LandscapE Design

Make your yard irresistable to birds.

While feeders can be an important supplement to a wild bird’s diet, they are still the avian equivalent of fast food – rich in macronutrients, but not ultimately a source of every bit of nutrition a bird needs to survive and thrive. You can make your property more attractive to birds and other wildlife by establishing plants that provide complete nutrition year round.

I’ve combed through the lists, guides, and other publications covering the native plants of East Tennessee to select those which are the most attractive to our local bird community. The timespans given are not necessarily for individual plants; rather, they represent the period over which members of that species can be found to bear fruit or nectar.

Are you looking for a way to incorporate any of these, or other native plants, into your landscape? Message me and I’ll be happy to weigh in!

Among the fruits and berries, tier one includes the species that are the most productive and have been recorded drawing in the greatest number and variety of species. Tier two includes those which may not be as productive in absolute terms, but which provide additional benefits, such as being especially easy to grow, and/or able to grow in more marginal habitat.

	English name	Latin	Availability
			May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Tier One	Serviceberry	Amelanchier spp.	X	X
	Red mulberry	Morus rubra	X	X
	Blueberry	Vaccinium spp.	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Huckleberry	Gaylussacia spp.	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Blackberry	Rubus spp.		X	X
	Black cherry	Prunus serotina			X	X
	Elderberry	Sambucus canadensis			X	X	X
	Blackgum	Nyssa sylvatica				X	X	X
	Grape	Vitis spp.				X	X	X
	Flowering dogwood	Cornus florida				X	X	X
	Silky dogwood	Cornus amomum				X	X	X	X
	Poison ivy	Toxicodendron radicans				X	X	X	X
	Inkberry	Ilex glabra				X	X	X	X	X
	Winterberry	Ilex verticillata				X	X	X	X	X
	American holly	Ilex opaca					X	X	X	X
	Eastern redcedar	Juniperus virginiana					X	X	X	X
	Possumhaw	Ilex decidua					X	X	X	X
			May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Tier Two	Sumac	Rhus spp.		X	X	X	X	X
	Sassafras	Sassafras albidum		X	X
	Fringetree	Chionanthus virginicus		X	X	X	X
	Virginia creeper	Parthenocissus quinquefolia			X	X	X
	Hackberry	Celtis occidentalis				X	X	X
	Pokeweed	Phytolacca americana				X	X	X
	Spicebush	Lindera benzoin				X	X
	Beautyberry	Callicarpa americana				X	X	X	X
	Viburnum	Viburnum spp.				X	X	X	X	X
	Persimmon	Diospyros virginiana					X	X	X
	Hawthorn	Crataegus spp.					X	X	X
	Greenbrier	Smilax spp.					X	X	X	X
	Chokeberry	Sorbus arbutifolia					X	X	X
	Devil's walkingstick	Aralia spinosa					X	X	X	X
	Mistletoe	Phoradendron serotinum							X	X

English name	Latin	Availability
		Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
Carolina jessamine	Gelsemium sempervirens	X	X	X
Buckeye	Aesculus spp.	X	X	X
Red columbine	Aquilegia canadensis	X	X	X
Azalea	Rhododendron spp.		X	X
Lyreleaf sage	Salvia lyrata		X	X
Iris	Iris spp.		X	X
Crossvine	Bignonia capreolata		X	X
Coral honeysuckle	Lonicera sempervirens		X	X	X	X
Fire pink	Silene virginica		X	X	X	X
Indian pink	Spigelia marilandica			X	X
New Jersey tea	Ceanothus americanus			X	X
Beardtongue	Penstemon spp.			X	X
Passionflower	Passiflora incarnata			X	X	X
Phlox	Phlox spp.		X	X	X	X
Mallow	Hibiscus spp.				X	X	X	X
Beebalm	Monarda spp.				X	X	X	X
Trumpet vine	Campsis radicans				X	X	X	X	X
Jewelweed	Impatiens capensis				X	X	X	X	X
Blazing star	Liatris spicata					X	X	X
Lobelia	Lobelia spp.					X	X	X	X