) or condensed to one word (Redcedar) to reduce that confusion.

The wood of Red-cedar is rot-resistant and has a natural insect-repellant quality, so colonists used it for fence-posts, coffins, and furniture. Scraps of wood chips and saw dust were useful for bedding to repel fleas and combat odors. And indigenous people shared many medicinal uses of Red-cedar bark, leaves, and berries.

But today, the most important use of Eastern Red-cedar by far is as a landscape plant. Juniperis virginiana is native to 37 states in the Eastern US from Minnesota to parts of Texas and from Maine to Florida. The tree is typically 30 to 40 feet tall, but old cultivated specimens can reach 90 feet. It is long-lived, with some trees known to be over 500 years old. It is attractive, with dark green foliage that may turn gray or bronze in the winter. And it is unbelievably tough!

A young Eastern Red-cedar in a suburban landscape

Eastern Red-cedars can survive extreme temperatures from -45 degrees Fahrenheit to +105 degrees. They are also drought tolerant, salt-resistant, and tolerant of windy conditions, so they do well along roadsides, driveways, and walkways. They are not at all fussy about soil and can succeed in poor dry soil, acidic or alkaline soil, and even in swampy land. They do not need pruning, but will tolerate being clipped as a hedge or even used for topiaries! Though they prefer full sun, Red-cedars can grow in part-shade.

Leaves shaped like needles or awls often appear on
young trees along with scaled or whip-like foliage

Juniper leaves are needle-like and prickly when the tree is young and also on new growth, but older leaves are made of overlapping scales and are softer to the touch. The trees are dioecious, meaning male and female trees are separate plants. The female trees are wind-pollinated by inconspicuous flowers on male trees and produce small blue-grey cones that look like berries.

The gorgeous Cedar Waxwing is named for its attraction to Eastern Red-cedars!

Eastern Red-cedar is critically important to wildlife – except deer! Deer tend to avoid the prickly, aromatic foliage, while birds flock to the grayish green waxy berries. Robins, mockingbirds, juncos, cardinals, and over 50 other bird species eat juniper berries. The dense foliage also offers winter shelter for many small animals and safe nesting sites for birds and squirrels in the summer.

The nursery industry is offering numerous cultivars and selections that make Eastern Red-cedar appropriate for a wide variety of landscape designs. A “weeping” form is called Juniperus virginiana ‘Pendula.’ J.virginiana ‘Taylor’ is tall and very narrow, almost pencil-shaped and makes a real architectural statement.

J. virginiana ‘Emerald Sentinel’ is said to bear lots of berries. ‘Brodie’ is an elegant cultivar that is narrower and smaller than the species at 6 to 8 feet wide and 20 to 30 feet tall.

With these options, it is not difficult to find an Eastern Red-cedar that will work in your landscape.

In recent years, Eastern Red-cedar has received some bad press for two reasons – both deserve mention here.

First, Red-cedar has been called “invasive” by those describing its aggressive spread into pastures, meadows, and prairies where it can replace grasses and wildflowers, eventually creating a mono-culture of Red-cedar trees. Though the word “invasive” is not appropriately used referring to a native plant, it is true that Red-cedar seedlings can quickly overcome open areas that are not well maintained. It is a “pioneer species” like aspen or yellow poplar, and will move into areas where ground is newly opened and untended.

While the unwanted spread of Red-cedar is a maintenance problem in several states in the Central and Great Plains regions of the US, it is not a concern that should prevent the wide-spread use of the tree in residential landscapes in the East. Any seedlings popping up in construction sites or roadsides here are a bonus, certainly preferable to the truly invasive non-native plants that dominate our region.

The second issue with Eastern Red-cedar is its role in the life-cycle of a native fungus called cedar-apple rust. The fungus appears in areas where Red-cedar and other junipers grow within a mile or two of apple or crabapple trees. Where apples are grown as a commercial crop, growers will avoid having Red-cedars or other junipers growing within a few miles of an orchard. Red-cedars are not usually harmed by the fungus, but the fruit of apple trees can be ruined. Commercial growers use fungicides as well as limiting the proximity of the two trees. Damage to crabapples is usually limited to yellow spots on the leaves. If the infestation is very severe, defoliation can occur.

Although cedar-apple rust is a consideration if you want to have both crabapples and junipers in your yard, the problem can be controlled by having a knowledgeable arborist apply fungicide at the correct time in the cycle. If you are growing apples for the table, adding an Eastern Red-cedar to your landscape is not recommended.

But if you ask the birds, they will strongly urge you to plant more Eastern Red-cedars!

Cedar waxwing in *Juniperus virginiana*
*_{Photo: North Carolina Extension}*

THIS BLOG IS WRITTEN BY CATHY LUDDEN, CONSERVATIONIST AND NATIVE PLANT EDUCATOR; AND BOARD MEMBER, NATURE CENTER at greenburgh. FOLLOW CATHY ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE PHOTOS AND GARDENING TIPS @CATHYLUDDEN.

