They were here, of course, for the fruit. Cedar Waxwings are especially dependent on fruit in their diet, so much so that ‘Cedar’ in their common name is a nod to Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), whose fruit-like cones are an important source of winter food for this bird. The other part of their common name, ‘Waxwing’, refers to the waxy looking red tips on their secondary wing feathers.
Cedar Waxwing. Notice the red, waxy-looking tips of the secondary wing feathers.
Like most other birds, Cedar Waxwings also eat insects, especially when they are breeding and raising young. I did see one bird take a break from the Winterberry fruit to browse the branches of a nearby Witch-hazel (Hammamelis virginiana) for some insect protein. But fruit was the main attraction for this flock.
Cedar Waxwing reaching for Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) fruit
While I watched, the birds put on an impressive acrobatic display in pursuit of the delectable fruit.
Cedar Waxwing reaching for Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) fruitCedar Waxwing showing flexibility while reaching for Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) fruit
It’s not by accident that such an abundance of fruit is available for these and other birds. The groundwork is laid in late spring, typically June where I am in central New Jersey, when these shrubs produce a wealth of small flowers that are a major attraction for pollinators, including many different species of bees, wasps and flies.
Perplexing Bumble Bee (Bombus perplexis), visiting a female Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) flower. These pollination efforts make the fruit that results from this visit possible.
While they stayed with us, the Cedar Waxwings also ate the remaining Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium) drupes, as well as some crab apples. The birds moved on after three days, when the trees and shrubs were stripped of their bounty. It was a mesmerizing spectacle while it lasted.
Cedar Waxwings are typically found in woodland habitats, near water or woods edges, but they are sometimes found in open fields, too. It all depends on food availability. They are sociable birds, and often nest in proximity to other members of their species, with several nests possible in a single ‘neighborhood’. When they aren’t breeding, they travel in flocks, moving from place to place to find the fruit they need. A few days before the invasion of this flock, I saw one or two Cedar Waxwings in the trees outside. Because of their gregarious nature, it’s unusual to see a lone bird of this species. Now I can’t help wondering if these early birds were scouts, looking for the next food stop for the group.
To attract Cedar Waxwings to your own yard, be sure to provide the fruit they love. In addition to Winterberry Holly and Eastern Red Cedar, American Holly (Ilex opaca), Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), native viburnums such as Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium), Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), Mountain Ash (Sorbus americana), hawthorns, apples and grapes are all very appealing to this sleek and lovely bird. To see them in summer, offer them blueberries, serviceberries, cherries and blackberries, among other fruit.
Cedar Waxwing eating Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) fruit
It’s difficult to walk past Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) when it’s in fruit without noticing it. The abundant, vividly red, globular, fleshy fruits of this aptly named shrub never fail to catch the eye.
Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) in fruit
Where do all of those luscious-looking fruits come from?
Have you ever noticed Winterberry Holly in bloom?
In late spring, Winterberry Holly is covered with an equally large number of somewhat inconspicuous greenish-white flowers. The flowers bloom gradually over a period of a few weeks.
Like all hollies, Winterberry usually has male and female flowers on separate plants. Only female flowers can develop fruit. Although it isn’t typical, there may occasionally be a specimen with male and female flowers on the same plant, or some flowers that are perfect, that is, they have both male and female parts. Plants often have some variation, as they continue to evolve to try to find the most effective and efficient survival strategies.
Female flowers are usually in small clusters of up to three. The flowers have a single pistil (the female reproductive part) at their center. The green rounded base of the pistil is the ovary. If a flower is successfully pollinated, the ovary will mature, becoming the bright red fruit we see later in the season. The ovary is topped by a stigma, where pollen must be deposited in order for pollination to occur and fruit to develop.
Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) female flowers in bloom. The whitish specks on the branches are lenticels, through which the plant exchanges gases with the surrounding atmosphere. Lenticels are characteristic of Winterberry holly branches.
The white arrow- or spade-shaped projections in between the petals of the female flowers are sterile stamens; they don’t produce pollen that can fertilize the flowers. It’s likely that they help attract pollinators. As these sterile stamens age, they turn brown.
Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) female flowers in bloom. The female reproductive part, the pistil, is the green volcano-shaped object in the center of the flower. The ovary is the base of the volcano, and will develop into a fruit if pollination is successful and the ovules inside are fertilized. The flat-ish tissue at the top is the stigma, where pollen must be placed by an incoming bee or other pollinator. The white arrow- or spade-shaped projections in between the petals are sterile stamens.
Male flowers often bloom in crowded clusters of up to 10 or more. The male reproductive parts, called stamens, reach upward from the face of the flower, the anthers at their tips ready to deposit pollen on a flower visitor.
Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) male flowers, blooming in densely-packed clusters.Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) male flowers in bloom. The male reproductive parts, called stamens, reach up from the face of the flowers. Pollen is produced from the tan anthers at their tips.
Winterberry Holly needs third party assistance to move pollen from a male flower on one plant to a female flower on another plant, in order to achieve pollination. It may be easy for people to walk past without noticing when these shrubs are in bloom, but fortunately the flowers are enticing beacons to potential pollinators of many different species, especially bees. A recent study showed Winterberry Holly to be among the most attractive to bees of the flowering shrubs.
In my own garden I spotted Bumble Bees, Mining Bees, Sweat Bees, Small Carpenter Bees and a wasp visiting the flowers for nectar rewards. Bees also eat pollen, and female bees may collect pollen to feed their larvae.
Confusing or Perplexing Bumble Bee (Bombus perplexus) visiting a Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) female flower. Mining Bee drinking nectar from a Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) flower.Sweat Bee visiting a Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) female flower.Small Carpenter Bee (Ceratina species) departing from a Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) female flower.Eastern Yellow Jacket drinking from a Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) female flower.
Without the assistance of these flower visitors, pollination would not take place, no fruit would develop, and Winterberry Holly would not be able to reproduce. If these pollinators do the job the plants have enticed them to do, fruit develops, ripening by fall.
Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) in fruit.
Birds are the primary target audience for the colorful display of Winterberry Holly’s bright red fruit. Many different species of birds including Eastern Bluebirds,
Eastern Bluebirds enjoy Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) fruit
White-throated Sparrows,
White-throated Sparrows are among the birds that eat Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) fruit.
and Hermit Thrush
Hermit Thrush in a Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata)
eat the fleshy fruit and later become the unwitting dispersers of the seeds inside as they deposit them with natural fertilizer when defecating.
Small mammals like mice and squirrels may eat Winterberry fruit, too. People are just the accidental beneficiaries of the bright spectacle, but shouldn’t eat the fruit, which is toxic to humans.
Winterberry Holly fruits contain more carbohydrates than fats, making them less preferred by birds than some other fruit available in the fall. As a result, Winterberry fruit is frequently passed over until later in the season, often well into winter, although sometimes a flock of hungry American Robins or Cedar Waxwings will strip a Winterberry Holly of all its fruit in a matter of hours.
American Robin in Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata). A flock of hungry Robins can strip a shrub of its fruit in a matter of hours.
Winterberry Holly is a deciduous shrub or understory tree that grows to a maximum height of about 15 – 20 feet (5 – 6 meters). It prefers moist soil, and is indigenous in bogs and wet woods in the eastern half of the United States and Canada. It makes a great addition to your own landscape for its benefit to pollinators, birds and other wildlife. It doesn’t hurt that Winterberry Holly adds some bright color to a winter landscape.
Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) in fruit.
Resources
Eastman, John. The Book of Swamp and Bog. 1995.
Eaton, Eric R.; Kauffman, Ken. Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America. 2007.
The Natural Web 