Plant shrubs for the birds

Elderberry thicket

This spring I became a student in the Master Naturalist program through Potomac Valley Audubon Society. To date, the lectures by experts on habitat restoration, nature interpretation and birding are engaging, informative and inspiring. My take away from these lectures is that we need to plant and restore the shrub understory in our area. These are the issues as I understand them:

1) Escalating deer populations have diminished habitat, particularly the understory of trees or shrubs.

2) Many species of birds depend on shrubs for building their nests and raising their young due to the combination of food and shelter found in a native shrub.

3) Some folks consider highly invasive species such as Autumn Olive as having benefits for birds. (Note: West Virginia and Maryland departments of natural resources DO NOT recommend planting Autumn Olive as it is a highly invasive - listed as a

top threat - which disrupts ecosystem processes.)

Restoring a native plant understory will take time and effort. The first challenge is to reimagine shrubs in our garden and landscapes. Birds require thickets or densely spaced shrubs. The formal English garden planting aesthetic of short green shrubs, equally spaced, in a row, does not work for a wildlife friendly garden. The second challenge is to protect newly planted shrubs from deer browse. I recommend caging all native shrubs until they reach 5 feet and are touch enough to withstand deer browse. Along my driveway I have four Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium) shrubs planted; the two that are caged are taller and full of leaves while the uncaged are heavily browsed and shorter overall.

The benefits of planting a native shrub understory are plentiful. The majority of our native shrubs provide many seasons of interest in addition to food and shelter for birds and flowers for pollinators. Please consider buying and protecting some native shrubs today. This article lists the top 12 native plants for nesting birds and recommends planting a group of shrubs to start your thicket. Place the shrubs in an area where they have plenty of room to spread. This week I will be offering several great native shrubs for sale including black chokeberry, ninebark, arrowwood viburnum, witch hazel, and elderberry. My on site plant sales are Thursdays and Fridays 9a-4p at 47 Birds Nest Way through June 12th.