November 14, 2024January 11, 2025 Cathy Ludden Around the Grounds, Native Plants

November Flowers?

After Halloween and a little before Thanksgiving, Witch-hazel (Hamemelis virginiana) starts blooming. It’s always a surprise to see its bright yellow flowers appear just as fall colors fade and branches are bare.

Witch-hazel is a fascinating plant. It’s a multi-trunked shrub or small tree that evolved as an understory plant in the forests of the Northeastern US. You might not notice it at all in the spring or summer when it sits modestly under bigger trees in part shade. But in early winter, when most plants are going to sleep, Witch-hazel is hard to miss. Its flowers are fragrant, and adorned with tiny yellow streamers reaching out in all directions.

The leaves, bark, and twigs of Witch-hazel contain tannins and flavonoids that Native Americans used for centuries to treat skin ailments. European colonists soon adopted the practice, and today Witch-hazel is one of the few plants the Food and Drug Administration has approved for use in over-the-counter products. Many cosmetics companies use Witch-hazel in toners, diaper rash remedies, acne treatments, pore reducers, and after-shaves.

Blooming Witch-hazel stands out against an evergreen background in winter.

A more questionable early use of Witch-hazel was the practice of using forked branches as dowsing or divining rods to search for underground water. A “water witch” would hold the forked end of a Witch-hazel branch and walk until the flexible tip supposedly dipped when underground water was detected. Dowsing with Witch-hazel branches for well-digging was a common practice right into the 20th century.

Witch-hazel flowers have nectar and sticky pollen, typical of
insect-pollinated plants.

The real mystery of this plant still isn’t settled. Why does Witch-hazel start blooming in winter when most pollinators are already hibernating? And which insects do pollinate the flowers? Some researchers have pointed to a moth species that survives freezing temperatures by shivering so hard that its body is actually warmer than surrounding air temperature. Others have suggested that a small and very late-acting bee is the pollinator. Still others have theorized that swarms of tiny gnats do the job. More research is required.

But the coolest thing about this fascinating plant? Because of its strangely late pollination, there isn’t time for the seeds to ripen in the same year the flowers open. It takes the whole next summer for seeds to slowly ripen in their pod. Then, just as the flowers start blooming again in the freezing cold, the pod explodes throwing ripe seeds 10 to 20 feet away, where they will rest until spring weather is warm enough for germination. It’s a risky reproduction strategy, but it seems to work well for this native plant.

Witch-hazel is an easy choice for smaller properties. As a multi-trunked tree or shrub, it rarely exceeds 20 feet in height. It is an understory plant, so it does well in part shade under mature trees, but is also happy with more sun. It is winter-hardy in Zones 3 to 8, and is not fussy about soil, but average moisture and a covering of leaf litter throughout the season is recommended. No special care is required and Witch-hazel rarely needs pruning. In summer, it is an open, airy plant with medium green leaves, but in fall, the leaves turn apricot gold before dropping just as the crazy flowers start to open. The flower show typically lasts a month or more.

*Hamemelis virginiana* is an easy choice for suburban landscapes.

Lately, we’ve seen nurseries offering non-native hybrids of Witch-hazel for sale. These varieties with orange or red flowers are recent introductions of hybridized Asian species, so their value to our native wildlife and potential for invasiveness are unknown. Our view is that it’s always safer to go with species that evolved in our region.

Witch-hazel contrasts with Winterberry (*Ilex verticillata*).

Hamemelis virginiana, our native Witch-hazel, is a garden-worthy plant that brings late-season interest to suburban landscapes. Try it against a background of evergreens or with berry- producing shrubs. On a cold winter’s day, you won’t be sorry.

THIS BLOG IS WRITTEN BY CATHY LUDDEN, CONSERVATIONIST AND NATIVE PLANT EDUCATOR; AND BOARD MEMBER, GREENBURGH NATURE CENTER. FOLLOW CATHY ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE PHOTOS AND GARDENING TIPS @CATHYLUDDEN.

October 19, 2024January 11, 2025 Cathy Ludden Around the Grounds, Native Plants

Stocking Up

Winter is coming…

Despite sunny warm days in October, many of our wildlife friends know that time is short.

So, they are busy stocking up for the long winter ahead. Native bumblebees are storing pollen and nectar to provision their underground nests for hibernation. Migrating butterflies and hummingbirds are hunting for nectar along their routes as they travel to tropical regions. Songbirds are loading up on seeds and berries before continuing on to their winter homes.

Monarch butterfly stocking up in October before heading south.

At this critical time of year, it is up to us to provide nutritious food that birds, bees, and butterflies need. Suburban yards can, and should, provide the necessary resources.

The good news is that the best plants for supporting wildlife are also the best plants for adding fabulous fall color to your landscape! You can fill your yard with long bloomers, late bloomers, and seed and berry producing plants that will make you a fall hero both to wildlife and to your neighbors!

