Fruit – Tendrils

Blackberries

Wild blackberry bushes (Rubus allegheniensis) have just finished blooming up here in the mountains. The list of insects, game birds, songbirds and mammals that these bushes benefit goes on and on. Needless to say the ecological benefit of these bushes to wildlife is quite high.

Many insects benefit from the pollen and nectar available in the flowers, others eat the leaves, sip the sap, or chomp on the canes. Game birds and songbirds eat the fruit. Mammals enjoy the fruit as well as eating leaves and canes. And the bushes themselves provide sheltering protection and nesting sites for some birds.

What I’m waiting for though is my fill of the berries. They are just at the very beginning stage. Many weeks to go as they get big enough, juicy enough and with that perfect wild in the woods blackberry flavor.

Many blackberry bushes up here. No need to search. They seem to be everywhere. The bushes spread thanks to animals distributing the seeds, rhizomes spreading underground, and as the canes reach out and touch the ground they take root. If you want some growing in your yard, you’ve got to keep a close eye on them. Otherwise they’ll run rampant.

Several weeks from now there will be loads of blackberries and maybe if I’m lucky there will be pears on the pear tree too.

American Redstart

Hallelujah! More of my summer birds have arrived! A few days ago I mentioned that both male and female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have presented themselves. Now, this morning I spotted my first American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). A male, looking quite handsome in his striking black and orange feathers.

The female of this species is also quite the knockout but in a more subtle way, as is often the case with birds. Gray and yellow and sweet.

Since American Redstarts eat insects, and in late summer, berries and small fruit, they don’t visit my feeders. IF those feeders are out during the summer. So far so good. No bear sightings. So the feeders are still out. Don’t let the bears know.

Though the American Redstarts aren’t interested in what I offer at the bird feeders they really relish having water available. During the summer I have three bird baths out for all the birds and it is quite the popular place. Like the old watering hole.

Cedar Waxwings

Perhaps you’ve seen this photo in the past. It’s one of my favorite images of the many many that I’ve taken. Surely I’ve used it before. These Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) are performing a mating ritual in which the pair pass a treasure (in this case a sumac berry) back and forth. No telling which is the male and which is the female in this image since their markings and plumage are the same.

A pair of Cedar Waxwings are monogamous during each breeding season and both parents participate in nest construction and rearing activities. Incubation of the two to six eggs takes two weeks.

Born blind and helpless the nestlings grow quickly and learn to fly in another two weeks. The bird above is a juvenile who has yet to grow adult plumage. Juveniles do have the yellow tail tip, although not the red wing tips, yet.

The bird in the center of the photo above has an orange tail tip. That orange coloring is due to the diet of the bird. In the late 1800s the bush, Morrow’s Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii), was unfortunately brought to this continent. I say unfortunately because it is an invasive. The berries of this bush contain a red pigment. If enough of these berries are eaten by a Cedar Waxwing during feather formation the tail tips will be orange rather than the usual yellow because of that red pigment. This unusual coloring began to be noticed in northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada in the 1960’s. Unusual but no other consequences as far as is known.

These elegant birds are irruptive and gypsies wandering from fruit supply to fruit supply throughout the year. They’ll also eat insects when they’re available. They love the sound of running water and enjoy small streams, or bird baths that have drippers or as in the case above, a puddle in the middle of a lane.

They travel in bands and normally when I see them they’re with their friends the American Robin. And in case you are trying to get your terminology just right, a group of Cedar Waxwings is called an “ear-full” or a “museum” of Cedar Waxwings.

Such a sophisticated fashion statement the Cedar Waxwing makes. And what of those red wing tips? They are a waxy secretion called astaxanthin – a carotenoid pigment. Don’t worry, there won’t be a test on this. As the years go by the number and size of the tips get larger. It is believed that these appendages are used as status symbols in mate selection.

I was surprised last spring to see several Cedar Waxwings eating petals off the apple blossoms in my tree. Now I know, they eat berries and fruit, insects AND flower petals. Who would have thought?

Cutleaf Toothwort

A spring ephemeral, a perennial native to eastern North America. Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata).

The “toothwort” of its name is thanks to the appearance of its rhizome.

The Cutleaf Toothwort likes woods with mesic soils covered with lots of leaf litter. This certainly must be the description of the woods where I live. Many of these plants greet the spring each year up here, including a few spots where colonies have formed.

Buds protected by four pale green sepals open to reveal four barely pale pink petals. At the center of each flower is a style with a sphere topped stigma which are surrounded by stamens with green filaments of varying lengths topped by yellow anthers.

Many different pollinators visit these blooms. Fruit of the Toothwort is a slender pod about an inch long containing a single row of tiny seeds.

When the invasive, Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata), starts growing in the area of a population of Cutleaf Toothwort its numbers soon decline. A good reason to fight those invasives.

Virginia Bluebells

An ephemeral spring plant native to eastern North America. Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica). I’m watching. I’m waiting.

I just checked. No sign of them yet. BUT very soon. Surely in less than two weeks I’ll be seeing leaves of purply-green emerging from the soil. Reaching for the sun. These plants enjoy being in a shady location. A location that is exposed to the sun during the spring. A location that will see shade as the leaves of the trees emerge.

The buds my favorite to see. Looking so beautiful soft folds with pink, bluish pink, or purple coloring.

