Nicolette’s Wildlife Garden

 Nicolette’s Wildlife Garden - here is the bonus of the insect benefactors... berries for the birds! Ivy


by courtesy of hungry Red Admiral Butterfly (and others – Ivy Bee, wasps, bumblebees, honeybees...). Bullfinches

 like many birds, vary their diet through the seasons, switching to berries at this time of year - hawthorn, elder, rowan. They are elusive birds, appearing sometimes at winter seed feeders, difficult to photograph... a carefully observed artwork shows the beautiful subtleties of their colours much better! The strong bulky beak is well adapted for seed and fruit eating.


Colourful berries are easily spotted by birds... and cheer the winter garden! Here – Callicarpa


, wild Honeysuckle

, wild Stinking Iris (Iris Foetidissima

and Mahonia

. Male Blackbird

– caught in the act, berry firmly held in beak! All are ideal bushes and climbers for a wildlife-oriented garden.


More sharing... good for people and birds - hips of wild roses, and bush roses


 are packed full of flesh and tiny seeds. These must be removed before human consumption as they can irritate the intestine. Rose hips, good in jams, jellies and tea are very rich in vitamin C, also vitamins A, D, E and antioxidants. They are a widespread wild food for birds in hedgerows and gardens, along with blackberries...


Proof of widespread bird consumption with inevitable subsequent seed dispersal is the profusion of blackberry plants which pop up unwanted in odd places in the garden, also Snowberry. This one appeared by a Box bush under heavy attack from the introduced Box moth. The Snowberry (Symphoricarpos -


, planted by birds, is staying... as something alive covering a bare stem, more wild food for them and any leftovers may well prove useful for Christmas bunches and arrangements!


Yew is another festive candidate with berry bonus for birds. 40 years ago, birds ‘planted’ one by our gate. It being a slow grower, I didn’t have the heart to pull up the tiny seedling. It has grown a lot, now somewhat obstructing gate movement, but the ancient yews next door are giants, and admired by clever corvids. First, one magpie on the pavement was focussed on the sides of the bushes, leaping up, flying up a little way in a sort of hover, pecking into the yew before dropping down ignominiously. Then bird attention switched to the smooth pruned ‘tabletop’



 ... a much easier access... simply stand and pick out the berries at one’s feet! This went on for a couple of days. They were closely observed by a robin  out of their sight.


Picture credits: 2 ‘Bullfinch on Callicarpa’ by Jan Robertson (Bath Society of Botanical Artists). 1, 3-11 Nicolette Scourse

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