Millie Mocker

Millie Mocker
Thanks to Millie's friend, Greg Harber, for her photo.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Berry, Berry Good!


Would you believe that people spread rumors about me? They say I’m MEAN just because I protect my family and food. When people get too close to my nest or my babies, I dive-bomb them. Wouldn’t you do something to protect your family, too? I will dive bomb cats, dogs, other birds, snakes....... well, just about anything I think will hurt my babies. 

I also will chase away any animal that may want to eat my berries. I have watched the bees, hummingbirds, and insects pollinating flowers all summer. OOOh, my mouth is watering just thinking about those flowers turning into fruit.  Most yards do not have many berry plants. I get in trouble with humans when you do plant berries. You usually plant them for you to eat and I sneak in and take your blueberries, blackberries, figs, cherries, and raspberries. They are so delicious! I’ll tell you a little secret-the native plants produce the best fruit. I love Beautyberry, wild cherries, Cedar Tree berries, Holly berries, Mulberries, Dogwood berries, Poison Ivy berries, Virginia Creeper berries, and Pokeberries! Check out my blog site (http://milliemocker.blogspot.com) to see the scientific names of these native plants and to learn more about how to grow them in your yard. These berries are a sweet treat after eating insects!  During the winter, when insects are hard to find, these berries help me survive the long cold days. But I am not the only one that loves to eat berries. I have to chase off bluebirds, Cedar Waxings, Blue Jays, Crows, Chickadees, and oh, there are too birds to remember. These berries not only taste good to me, but they have lots of vitamins and provide me with energy. Even though these berries are good for me, most of them are poisonous to you humans.  

Have you ever noticed around fences, especially farm fences, that lots of berry plants grow along the fencerow? Ever wondered how that happened? Well, after my friends and I eat berries, the seeds eventually come out. You know - what goes in, must eventually come out… As we expel seeds, they fall to the ground, germinate in the spring, and make more berry plants. What a great berry cycle!

Although many of these plants can be grown in shade, they will produce more berries if grown in full sunlight.
Common Name             Scientific Name                Sun or Shade            Color of Berries
BeautyberryCallicarpa americanaSun to shadePurple
Wild Cherry
Prunus serotinaSunDark red to black
Chokecherry Prunus virginianaSun to partial shadeDark purple to black
MulberryMorus rubraSunBlack with reddish tones
Cedar TreeJuniperus virginianaSunBlue
Holly
(There are many
species of hollies native
to alabama
Ilex speciesSun to shadered to black,
depending on the species
DogwoodCornus floridaSun to shadeRed
Poison IvyRhus radicansSun to shadeWhite
Virginia CreeperParthenocissus quinquefoliaSun to shadePurplish-black
Pokeberry, PokeweedPhytolacca americanaSunDark purple