Aronia arbutifolia
'Brilliantissima'
Chokecherry
This
deciduous shrub has clusters of spring blooming, white to pinkish flowers
followed by dense clusters of glossy red fruit. The fruit ripens in late
summer and persists through winter. The glossy foliage turns brilliant red
in autumn. It is a compact plant that makes an excellent hedge and provides
fruit and cover for wildlife. USDA Zones 4-9. Interesting fact: The
name chokecherry refers to the tart and bitter berries that are technically
edible for humans but so astringent they cause would-be diners to choke.
Callicarpa americana
Beautyberry
Small
white to pink flowers bloom in the leaf axils in spring. hundreds of round,
shiny purple drupes, about one-fourth inch in diameter, are held in clusters
all along the stems in fall. Cardinals, woodpeckers, mockingbirds, robins
and others feast on the berries. This rapid grower forms a loosely-arranged
rounded shrub with long arching branches. USDA Zones (6) 7-10. Interesting Fact:
Encourage songbirds to nest on your property by using
a variety of native trees and shrubs that provide food and cover all season
long. Serviceberry provides fruit in June, while beautyberry provides
berries in late summer and viburnums tend to provide fall and winter fruit.
Cornus racemosa 'Geauga'
Gray Dogwood
Gray twig dogwood is a deciduous shrub bearing dome-shaped clusters of white
flowers in late spring. The flowers give way to clusters of small white
berries on short red stalks. The stems holding the flowers and fruit are
licorice red, which makes a distinct contrast with the white flowers and
fruit. Gray-green leaves turn dusky purple-red in fall. This thicket-forming
shrub will produce large colonies and is a good source of food, cover and
nesting sites for many birds. USDA Zones 3-8. Interesting Fact: Grey
twig dogwood gets its common name because the young branches and twigs are
brown to red but the older branches are gray.
Ilex verticillata
'Winter
Red' Winterberry
'Winter Red' is a multistemmed, erect deciduous holly with a profusion of
bright red berries in late summer to fall. Male and female plants are needed
for fruit set. Berries are quite showy and persist through most of the
winter, hence the common name. USDA Zones 3-9. Interesting Fact:
You will enjoy these stunning berries most of the winter, because
birds usually don't eat them until late winter.
Viburnum prunifolium
Blackhaw
Viburnum
Blackhaw
is usually grown as a large, upright, multistemmed, deciduous shrub,
but it can be pruned to grow as a small tree. Creamy white flowers
in flat-topped clusters up to 4.5 inches across appear in spring.
Flowers provide nectar for butterflies and other pollinators.
Flowers give way to blue-black berry-like fruits, which are a good
source of food for birds and wildlife in fall and early winter. This
handsome plant has glossy, dark green leaves changing to shades of
red and purple in fall. USDA Zones 3-9. Interesting Fact: Blackhaw
has been in cultivation as an ornamental plant since 1727. The
common name is said to refer to the similarity of this plant to
hawthorns (sometimes commonly called red haws), though hawthorns are
in a different family. Fruits are edible and may be eaten off the
bush when ripe or used in jams and preserves.
Viburnum trilobum
Cranberry Viburnum
Flat-topped clusters of white flowers bloom in May. The flowers are
very handsome and provide nectar fro butterflies and pollinators.
Flowers are followed by clusters of brilliant red fruit that stay on
the plant into late winter when they are finally eaten by birds. New
leaves have a reddish cast while fall foliage is yellow through
red-purple. USDA Zones 3-7. Interesting Fact: The brilliant
red fruits are edible but quite sour and have been used for
preserves since colonial times. Unless you pick the fruit for
preserves, they stay on the plant until late winter when finally
eaten by birds. This is because the berries tend to be hard,
marble-like or bitter after they form. As the fruit matures and goes
through winter, it eventually becomes palatable to wildlife.
Juniperus virginiana
Eastern Red Cedar
This evergreen conifer is the best bird-attracting tree in eastern
North America. It provides dense cover year round while shredding
bark is used by many birds for nest construction. Female trees
produce round, gray or bluish berry-like cones that 80 species f
birds adore. Cedar waxwings earned their common name because of
their love for the fruit. USDA Zones 2-9. Interesting Fact: Most
natives have small fruits, no more than three-fifths of an inch in
diameter, which is just the right size for a bird's beak to handle.
