Native Birds Like Native Plants

I’m not a birder, but I like birds. I like being able to recognize them. I like being able to support them.

I’m a gardener. In the process of being a gardener, I have learned more about birds. I’ve learned that what I do in the garden affects not only what birds come through my garden but also what birds stay in my garden.

Catbird eating beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)

The single most important thing I’ve learned is this: birds eat different things. They don’t all eat seeds, or berries, or sip red-colored sugar water from glass bottles. Birds can be categorized by what they eat primarily:

• Frugivores eat berries and fleshy fruits. These include cedar waxwings, mockingbirds/catbirds, and tanagers.
• Granivores eat seeds. These include finches, cardinals, sparrows, goldfinches, pigeons, and doves.
• Insectivores eat insects. These include warblers, swallows, wrens, woodpeckers, titmouse, eastern phoebe, bluebird, American robin, brown thrasher, vireos, and the whip-poor-will.
• Nectivores eat nectar. Hummingbirds are the best example.
• Omnivores eat plants and insects both. These include turkeys, crows, and the bluejay.

(There are also birds that eat other birds, dead animals, fish, and probably other things. Those will not be covered here!)

Thanks for the seed!

The amazing thing to learn (for me) is just how many birds eat insects as their primary food source. If you’re putting out a seed feeder, one group of birds is interested. A few birds from other groups will visit – like the titmouse (who love peanuts) and the chickadee, with even less frequent occurrences of bluejays and certain species of woodpeckers.

Thanks for the caterpillar!

Look at the birds in your yard and think about those you are already attracting. What are your successes? Do you see many from the Insectivore group? If so, consider yourself lucky that you have free pest control services! If you don’t have many, you might like to know how you can attract some of these birds.

You’ll need more insects.

Oh no! Most people don’t want MORE insects. I don’t mean more mosquitos or more yellow jackets. I mean the insects that eat plants. Insects that eat plants are mostly caterpillars, and caterpillars are the larval form of butterflies and moths.

Zebra longwing on nectar plant

So you need more butterflies and moths. And you need for them to lay eggs ... on your plants. Do you remember hearing about how the monarch butterfly only lays eggs on a certain plant - the milkweed plant? There are many other butterflies (and moths) that have equally specific host plant requirements - their caterpillars only eat certain plants. The Gulf Fritillary and the Zebra longwing butterflies lay eggs on passionflower (Passiflora). Some butterflies have several host plants - the eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly lays eggs on several different host plants – tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera), black cherry (Prunus serotina), spicebush (Lindera benzoin), and sassafras (Sassafras albidum). Every butterfly and moth has one or several host plants - and they are native plants.

That's right - native insects prefer to munch on native plants. And since most of our insects are native insects ... you'll have much more food for the birds when you use native plants.

If you'd like to learn more about what plants you can incorporate to increase the biodiversity of insects (and birds) in your yard, have a look at this "top twenty" chart with data from Doug Tallamy.  It provides the top twenty woody and the top twenty herbaceous plants (by genus) in the mid-Atlantic region. That works pretty well for those of us in Georgia too.

Asters, Asters, Asters

An annual workshop offered by the Georgia Botanical Society is called “Aster, Asters, Asters” and it provides hands on learning about members of the Asteraceae family. Look for it every fall on their schedule – I have been twice now and learned just as much the second time. This post, despite having the same name, is about what gardeners call “Asters” – that is, those beautiful fall flowers that look like delicate daisies in the fall but come in shades of white, blue and purple.

Late purple aster, Symphyotrichum patens

Aster is a very convenient name, easy to pronounce and easy to remember. That’s why several years ago the taxonomists decided to change all that. Most of the fall blooming North American asters now reside in the genus Symphyotrichum with a few others scattered into other places (like Eurybia). Apparently DNA studies found that North American plants known as Aster were quite different from Eurasian plants known as Aster. Unfortunately Eurasian asters got to keep the old name! You can read more about the change here.

Asters in the genus Symphyotrichum bloom on wiry stems that probably look like weeds to many folks that have not witnessed their transformation in person. The leaves are either rough in texture or small in size - neither attributes designed to win the hearts of gardeners. However, once their blooms open up and reveal those beautiful flowers - every gardener will be wanting to make a place for them!

Georgia aster, Symphyotrichum georgianum

The beautiful Georgia aster (Symphyotrichum georgianum) is listed as threatened in the state. I feel fortunate to live in an area where it grows naturally. The blooms are the largest and have the deepest shade of purple. The disk flowers in the center start out with a cream color (not yellow like other asters); they age to purple, intensifying the overall purple color of the flower.

Compared to the Georgia aster, late purple aster (Symphyotrichum patens) - shown in the first picture - is slightly smaller, a lighter shade of purple, and has a yellow center. However, the foliage of the two species is very similar; I can't distinguish one from the other unless the plant is blooming.

