Try planting the cranberry cotoneaster (Cotoneaster apiculatus) for its persistent red fruit.Ĭhokeberry is another member of the rose family that produces fruit in fall. In late summer, however, the cotoneaster bursts forth with bright, show-stopping red fruit that demands attention. Birds aren’t choosy, however they will eat the colorful hips of any rose, including the farmer’s nemesis, the multiflora rose.Ĭotoneasters usually take a back seat to other shrubs because their flowers are small and frequently unnoticed. Disease resistant and cold-tolerant, the rugosa’s many positive qualities have made it a choice plant in breeding programs. Rugosa roses are tough, carefree shrubs with very fragrant flowers that give way to large, persistent hips in late summer. Several shrubs in the rose family have much to offer birds. Washington hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) and Winter King hawthorn (Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’) are two exceptional landscape hawthorns that bloom with white flowers in spring, then give way to red fruit that persists in winter. Red and vibrant in winter, hawthorn fruit is also favored by birds. In this way, crab apples provide a source of food in winter when other fruit is scarce.Īccording to experts at the University of Iowa, birds prefer fruit from ‘Snowdrift,’ ‘Indian Magic,’ ‘Profusion,’ ‘Adirondack,’ Harvest Gold, ‘Prairifire,’ and ‘Ormiston Roy,’ but they will not eat fruit from ‘Adams,’ ‘Donald Wyman,’ and Red Jewel.Ī close look at a hawthorn flower in spring, and it’s easy to tell that this plant is also a member of the rose family. Oftentimes, birds will not feed on crab apples until they have frozen and thawed several times. The ripe fruit tastes like blueberries, and is useful in cooking if you can beat the birds to the tree.Ĭrab apples (Malus spp.) are usually planted for their lovely spring flower, but they also produce abundant food for wildlife. Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) is a native member of the rose family that produces fruit for both human and bird enjoyment, although the fruit ripens much earlier in the summer than that of dogwood.Īlso known as shadbush or juneberry, serviceberry produces reddish fruit that ripens to bluish-black in June. Many members of the rose family provide food and habitat for birds and other wildlife. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, dogwoods provide an important food source for robins, bluebirds, thrushes, catbirds, vireos, kingbirds, juncos, cardinals, warblers, wild turkey and grouse. The fruit is high in fat content, thus providing a good food source for migrating birds.ĭogwoods are adaptable shrubs that will form large mass plantings given enough space, providing both food and habitat for birds. These shrubs bloom with white flower clusters in summer, then give way to blue or white fruit in late summer. Gray, redosier and silky dogwoods are all shrub dogwoods, growing to about 10 feet high and wide. Our native shrub dogwoods also produce fruit that is relished by birds in late summer. This flag sends out a clear signal to flying birds that ripe fruit is below the birds in turn spread the tree’s seed, thus helping to ensure survival of the species. Flowering dogwood leaves often turn color early in the season as the fruit ripens, a phenomenon known as a foliar fruit flag.
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