Northern Cardinal eating beautyberriesDSC_3747

I do love to supplement my little visitors with treats at the feeding stations but nothing is as rewarding as seeing them enjoy the natural food that is available to them. Well not the caterpillars, those are supposed to become butterflies.

Although, we have come to an understanding about the caterpillars, I will collect and raise some and they can have the ones they find before I do. And yes, there are still monarchs flitting about the yard and plenty of caterpillars and eggs on the milkweed. I won’t be raising anymore until mid February but they seem to be doing fine during this season without my assistance.

Anyway, back to the natural food source. It seems that most of my little backyard visitors enjoy partaking in the berries from these bushes in my yard. The beautyberry is absolutely gorgeous by the end of August. However due to its deciduous nature, it can look leggy once those leaves fall off. I don’t mind that at all because the berries will provide a nice natural snack for birds, squirrels, raccoons and other wildlife such as but not limited to opossums.

I am pleased to say that they are transplanted easily and once you have one plant you are going to have more. The birds spread the seeds and they grow new plants from their root system as well. As you can see in this image the plant has lost most of its leaves but still has plenty of berries.

Unless my little visitors eat them all, some berries will remain until April when I cut the leggy branches back. If there are any berries left when the cutbacks are completed the branches will remain on the ground for a while so my little visitors can continue to eat them. Those older berries must be like wine, they look a bit on the rotten side to me but the birds’ sure love them in the later stage.

Cutting the branches when the berries are gone or mostly gone stimulates the plant to branch and become fuller, stronger and grow lots of new berries for the next season. My first beautyberry twig was purchased at a farmers market in Plant City FL. There are now ten or eleven thriving in my backyard and I have given away several. Most likely new ones will spring up in the spring and I will give more away.

I do hope you have a fabulous Friday, happy snapping.

Posted by blthornburgh on 2018-12-14 14:23:40

Tagged: , Florida , berry , berries , beauty berry , plant , bird , songbird , cardinal , northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) , northern cardinal , (Cardinalis cardinalis) , female cardinal , backyard , red bird , natural food , Friday , happy