©Marlene Condon
December 5, 2020
December brings the official beginning of winter and Christmas, a statement that can be linked to holly plants. At Christmastime and throughout the winter season, you are quite apt to see holly branches — either on woodland or yard plants, or as holiday decorations.
Most of us recognize holly because of its widespread use for wreaths, greeting cards and other decorations during the Christmas season, a tradition that was begun in England and brought to America by English settlers. However, holly has been used since ancient times to signify many different things to many different peoples, undoubtedly in part because the leaves of evergreen hollies do not wither when they are cut from the plant. Fortunately, the red berries that these hollies make also last a long time, providing wildlife with food when other kinds of berries have long since disappeared.
The use of holly berries by birds became quite apparent to me in 1993 when my mother was ill. When she lost the ability to walk, the doctor said her only hope of getting back on her feet was to spend a few weeks in a nursing home where physical therapists could work with her every day.
It just so happened that there was a big holly right outside my mother’s room where I could see it through the window. A blizzard had dumped 14 inches of snow on the ground, covering all the short plants that might have held seeds for the birds. The holly, however, was tall and loaded with red berries. It very quickly became a popular eatery. I watched as a male and female Northern Cardinal eagerly consumed the fruit, alongside several House Finches, House Sparrows, and American Robins.
Other resident birds (those that remain in our area all the year-round) that eat holly berries are Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Towhee, Mourning Dove, Northern Bobwhite Quail, Ruffed Grouse, Northern Mockingbird, Pileated Woodpecker, and Wild Turkey. Winter birds (those that come south to Virginia for the coldest months of the year) that will also partake of this fruit are Cedar Waxwing, Hermit Thrush, White-throated Sparrow, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Birds that return from farther south in the spring to nest in Virginia, such as Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird and White-eyed Vireo, willingly eat any holly fruit that has been overlooked by the birds that have been here throughout the winter.
So, if you want to feed birds as well as decorate your home for the holidays, a holly is a great plant to grow in your yard. However, be aware that you need to have a male and a female holly in order to get fruit.
When you have hollies in your yard, it can give you attractive decorations not only in December, but all the way to spring — if you enjoy the vision of beautiful birds eating beautiful berries in a dark green shrub or tree. You might think of holly as a plant that extends the holiday season. I hope yours is a great one.