Wild berries etc.

[Madcat]

Hello all!

Ok. There is a huge mulberry tree around the corner, blackberry bushes and honey suckle. Are these safe for my birds? Should be pretty neat to cut branches and let the babies forage. Let me know whatcha know!

[Madcat]

Ok. Just had a moment to research. The two berries seem to be fine but the honeysuckle is toxic.

[KarenB]

Wild birds such as Orioles and Tanagers love mulberries. I wish I had a tree in my yard. I do feed my finches wild strawberries which are a native plant on my property in Texas, which were originally planted by the wild birds. My finches really like them. They are fairly tiny, so the birds can eat them as is. I usually even include the leaves.

[KarenB]

Here are my little strawberries.

[Madcat]

Oh I just saw the picture!!! Yes!!!!

[Nerien]

KarenB
Is that true wild strawberry, or is it mock strawberry, Dochesnea indica? (Also known by Potentilla indica.) (If you look it up, I had to misspell the genus name, the censor objected to it for some strange reason. Substitute a "u" for the "o" in Dochesnea. It's a valid scientific plant name, don't know what the censor thought I was typing.)

Are the flowers yellow (mock strawberry) and the berries fairly bland, or are the flowers white to pinkish and the berries very sweet (true strawberry, Fragaria sp.)?

My yard is being taken over by mock strawberry, and I'd love to find a good use for it, since there seems to be no way to get rid of it short of excavating the yard out and starting over with fresh dirt.

[Madcat]

Hmm, I don't think the blooms are pink on the ones I've see. I'll have to check. Wonder if the mock strawberries are toxic?

[KarenB]

These are the bland Indian strawberries, yellow flowers, Duch esnea indica.

[Nerien]

Mock strawberries are not toxic. Just don't taste like much, at least not to humans.

Things are just greening up where I live, tree leaves started coming out last week. When berries arrive, may have to see if little birdies would like them. Would be nice to have a good use for them, right now they just make walking through the yard squishy.

[KarenB]

Mine are in a shady corner of the yard so they are not a problem. In the heat of the summer they kind of die back but come back in the fall, winter and spring. They are on their second bloom this year, but it is about to get hot, so they are about to be done for a while.

[Madcat]

Checked out mock. Definitely mock strawberries I saw. Went to get mulberries. There are actually more than one! Huge trees! Whooooohooo