Over the past 3 days, I have seen the following birds visiting my rough-leafed dogwood: Baltimore oriole, both male and female, Bullock's oriole, white-eyed vireo, least flycatcher, blue-gray gnatcatcher, pine warbler, ruby-throated hummingbird (on the native passion vine that overgrows the top of the rough-leafed dogwood), several cardinals, a house finch, and a juvenile summer tanager. This is why I've planted natives. I love watching the birds they bring in.
Rough-leafed dogwood and birds
Wow! do you live out in the country? I have Roughleaf dogwood, but we don't get that much variety of birds here in the city.
I wish I could take a peek at yours.
Josephine.
If you don't mind my showing my ignorance, what is it about this dogwood that attracts the birds?
I recently was introduced to this plant in Bear Creek Park (west Houston) by my birding class instructor. There was a flock of eastern bluebirds (about 20 or more) feasting on - I think - berries. It was an understory tree of about 15 -18 ft. and was so intriguing, I'm looking into planting one of them beneath a smallish oak tree in my back yard. Hope this helps.
Thanks much. I will check further... pod
Josephine: I live in Bastrop, at the edge of town, on 6 acres. A creek borders two sides of the property, which is mostly in bermuda grass. The past two years, I've had orioles in the yard in the fall, and summer tanagers as well, after the beautyberries and rough-leafed dogwood berries ripen. I used to only see them during spring migration, and then in the top of the pecan trees eating bugs on the pecan blossoms. In the summer and fall, they come up when I'm running the sprinkler sometimes, and to eat on the rough-leafed dogwood and beautyberry. The white-eyed vireo hung around the yard all summer, taking his mini-baths, where I usually saw him. He also likes the rough-leafed dogwood. The least flycatcher eats the dogwood berries, some, but is really attracted to the insects on the various salvias and kidneywood nearby. He does like to stay on the rough-leafed dogwood and sits on the fence some. The blue-gray gnatcatcher seems to go after insects in much the same way. I'm not sure whether the pine warbler was after berries or bugs; it was peaking out of the passionvine that overgrows the top of the dogwood.
Podster: The rough-leafed dogwood has white berries beloved by birds in the fall. The birds usually eat most of the berries; they eat lots of the beautyberry berries, but not most of them.
Bookworm28: Be aware that the rough-leafed dogwood suckers and makes a small grove. Mine is in partial shade, under the edge of a large pecan's dripline, and does well. I regularly pull out suckers from it.
The birds strip all my beautyberries every year by end of October. I just love listening to them argue over the berries. I have to propagate by rooting them--the birds never leave a single berry over here. I love it! =)
Debbie
Thanks Bullnettle - that's good to know. My oak tree is a volunteer about 20+ years old in a smallish backyard so adding a "forest" of rough leaved dogwoods isn't my plan - even for the birds!
I've observed Beautyberry in the woods north of Houston and the birds aren't touching it yet, so I assume the berries aren't ripe - they look good to me - but I'm not a bird! October is better dmj? I"m going to add that to my backyard as well for the coming year. I tried to propogate a beautyberry from a twig/branch and it didn't take. I'll try again.
I really want to see a Baltimore Oriole, summer tanager or all of the others you mentioned.That woul be a thrill!
Thanks for the info!
Thank you for telling us about your place and your experience watching the birds.
I keep my Roughleaf dogwood as a single trunk tree, but I do remove the suckers, which I pot up and give to friends, or they go in the compost pile.
Josephine.
Thanks for sharing about the bird sightings around the native dogwood in Bastrop. Is Roughleaf Dogwood an evergreen? I just moved here, and I see lots of it when I kayak on the Colorado River here in Bastrop. They are loaded with the white berries right now. I would like to add some to my side yard for a privacy screen, but am not sure if they are evergreen. If not, what other evergreen natives would look natural thrown in with the existing yaupon holly, loblolly pine, post oak, and American beautyberry?
Ginny, unfortunately the Rough leaf dogwood is not evergreen, bur you could try
Wax myrtle, http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/51482/index.html
Texas mounain laurel, http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/55062/index.html
Carlolina cherry laurel. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/57865/index.html
Tey are all evergreen. I hope that helps.
Josephine.
Josephine - That's a great list of alternatives. Thanks so much. I've been looking for the Rough Leaf dogwood to purchase online and here in Houston and haven't found any. Might you be going to the Central Texas RU? I'd trade for one of your RL babies...
Also - does anyone know when the birds go for the American Beautyberry? They look so pretty - but must not be ripe yet. I appreciate your knowledge and willingness to share.
Kayaking on the river and watching birds - that must be great fun, Ginny!
Yes, Ginny, I plan to go to the College Station, and I will root a cutting ready for you.
Josephine.
GinnyLu:
I have wax myrtle in the yard, which I planted. It grows in the state park, among the pines, and I've seen it growing among the pines at a friend's place out 21 toward Paige. Wax myrtle suckers, as much as rough-leafed dogwood, although it doesn't begin suckering immediately, like rough-leafed dogwood. After 3 or 4 years, it starts suckering. For some reason, one of the ones I have in the yard is losing some of the original trunks (3-4" across). They just die. So far, the whole tree/large shrub hasn't died, but I've lost 2 or 3 large trunks in the past 2 years. The other one I have has not done that. Both are about 10 years old, at least. Wax myrtles will take standing water. The one losing trunks gets standing water in the winter. I think maybe the drought has hurt it worse than the other because it is used to getting more water. Wax myrtles attract birds too, especially in the winter. The yellow-rumped warbler and ruby-crowned kinglet never over-wintered in the yard until the wax myrtle started setting berries. You do have to have male and female plants to get berries. My wax myrtles are about 12' tall and 8' around.