Eastern silver aster, Symphyotrichum concolor

Another blue aster in my area is the eastern silver aster (Symphyotrichum concolor). The habit of this plant is different from the previous ones. Flower buds are closely held against a long stem as are many small leaves. The effect is quite beautiful when the blooms are open.

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'Raydon's Favorite'

New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) is listed as native to Georgia but only sparsely; it is much more common in the mid-Atlantic and New England areas. However it is very showy, with large blue-pink blooms; it has been bred by nurserymen into a popular fall plant with a dense floral display. Aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) and New York aster (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii), which are not native to Georgia, are also showy. I found the cultivar Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'Raydon's Favorite' at a plant sale this weekend and people were snapping it up. It was also planted in the venue's gardens where it was doing quite well.


Aren't those blue and purple asters pretty?  White asters, however, are the true workhorses of the local aster world. They are the ones popping up in strange places as well as dominating the side of the roads in their season. In fact they are so ubiquitous that people take them for granted. Let's take a few minutes to celebrate their floral awesomeness!

Calico aster, Symphyotrichum lateriflorum

The calico aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum) has a lot of character. It has a relatively modest number of flowers, but they put on a colorful show. Like the Georgia aster and others, the disk flowers in the center change color over time and that allows for the different colors. Several cultivars are available including 'Lady in Black' which as burgundy-colored foliage.

Symphyotrichum dumosum

The two white asters vying for the title of "most flowers on a plant" are bushy aster (Symphyotrichum dumosum) and one with the name of "smooth white oldfield aster" (Symphyotrichum racemosum). I've spent many hours with cuttings and a hand lens trying to figure out the difference between some of these roadside asters. Distinguishing characteristics include flower size (in centimeters!), length of petiole, presence of hairs, whether the flowers are predominantly arranged on side of the stem, length and shape of leaves, and the look of the bracts underneath the flower itself.

I have both of these white asters in my garden, and this week, while taking pictures for this, I discovered a third one that is completely different. Maybe they are mutating!

Symphyotrichum racemosum

You can see that the flower arrangement on these two is quite different. A contributing factor is the length of the stem holding the flower. The stem on S. dumosum is long, allowing each flower to stand out as an individual.  The stem on S. racemosum is small so that the flowers appear more as a group, each held close to the branch. The flowers are also all facing in the same direction, presenting a very wand-like form (or a raceme, which explains how it got that species name).



Asters in the genus Eurybia have stems and leaves that are different from Symphyotrichum species in terms of shape and texture (that is, stems are not wiry and leaves are smooth, not rough). I suppose that it one reason why the two groups of aster now reside in different genera.

White wood aster, Eurybia divaricata

The white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata) often blooms earlier in the summer than other asters. The leaves are noticeably larger than the Symphyotrichum asters. Unfortunately this seems to make them tastier to deer so I try to protect mine. This is a pretty common part-shade perennial in my area, often overlooked until it starts to bloom.

Showy aster, Eurybia spectabilis

The other member of this genus in my area is the showy aster, Eurybia spectabilis. The purple blooms are very attractive, and there are often multiple flowers blooming at once. The leaves are quite unlike the white wood aster; they are smooth, dark green and fairly narrow.




If you're looking for some input on asters to choose, I recommend reading this report created by the Mt. Cuba Center based on their garden trials.

Gentian Found

This is part two of my hike to Mount LeConte in search of a rare gentian; part one covered the hike up via the Rainbow Falls Trail. Here I show you some of what we found up there and on the hike back down via the Bullhead Trail. The first thing we found at the top was a profusion of summer flowers around the buildings at the Lodge.

While the plants around the LeConte Lodge are a bit "cultivated" (and I use that term loosely), one can still enjoy the beauty in the combination that man and nature have put together. A wild and colorful mountain top meadow is the overall effect: The green headed coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata var. humilis) and white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima var. roanensis) that we saw on the way up is joined here with a vibrant blue monkshood (Aconitum uncinatum), a few blooms of scarlet beebalm (Monarda didyma) and some grasses. This is a combination that would be reproducible in my own garden (given enough space!).

 There are five paths up to LeConte Lodge so it was fun after dinner to explore some of the
 

Gentian and grass of Parnassus

others once we got to the top. We were able to find the Gentiana linearis and another very special plant with it: grass of Parnassus (Parnassia asarifolia). It is not a grass and the name Parnassus goes back to its similarity to a Greek plant named for a mountain in Greece. It's presence is generally associated with wet areas or seepages. We find it in Georgia as well. It has a beautiful white flower with a pattern that appears to be etched into the petals.

Gentian found! Gentiana linearis

Parnassia asarifolia

All those white flowers are grass of Parnassus blooms!

