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
Beautyberry	Callicarpa americana	Sun to shade	Purple
Wild Cherry	Prunus serotina	Sun	Dark red to black
Chokecherry	Prunus virginiana	Sun to partial shade	Dark purple to black
Mulberry	Morus rubra	Sun	Black with reddish tones
Cedar Tree	Juniperus virginiana	Sun	Blue
Holly (There are many species of hollies native to alabama	Ilex species	Sun to shade	red to black, depending on the species
Dogwood	Cornus florida	Sun to shade	Red
Poison Ivy	Rhus radicans	Sun to shade	White
Virginia Creeper	Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Sun to shade	Purplish-black
Pokeberry, Pokeweed	Phytolacca americana	Sun	Dark purple