Spring sees two or three weeks of Virginia Bluebells that fade leaving fruit which contain four seeds each.

Midsummer sees the fading of the leaves and stems that will turn into the soil. To be seen next spring again.

Hermit Thrush

After an absence of a couple months, they’re back at my berries and birdbath again. This is a Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) going after berries of Smooth Sumac, which is a small tree that I really enjoy having in my yard because it attracts such interesting birds.

I’ve tried to figure out how to entice the Hermit Thrush to be a feeder bird but they’ve offered only resistence. The one thing I can depend on is that they LOVE to have a bird bath around, that is not frozen, both for drinking and bathing.

During the summer they mainly eat insects but during the winter they go with what is more available, fruits and berries. Here in my yard they’re provided both the Smooth Sumac berries and also Beautyberries. They also enjoy rummaging through the leaf litter in my yard. Leaf litter seems to be a valuable asset for attracting birds.

Yesterday it was at the Beautyberry bush that I spotted a Hermit Thrush. I was pleased to see it, since I hadn’t seen one since late November. Using my photographs as a guide I can say that I see these birds from early November through late March of each year.

Glad they’re back and I hope they hang around through March!

Robins a Sign of Spring?

American Robins, Turdus migratorius. Some migrate. Some don’t migrate. Either way, during winter they are often seen searching for earthworms, grubs, fruits and berries. Here at my cabin it’s not unusual to see flocks of robins congregating in the frigid temperatures, eating and taking advantage of the birdbath I keep thawed with a water warmer. I don’t look to them as a sign of spring.

When I see flocks of Robins I look for their buddies Cedar Waxwings, Bombycilla cedrorum. They often go for the same fruits, berries and thawed water. It doesn’t matter to me what they represent or don’t. I love to have them around.

Red Admiral

Rotting fruit, sap flows on trees, and even bird droppings. The favorite foods of the Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta. If the Red Admiral can’t find these it will sip flower nectar from Common Milkweed, Red Clover, Aster, and Alfalfa and more.

The dropping Persimmons here on my mountain have been a bigtime draw for these beautiful butterflies, and Coma and Question Mark butterflies. Try putting out some extra ripe fruits to see if some of these butterflies will come by for a visit.

European Hornet

Here in the mountains fermenting persimmons have drawn many butterflies as well as European Hornets, Vespa crabro. These large insects have been in North America since the 1800s. When I say “large” I mean 1.25” – LARGE. They dine on insects such as bees, flies, and grasshoppers. As summer begins to wind down and the populations of their insect meals dwindle they concentrate on sweets such as rotting fruit and hummingbird syrup. And they aren’t happy to share – often chasing the hummingbirds away.

Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy, Toxicodendron radicans

I’m feeling itchy already just anticipating writing this blog. It was not until I was well into my adult life that I first got a Poison Ivy rash, complete with huge blisters. OH! How very painful it was. Fast forward 30 years or so and I’ve grown to love, or at least truly appreciate the native plant.

Yes I do hold the plant in high regard, even though I am now extremely sensitive to urushiol, an oil found in all parts of the plant. The urushiol is not a defensive mechanism but rather aids the plant with retention of water. Urushiol is also found in Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac. A similar oil is found in the skin of Mangoes, and its leaves and bark. Nice to know about this. I won’t be chopping any Mango anytime soon, and will leave the preparation to someone else if it is on the menu. Eating the flesh of the Mango is no problem for me. The shell of the Cashew nut also contains a similar oil, and only creates a skin reaction until the Cashew is roasted. After roasting, the Cashew shell is problem free for those sensitive to urushiol.

This (photo above) is how a Poison Ivy plant starts out in spring, a brilliant crimson announcing its entry into the world. Perhaps the color is a warning. It certainly tips me off.

As spring begins to think of summer and warmth, as the Poison Ivy bursts forth with a thick growth of leaves, the plant blooms, with tiny pale yellow-green petals in clusters. The stamens are a standout color of school bus yellow.

As I’ve hiked my mountain trails I’ve noticed that one butterfly in particular will seek refuge on the leaves of the Poison Ivy plant. Time after time, individual after individual, Northern Pearly Eye butterflies (picture above) will alight on those leaves as if they provide some safety zone. These butterflies can feel safe. I will not hunt them down, except with my camera, while they are sitting on the Poison Ivy leaves!

Those leaves that are safety zones for some butterflies, can compete with any of the trees of autumn with their outstanding colors. Turning bright sunshine yellow, pumpkin orange or a rich deep red, they bring on an artist’s palette of warmth.

I am a big fan of Mother Nature whether it is birds, trees, flowers, frogs, toads, snakes, spiders, geology, weather – all aspects of it. This brings me to the above picture. The fruit of the Poison Ivy plant, drupes. Birds depend on these drupes as midwinter leaves them with few things to eat. I have seen many woodpeckers congregating on the Poison Ivy vines that wrap, cling and climb my huge oak trees in front of my cabin in late January. Little to eat but salvation in the Poison Ivy drupes.

The woodpeckers are not the only critters that find a meal at the Poison Ivy vine. Here a Chickadee dines on the drupes, keeping an eye on me, as he does.

I remove Poison Ivy when it emerges in one of my gardens, or on my paths that I regularly use, but if it is growing where only birds and the creatures of the woods venture, I leave it for them. I appreciate the beauty and the need for this native plant.