Subject: -Holly Trees and bird habitat
Date: Feb 22 16:27:45 2004
From: J Bonham - jvbonham at msn.com


When I was outside last week I walked over the the tree line that borders our yard. It isn't really trees, my husband says, but some kind of a bush. Well, this bush is about 50-60 feet tall now and has leaves year round, which birds have adopted as a waystation in their migration. I noticed that several small holly trees are starting to grow at the base of these "trees." Does anyone know if they will be advantageous to the birds, or should I cut them down before they get any larger? There is such a variety of birds that it seems like the holly would interfere with the brush at the bottom of these "trees", and the branches with year round leaves are great for attracting many unusual types of birds. I'd hate to lose the branches that the birds now love, but if the holly would be a good habitat for other types of birds, I would appreciate knowing before I cut down the holly.

Jan Bonham
Centralia, WA