FOR THE BIRDS: Add bird friendly plants to your yard

Many of us strive to add bird-friendly plants to our yards and gardens, hoping to attract and feed the birds. Berry-producers rank among the top choices for attracting fall migrants and winter residents. 

Unfortunately, all berry producers are not created equal. At issue is the difference between native and nonnative berry-producing plants. Of specific concern is the nonnative amur honeysuckle, sometimes called Asian honeysuckle or bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii), native to northern and western China, southeastern Russia and Korea. Amur honeysuckle grows shrub-like, sometimes 30 feet tall, from a multi-stemmed clump. Just to clarify, the equally invasive (but mostly non-berry producing) Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) grows as a vigorous vine.

In 1896, amur honeysuckle was introduced in the U.S. as an ornamental and for wildlife cover and soil erosion control.

Sadly, the good intentions have gone awry. The sturdy bush grows well in almost any conditions, from full sun to full shade and is rampant along fence rows, thickets, woodlands, neglected areas and lawns. Because birds eat the seeds, they spread the shrub widely. It's now considered invasive across about half of the US.

But wait. If birds love the berries, what's the problem?

Recently, researchers at Miami University of Ohio studied the berries and their effects on birds. The analysis was startling--and distressing. While native plants produce berries that provide 30-50 percent llipids, the fats birds need for energy, amur honeysuckle berries produce only 3 percent. For birds, then, eating amur honeysuckle berries is like kids eating a diet of nothing but potato chips. The chips taste good, fill kids' tummies, cause them to feel satisfied but provide almost no nutrition. If kids continued the limited diet over time, they would fail to thrive. So it is with birds.

In short, a bird eating amur honeysuckle berries can easily starve to death.

Yes, it's an attractive plant, so folks initially planted it for its lovely flowers and generous red semi-translucent berries. Kids like to break off the white, pink-based spring flowers, bite off the end, and suck out the sweet nectar. Be aware, however, that the berries are mildly poisonous if eaten.

As an invasive plant, amur honeysuckle also wreaks havoc with the environment. Because it grows almost anywhere and because it leafs out early and holds its leaves late, it shades out and crowds out all other plants. It spreads rapidly, forming dense thickets, not just from birds spreading the seeds, but also from shadow seeding and from roots. A single bush soon balloons into a single-species broad understory, destroying any opportunity for a woodland to reproduce itself.

Given the truly despicable qualities of this bush and the damage it does to birds, we need to eradicate any plant to which we have legal access. A few small bushes can be pulled or cut to the ground. Any remaining roots, however, will likely re-sprout.

To eradicate amur honeysuckle, most authorities recommend a systemic herbicide. Large stems should be cut and immediately treated with a herbicide appropriate for woody stumps. For safe and effective results, read herbicide labels carefully and follow directions exactly. Check with your county extension agent for details, or go online to purdue.edu/fnr/extension/blog/2013/11/07/now-is-the-time-to-control-bush-honeysuckle/ and check the highly informative cross-references listed.

Contact Sharon Sorenson on her website at birdsintheyard.com, follow local day-to-day bird activity on Facebook at SharonSorensonBirdLady, or email her at chshsoren@gmail.com.