Sort of like the Hymilia Blackberries have Stewart?



Deb of Ray & Deb Fame

Everett Washington

42psalm1 at comcast.net



http://members5.boardhost.com/Koinonia/index.html

-------Original Message-------



From: Stewart Wechsler

Date: 12/07/06 14:22:32

To: Wayne C. Weber; Dennis Paulson

Cc: TWEETERS

Subject: [Tweeters] Promoting alien berry plants breaks my heart



It saddens me every time I hear of people, especially serious naturalists,

advocating for the use, planting or just letting live, alien berry producing

plants to feed "the birds". In the short term you have some happy American

Robins, Starlings and other winter fruit eaters. In the long term, after

the Robins, Starlings and Waxwings sprinkle the seeds all over the landscape

with little packets of fertilizer, and these alien shrubs and trees replace

the native plants and in turn displace the other native organisms best

adapted to living with those native plants, we get less biodiversity. This

includes, most likely, fewer of some of the very bird species that eat these

berries. Some of the "biodiversity" we do get by planting these alien

shrubs and trees is a false biodiversity in the global sense with more of

the same shrubs, trees and associated organisms that occur elsewhere in the

world.



I am constantly pulling these alien shrubs and trees out of our wilder parks

and natural areas to make room for the disappearing natives that once

supported more species of native birds, butterflies, beetles etc.. Our

wooded areas and semi-open areas are under an ever increasing assault by the

multiple species of escaped and now naturalized Cotoneasters, English Holly,

English Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), Pyracantha, European Mountain Ashes,

English Yews, Himalayan Blackerries and English Ivy among many others that

have been spread through our wilder spaces by the birds feeding on their

berries in yards and parks where people have either planted them or let them

be.



As I mentioned before, many or most of our song birds primarilly feed their

young caterpillars even if they are berry and seed eaters as adults. One

way these alien berry bearing plants could harm the very birds that feed on

them in the winter is by depriving the moths and butterflies of suitable

host plants on which to lay eggs which in turn means fewer caterpillars for

the baby birds. For the most part these moths and butterflies are not

adapted to using these alien plants in their caterpillar stage. You can

have more adult fruit-eating birds making it through the winer, but if the

limiting factor on their population is the number of caterpillars available

to feed the chicks at the time when there are the least caterpillars and

most chicks, you might end up harming that very species by having too many

berry plants that don't double as good caterpillar plants that support a

diversity of caterpillar species through the whole nesting season. You also

need a supply of caterpillars through years when one or another population

of caterpillar species is down for one reason or another. The non-fruit

eating song birds, the migratory song birds that aren't here to eat those

winter berries just lose out with no boost in winter food with their

caterpillars and other insect foods depleted



If people understand the impact of these ornamentals and weed spreading bird

feeder bushes and still plant them or leave them alive, I would consider it

irresponsible. If they don't understand, I would just consider it

uninformed.



Some western Washington native fall and winter berry producers include:



Douglas (Black) Hawthorn - Crataegus douglasii

Suksdorf's Hawthorn - Crataegus suksdorfii (was C. douglasii ssp suksdorfii)

Blue Elderberry - Sambucus cerulea

Pacific Crabapple - Malus fusca (was Pyrus fusca, also called Malus

diversifolia)

Bald-hip Rose - Rosa gymnocarpa

Evergreen Huckleberry - Vaccinium ovatum

Madrone - Arbutus menziesii

Tall Oregon Grape - Mahonia aquifolium (a.k.a. Berberis aquifolium)

Long-leafed or Dull Oregon Grape - Mahonia nervosa (a.k.a. berberis nervosa)

Salal - Gaultheria shallon

Western Serviceberry - Amelanchier alnifolia (most fruit gone or dried up by

late fall, but dry berries likely used by birds



Stewart Wechsler

Ecological Consulting

West Seattle

206 932-7225

ecostewart at quidnunc.net



-Advice on the most site-appropriate native plants

and how to enhance habitat for the maximum diversity

of plants and animals

-Educational programs, nature walks and field trips

-Botanical Surveys



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