- January 14, 2025
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The phrase "Eat like a bird" is quite misleading. Birds eat a lot.
They have to in order to get the energy they need to fly. Migratory birds, many of whom fly hundreds or even thousands of miles along the eastern flyway, especially need to eat a lot. Berries are a favorite food of adult songbirds. Recent studies have shown that, for birds, berries from native plants are nutritionally superior than those of non-native plants. Moreover, the studies found that while birds will eat non-native berries, they prefer and seek out native fruits. These studies demonstrate that for our songbirds to thrive, their habitats should contain an abundance of native berry-producing plants. Berry plants are natural bird feeders.
Unfortunately, many of our native berry plants are being lost to development, climate change, and invasive species. You can replenish some of these natural bird feeders by planting one or more in your yard.
Here are three plants native to Volusia County that are easy to grow and that provide birds with the berry nutrition they need:
Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) is a small tree or large shrub, maturing to 8-15 feet. It produces berries in the fall that last into the winter, feeding hungry songbirds during our cold months. Yaupon holly is dense and evergreen so it also provides protective shelter and nesting sites for small birds. This durable tree is tolerant of cold, wind, and a little bit of salt spray. Grow it in the sun for best berry production. Yaupon holly is the only North American plant that contains caffeine. If you like green tea, try some locally grown Yaupon Brothers tea sold in specialty shops around town.
Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) lives up to its name: its bright magenta berries adorn the plant with stunning beauty from September to March. Its leaves are deciduous but the berries remain displayed on the stems until late winter when noisy flocks of travelling robins strip them clean, fueling up for their journeys back to their spring mating sites. Beautyberry is a large shrub, about 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide. It prefers some shade, but will adapt to full sun, and it will survive drought and freezing temperatures. The beautiful berries are edible to humans: check out recipes for beautyberry bread and beautyberry jelly online. But please leave most of the fruit for the birds.
For summertime meals, Simpson's stopper (Myrcianthes fragrans) berries are a favorite of our resident mockingbirds, cardinals, and bluejays. This is another large shrub, growing up to 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Evergreen, dense, and sturdy, it supplies our local songbirds with a protected place to raise their young. While Yaupon holly and beautyberry produce springtime flowers that support pollinators, their flowers are small and not so eye-catching to people. Simpson's stopper, on the other hand, develops showy, fragrant white flowers that impress humans, butterflies, and bees alike. Plant it in a sunny spot where you and all its winged visitors can appreciate its bounty.
Whether they are locals or just passing through, songbirds need plenty of food to fuel their flights. Yaupon holly, beautyberry, and Simpson's stopper are three native plants that feed and house our avian friends, are easy to grow, and enhance your yard with their natural beauty.
Leslie Nixon is a Volusia County master gardener, a member of Halifax River Audubon, and a past president of the Pawpaw Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society. As an animal lover, she appreciates how native plants attract wildlife, especially birds. She has been growing native plants in her yard for many years and enjoys spreading the word how rewarding they are for birds, people, and the environment.