The Texas mountain laurel is beautiful, but the one I have is growing very slowly.
Cherry laurels are native in Bastrop; they volunteer in the back of my place, close to the creek. I bought some and tried to plant them as a screen in another area, and 2 of the 4 have died, despite care, since I put them out 4 years ago. The ones in the back that get no care whatsoever are growing, despite drought. I can't say why. These get to be trees, and can get fairly large. I've seen them growing in a fence row in town, probably 20' tall and 15' wide. The ones I have in the back are not large, since they are babies. I guess the birds planted them.
The TX Mountain Laurels are notoriously slow growing. I put potassium on mine and then lots of nitrogen because I read where they can take the over fertilizing. It worked! The tree actually grew another 18". The only things I really hate about TML is the worms that get on it. Otherwise, even if they are small they can give you a good show and the scent is out of this world. When it blooms and the Star(Confederate) jasmine also blooms at the same time, the air is glorious!
Ann
Ann, thank you for the info on the fertilizing. What kind of worms do you get on it?
Mine has never had any. The only problem I have had is the flowers being killed by an early frost.
Josephine.
Hi Josephine -
I don't know if Ginnylu is coming to the RU and wanted a Rough Leaf dogwood start, but that was me that requested it. Ginnylu are you coming as well? I hope so - I'm looking forward to meeting others who garden for wildlife and for the beauty of it. For trade I've got several david cuphea cigar plants, red shrimp plants, milkweed, 3 brugmansia, some coral vine seeds and hopefully some others are going to "take" by then. Most of my garden additions in the past 4 years have been for butterflies and hummingbirds - and each year is more fun than the previous.
Josephine I'm in awe of your knowledge and have learned so much from your posts. If you want anything in trade - I'm right there! I'm looking forward to my first RU and meeting everyone and maybe adding a RL dogwood to my urban back yard for the birds. Thanks!
Nancy
O.K. Nancy one Rough leaf Dogwood coming up for you.
Josephine.
Hi Everybody,
I have not checked this thread or been on DG for the past few days. I'm hosting a family reunion this weekend, so have been preoccupied.
Bullnettle and Josephine: Thanks for all the info and suggestions from each of you about what might work for evergreen privacy hedge ideas. I've enjoyed reading your descriptions of what plants attract what birds, too! I'm leaning towards wax myrtle and cherry laurel for filling in for more privacy between me and my neighbor's windows and open porch. Whatever I pick must be able to live as a shaded understory tree/shrub amongst big pine and oak trees. I need a fast grower. I like the idea of wax myrtle with passion flower vines on it. Can they take dappled shade? I don't mind about the suckering habit, just more privacy for me.
I recently have been sighting some American goldfinch in my trees, so I've put out feeders with thistle seed and sliced oranges. Boy do they love the oranges! I got the idea to set them out for them when I saw a goldfinch perched on the hummingbird feeder, trying to get to the sweet liquid inside. ;>}
Until recently, I've been an inactive DG member. So I don't know when the Central Texas RU is going to be. Would someone here tell me? Er, what does the RU stand for? I know the event is a plant swap. I hope it falls on a date I can come. (I don't have time to sit in front of the computer much right now to look for the date.) I have access to lots of RL dogwood for sharing with some of you. It grows abundantly and wild on the river road near my house. I've gotten permission to dig some of it up. It's being annihilated by a road scraping machine! I'd rather remove them intact, thank you!
Also, I don't have anything else to bring for swapping, but would enjoy meeting some DG members.
GinnyLu, the state RoundUp is on Nov. 4th in College Station, I believe. There's a thread on this forum with more info.
Josephine, the "worms" mentioned must be Genista moth caterpillars. I live in a natural Texas Mountain Laurel area, so have many of these plants on my property. They (the caterpillars) appear in the spring here.
http://hortipm.tamu.edu/pestprofiles/chewing/genista/genista.html
Linda, I had no idea about those caterpillars, I guess they are more likely to come when there more of the mountain laurels, I only have one, so may be they haven't smelled it yet, and I hope they never do.
Josephine.
GinnyLu -
This will be my first Roundup and I'm looking forward to meeting everyone. I read all the posts about the one in the spring and everyone sounds so nice. I put a few starts in pots in August - but people have said to come on to the event even with nothing to trade. Hope you have the weekend open.
Josephine - Thanks so much for the dogwood start - I'm really looking forward to meeting you and everyone else.
Nancy
Here is an interesting article about the Roughleaf Dogwood for those of us who live in the eastern part of Texas. I would love to get one of these trees for our landscape. I would be thrilled to have a Tanager and Oriole visit my home. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/cornusdrummon.htm
Those who are knowledgeable about Roughleaf Dogwood's range in Texas know that it grows in the wild in many central Texas areas. I've seen many of them along creeks and rivers and other places. It's really a lovely little tree. I have two planted as understory under live oaks, so that they get some afternoon shade. They bloomed this year for the first time.
The worms I mentioned are worms on the TX Mountain laurel. They are enclosed in a web and they will eat every part of the tree so that you will have no blooms or anything. If I had thought they would turn into something beautiful I would have thought twice. These worms are reminiscent of web worms so often found on Pecan Trees.
Ann
I haven't had much luck with the Cornus florida, so that tree might be a good substitute. Dancey, that article says it suckers profusely, I wonder if it would in dry to average soil.
It hasn't yet in mine and I've had them a few years...raised from a little thing.