Planting trees is for the birds
- Michelle Wood
- February 11, 2022
- 664
The recent heavy snowfall has dramatically increased bird-watching opportunities at our house. My kind husband trudges through the snow to make sure the songbird and suet feeders stay full, and the dinner guests are diverse and plentiful. In addition to the feeders though, the winterberry bushes outside of our sunroom windows have provided important food for our feathered friends. We’ve seen cedar waxwings, robins and bluebirds eating the berries of this native shrub.
Landowners can make a difference for conservation even on a small scale by planting native trees and shrubs. While I knew native trees are important, a webinar presented by author Doug Tallamy through the Ohio State University Bee Lab — visit u.osu.edu/beelab/courses/ and scroll to The Living Landscape Speaker Series, January and February 2021 — really made a lasting impression on me last year.
Research shows that in addition to the obvious food source provided by fruits and berries, 96% of terrestrial birds rear their young on insects. Caterpillars are the most important food for young birds, as they are soft, nutritious and provide carotenoids (from plants) that birds need. Native trees provide food for caterpillars that have adapted to them for a food source while non-native plants do not.
One observation in the above referenced webinar shows 233 caterpillars representing 15 different species on one white oak tree, compared to two caterpillars representing one species on a burning bush (viburnum) and one caterpillar representing one species on one Callery pear. Both of these non-natives are prevalent in landscaping and represent just a fraction of the non-natives out there. They have escaped into the wild and are crowding out native species to become a problem across the U.S.
Non-natives basically take up space but provide little food for birds or wildlife, and worse yet, they outcompete the natives because they do not have natural diseases or pests to keep their populations in check.
To increase backyard conservation efforts, Holmes SWCD is offering trees and shrubs this year that are on the Audubon Society’s native plants database for Holmes County and chosen for bird and wildlife benefits. The exceptions are the evergreens offered, as they are not technically native but have naturalized over a long period of time.
Species offered this year are Douglas fir, Norway spruce, Scotch pine, white oak, pin oak, oak pack, basswood, tulip poplar, American plum, highbush blueberry, redbud, winterberry, persimmon, deer food pack, native nut pack, native wetland pack and marking flags. The costs per bundle range from $10-$130 for a pack of 100 white oak. With the exception of the 100 pack, all others are in bundles of five, 10 or 25. Most trees are 12-24 inches tall. Quantities are limited.
We are offering a delivery option for Holmes County residents for an additional $12. We do have to draw the line at the Holmes County borders. If you are just outside Holmes County, is there a relative or friend we can deliver to on our side of the county line?
The deadline to order is Tuesday, March 15. The order form is available on our website at www.HolmesSWCD.com, which can be printed and mailed or dropped off to our office at 62 W. Clinton St., Millersburg, OH 44654, with payment. Ordering can be made online through our marketplace as well — a convenience fee applies to offset web store transaction fees. Email us at Holmes.SWCD@gmail.com for an order form or call our office at 330-674-SWCD ext. 3 and we can email or mail an order form to you.
Tree pickup will be Thursday, April 7 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Dairy Wing of Harvest Ridge (Holmes County Fairgrounds), 8880 state Route 39, Millersburg, if delivery is not selected. We hope you appreciate the benefits of trees and support our sale, which helps fund our education and outreach programs.