Attract birds with native plants

The California coffeeberry shrub attracts birds with its red berries in the fall. Photo by J.J. Meyer

Here's my latest column that ran in the Orange County Register and other Southern California News Group papers on Saturday, October 5, 2019. 

A California native garden is a haven for birds and other wildlife. Indigenous plants have co-existed and evolved together with birds and pollinating insects over time, each depending on each other for survival and reproduction.

More than 600 bird species call California home. Even if you live in an urban setting, you can attract many species to your yard by providing a native habitat with a source of food and water.

“By creating an urban habitat, we can affect populations and diversity, one yard at a time,” said Mike Evans, co-owner of Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano.

Layering tall, medium and low plants throughout the space affords shelter and protection from predators. Open areas are important for birds that scratch and forage for seeds. Open space also allows for viewing, and is therefore an important design principle, he said.

As a general rule, October is the best month to plant California natives. “The soil is warm, the weather is cool, and the rain is on the way,” he said.

Including plants that bloom at different times throughout the year will add color and variety to the garden. But the presence of winter berries has an even more important role: they help sustain a number of bird species through the colder months. Many birds change their eating habits in fall and winter. Some insect-eating birds will turn to berries as a supplement to their diets because their high-calorie content offers critical nutrients when insects are scarce.

Winter berry-producing native shrubs supply important sustenance for many non-migrating species including California thrashers, Western bluebirds, American robins, Northern flickers, Nuttall’s woodpeckers, Northern mockingbirds, California scrub jays and wrentits. And other species, such as Bewick’s wrens, will occasionally eat fruit in winter when insects are dormant.

Berries can also be magnets for winter visitors such as cedar waxwings, which travel in large flocks. These showy birds have been known to over-indulge on overripe berries that have started to ferment and become intoxicated, which causes them to fly erratically and crash into windows. White-crowned sparrows, which are mainly seed eaters, are also winter migrants to Southern California and will turn to fruit, including elderberries and blackberries.

Bird-friendly plants include California coffeeberry, a shrub with dark, red berries this time of year; California wild grapes that yield small, edible clusters in the fall, and toyon, also known as Christmas berry or California holly, with bright, red berries that generally ripen by mid-December.

Tree of Life Nursery recommends other natives for songbirds including manzanita, fourwing saltbush, coyote brush, barberry, California lilac, buckwheat, brittlebush, chaparral honeysuckle, laurel sumac, hollyleaf cherry, oak trees, lemonade berry, currants, gooseberries, wild rose, wild blackberry, and elderberry.

In addition to supplying food, these dense shrubs are multi-functional. When planted as a border, they give birds a safe place to seek cover from predators. In the spring, dense shrubs also provide habitat for nesting. Flowering shrubs are also a nectar source for hummingbirds and other pollinators.

“A manicured, ornamental garden does nothing for wildlife,” Evans said.

But when you plant a California native garden, the space becomes a safe habitat for birds and other wildlife. And according to Jeff Bohn, co-owner of the Tree of Life Nursery: If you build it, they will come.

When Bohn recently purchased a new home, he removed the lawn, along with ornamental plants such as bird of paradise, and other non-native species. And he replaced them with California natives. “I was amazed how quickly towhees, phoebes, hummingbirds and lizards showed up,” Bohn said. “The other day, we had a rabbit in the yard, and I’d never seen a rabbit in the neighborhood before.”

Located along the winding Ortega Highway, Tree of Life Nursery contains 40 acres of natural habitat that borders Caspers Wilderness Park and functions as both a botanical garden and nursery center where guests can purchase plants to take home. The Casa La Paz gift shop on site offers books on plants, birds and butterflies, as well as inspirational books by authors such as John Muir.

The nursery hosts workshops on a variety of nature topics on Saturdays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at 33201 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano. Find the workshop schedule, plant lists, guides for planting and watering and other sage advice at californianativeplants.com, or call 949-728-0685.