Long bloomers:
Two of the best fall plants for native bees actually start blooming in early to mid-summer and don’t stop until the first frost: Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) and Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum). It’s hard to think of any garden plants that do so much for so long. Both of these native perennials attract a huge variety of pollinators all summer, and both somehow manage to keep producing nectar well into fall. They are garden show-offs and very easy to grow. Perfect for pollinator gardens, both plants do best in full sun, are drought tolerant, and are completely ignored by deer, rabbits, and woodchucks. Now, in mid-October, they are still covered with bumblebees, honey bees, skipper butterflies, and dozens of small pollinators all stocking up for winter. See earlier blog posts for more info on Anise Hyssop here, and on Mountain Mint here.

Late bloomers:
The most iconic native flowers of fall are Goldenrod and Asters. Goldenrod is a keystone plant, meaning many species of insects need it to survive. More than 20 species of native bees, for example, can eat only the pollen of Goldenrod, so they go looking for it to provision their nests.

Goldenrod is critical food for many pollinators.

While some goldenrod species can be too aggressive for suburban gardens, cultivars like Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ and Solidago sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’ are well-behaved and make beautiful additions to the autumn landscape. For more on Goldenrod, click here.

Asters are also keystone species, and they are pollinator favorites. Unfortunately, many of them are also favorites of deer and rabbits. So, while New York Aster and New England Aster are incredibly valuable in protected areas, if your yard is browsed by deer, White Wood Aster and Aromatic Aster, are the best bets.

White Wood Aster (Eurybia divericata) is native to the forests and shady woodlands of the Northeast, and is a great choice for underplanting trees and shrubs. As one of those rare plants that thrives in dry shade, it is an excellent native substitute for pachysandra, ivy, or vinca. It starts blooming in late September or early October and continues into November with small daisy-like flowers with yellow centers. In a fascinating trick that helps late-season pollinators save energy, the yellow flower centers turn a burgundy color after they are pollinated, so bees know not to waste their time looking for pollen where it’s already been harvested! Growing 2 to 4 feet high, but shorter and fuller in part sun, White Wood Aster seeds itself around freely without becoming a nuisance. Blue Wood Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium) is equally beautiful and equally useful in similar garden situations.

White Wood Aster in a part-shade garden setting.

Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) is native to much of the Southeastern and Central US, but is hardy in Zones 3-8, well north of its native range. It prefers sunny, dry areas with relatively poor soil, and is a good companion for ornamental grasses. Aromatic Aster forms a bushy clump and looks great massed where its flower impact is really spectacular. Plants grow 2 to 3 feet tall and form a densely-branched, mounded shape with small dark green leaves. It blooms profusely in October, completely covering itself with one-inch purple or lavender flowers loved by late-season native bees and butterflies.

Aromatic Aster ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ puts on a dazzling October display.

Seed and Berry Producers:
Migrating birds, as well as birds that stay through the winter, need nutrient-rich berries and seeds to build strength for the challenges ahead. The seeds of coneflowers and black-eyed Susans nourish goldfinches.

*Photo: Montclaire High School blog 2017*

Research has shown that the fruits of non-native invasive plants such as Korean dogwood, porcelain berry, burning bush, and barberry are less nutritious for North American birds than the fruit of native plants. Invasive berries are low in fat and protein and high in carbohydrates, which reduces their nutritional value. It makes sense that the healthiest plants for native birds are the plants that co-evolved with them.

A yellow-rumped warbler grabs a berry from Common Juniper.
*Photo: Saverio DiGiorgio @Savwildlifephotography*

Beginning in late summer, many of our native trees and shrubs produce berries and seeds that birds need. Happily, these plants also produce the best fall show in our landscapes! It is an absolute joy to watch birds harvest seeds and berries as they travel through brilliant fall foliage in suburban yards.

The native Possumhaw viburnum (*Viburnum nudum*) has nutritious berries birds love.

Many native trees and shrubs, including Crabapples, Winterberries, Chokeberries, American Hollies, Hawthorns, and American Dogwoods, supply berries for wildlife and gorgeous fall color for us. These plants are great choices for Northeastern suburban yards.

American Cranberrybush (*Viburnum trilobum*) and Chokeberry (*Aronia melanocarpa*)
provide berries and dazzling fall color.

The fruit of Crabapples begins ripening in the fall.

Hawthorn trees (*Crataegus ‘Winter King’*) also produce colorful and nutritious fruit.

And don’t forget the squirrels! They need to stock up for winter, too. Just watch this happy grey squirrel in an American Dogwood (Cornus florida)!

So, make your yard a grocery store for winter wildlife! It’s not too late for planting trees, shrubs, and hardy perennials. Think about adding a few of these plants now to make your yard a healthy — and colorful — place for butterflies, bees, and birds for many autumns to come.

THIS BLOG IS WRITTEN BY CATHY LUDDEN, CONSERVATIONIST AND NATIVE PLANT EDUCATOR; AND BOARD MEMBER, GREENBURGH NATURE CENTER. FOLLOW CATHY ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE PHOTOS AND GARDENING TIPS @CATHYLUDDEN.