The two plants were found in a very rocky area that obviously has constant moisture. It was fabulous to see such a unique and natural area. We were not expecting to find the Parnassia so it was a delightful surprise.






After a good night's sleep in cabins with no electricity, we had breakfast and headed down the mountain via the Bullhead Trail. This trail is not very scenic but plant nerds can find good in almost any natural setting. Angelica venenosa, asters and goldenrod were some of the perennial plants that we saw. The bees were very fond of these plants, especially the angelica.

Gaultheria procumbens

At lunch we stopped in an area with large boulders and rocky soil. The sides of the path were thick with eastern teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens). Jane convinced me to try one of the berries. The taste was minty but it also reminded me of the wax lips we got for Halloween when I was a kid. I noticed some red berries above my head and was happy to identify the shrub as one of the deciduous hollies; given the elevation, perhaps it was Ilex montana, mountain holly.

Aureolaria flava

As we continued through a dry area, we found different goldenrods (such as Solidago erecta), a lone blue aster, and plenty of yellow false foxglove (Aureolaria flava).  We find all of these in Georgia, and I do love the cheerful late season blooms of the false foxglove.

Plant some Eupatorium for the bees, they love it

As we descended further, we went back through a moist area with plants typical of rich, moist soils: ferns, sweet Joe-pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum), yellow jewelweed (Impatiens pallida), Indian cucumber root (Medeola virginiana), mandarin (Prosartes), mountain bugbane (Actaea podocarpa), Solomon's seal (Polygonatum biflorum), Solomon's plume (Maianthemum racemosum), and many mushrooms.






And the last thing of the day - less than a mile from the trailhead - we saw a black bear! He was moving too fast for a picture. He paused once in the middle of the trail, and we got a good look at each other. Then he took off at a very rapid rate through the undergrowth and was gone.

If you enjoyed these pictures, I think you'll like this video of summer wildflowers in the Great Smoky Mountains (© Great Smoky Mountains Association 2012).

In Search of Gentian

I never thought I’d go hiking in search of a single plant, but in August I did just that. After I published the story of my hike to Gregory Bald in the Great Smoky Mountains, my friend Jane asked me if I would hike with her in the Smokies to find Gentiana linearis (narrow-leaf gentian). The hike and the plants we saw along the way – many of which also make their home here in Georgia – make for a colorful tale.  The first color is blue since that is the plant that sparked the trip.

Gentiana linearis

The narrow-leaf gentian is not found in Georgia, although many of its relatives are. It is found in Tennessee, where the plant is listed as threatened, and further north. Many of the Gentiana species share the "closed" look of this flower. Bumblebees pollinate this flower by prying open the top of it and going inside. If you are interested in gentians, I recommend the book "Gentians of the Eastern United States" by Jim Drake. Jim helped me id several other gentians that we found on the trip.

Eurybia divaricata

Along the way to find the gentian, we hiked up the Rainbow Falls trail to LeConte Lodge where we planned to spend the night. There were four of us: Jane, me, my husband and my daughter (only two of us were interested in the plants). The blooming plants along this trail were best described as asters and goldenrods. The white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata) was an early and constant companion and was eventually joined by the very similar looking whorled wood aster (Oclemena acuminata) as we climbed higher. 

The low elevation goldenrod was the shade tolerant Solidago caesia but we saw several other species along the way which I have not yet positively identified. Yellow is such a cheerful sight.

Solidago caesia

Unknown large-flowered Solidago

At lunchtime we found a nice area with green headed coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata var. humilis) and white snakeroot (Ageratina - the species was unclear) near the stream.

We climbed higher and higher, enjoying the change in the plants as we went. We found unusual plants like mountain fetterbush (Pieris floribunda), Appaplachian bunchflower (Veratrum parviflorum), Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora), and large-leaved hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides). This was a new viburnum for me on my unofficial life list of native viburnums. Throughout the hike (both days) we also saw a lot of Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides which is a very happy resident in my garden. The difference between the two viburnums in terms of berries and leaves is remarkable. The berries on both will turn from red/pink to blue in time.

Viburnum lantanoides on the left; on the right is Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides with a beautiful view

Chelone lyonii

As we closed in on our destination, we found pink turtlehead (Chelone lyonii) in the moist areas along the trail. In a rocky outcropping, we found a population of sand myrtle (Leiophyllum buxifolium) with other heath plants (Ericaceae family). The outcropping had great views from the side of the mountain.

I've always loved turtlehead - the white form (C. glabra) grows in Georgia. Do you see how the flower looks like a turtle with his mouth open?

Well, this story is longer than I thought it would be. I will close here with a picture of the wonderful sunset on Mount LeConte. Part 2 of this story will be "Gentian Found" and will show what we found on the mountain and on our trip back down the next day along a different trail.

Sunset from Mount LeConte