ALL THE BUZZ by Bea Leach

All the Buzz, by Bea Leach It has been a mild winter here in Vance county until these last couple of weeks. This is the wettest winter I have experienced since moving here. I have enjoyed working in my yard on dry afternoons. On wet days, I do a walkabout looking at the plants and wondering what should be done in spring. When we moved into this house there were many plants, trees and shrubs that had been sadly neglected. Those that we knew weren’t going to make it were removed or transplanted to a spot that was more to the plants liking. But there was this one shrub. I just never could come to like it but yet, I didn’t feel like we should get rid of it either. The Berberis bealei, commonly known as Leatherleaf Mahonia, is just an odd looking plant. The irregular, long stems come out of the ground every which way. There is no form. And for goodness sakes, you do not want to back into that thing! Those spiny leaves are lethal. Somewhere in mid-January, it started to bloom with its showy yellow clusters. Meh, it has that going for it at least. I know those blooms will turn into clusters of purple berries that the birds love. But then I noticed something else about this shrub. Once the sun warmed things up, the bees came out and started enjoying the pollen from these flowers, and providing a winter nectar source is a great way to support our pollinator friends. However, I noted that the NC State Extension Plant Toolbox (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu) lists the Berberis bealei as an invasive species. We have not had any problems with containing ours, so I asked the local Horticulture Agent, Paul McKenzie, why it was classified as such. Here’s what he said: “Plants are classified as ‘exotic invasive’ not necessarily due to spreading in your own yard, but because of their tendency to spread beyond your yard into places they’re not wanted such as natural habitats. In those habitats, they can compete or even displace native plant species, and while they may provide berries, nectar or other food, the quality of that food is generally inferior to what’s provided by native plants.” Another winter bloomer in our yard is the Chaenomeles speciosa, Flowering Quince. It has just started blooming bright reddish pink flowers. This shrub has been in our yard for the twelve years we have lived here. It obviously does not like its current location as it hasn’t grown in these years so we will move it to a sunnier location come spring. The other entertainment in our yard this winter is the birds. There have been so many birds that I have had a hard time keeping the four feeders and three suet baskets full. I am also feeding dried mealworms and scattering seed in the underbrush. The birds visiting my backyard are the usual suspects; Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Wrens, Black Capped and Carolina Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird and Mourning Doves. Before this late winter cold snap, there were many Eastern Bluebirds dining at my feeders. We also have two pairs of Eastern Towhees! I was excited to see them return after a couple years absence. There is a pair of red bellied woodpeckers that can be seen every morning and again in the evening at the suet feeders. Mr. Checkers takes a chunk of suet and flies to a nearby branch where Mrs. Checkers is awaiting a bite. It is endearing to watch. Another bird always entertaining me is the White-breasted Nuthatch. These little characters are avian acrobats, hanging and walking upside down from branches and feeders and hopping head first and backwards along branches. They are the only bird that can go down a tree head first. Nuthatches store food by food caching. They wedge seeds, nuts or insects into the bark of a tree, then they cover it up with a bit of bark or lichen for winter eating. Like the woodpeckers, nuthatches are also monogamous and keep their mate for life. And then there are the bad boys of the backyard, the Blue Jay. People either like them or they hate them. I’ve always been partial to the bad boys, so I am in the camp that likes them. These loud, boisterous birds have many qualities that make them interesting and wanted in my backyard. The bright coloring of a Blue Jay is a welcome sight on a dreary, gray winter’s day. Blue Jays are members of the Corvidae family which include crows and ravens, birds that are considered very intelligent. One smart thing a Blue Jay does is imitate the call of a Red-Shouldered Hawk, thus alerting them and smaller birds to a predator in the vicinity. Blue Jays are thought to be the biggest reason oak trees have been spread across North America. Their love of nuts and seeds has led to many a tree or flower growing from a forgotten meal hidden away for winter. During spring and summer, they will feed nasty insects and caterpillars such as tent caterpillars and wasps and wasp larvae to nestlings. Blue Jays are also monogamous and the males work just as hard as the females to build a home and take care of their babies. If you are interested in birds, you need to check out Lesley the Bird Nerd on YouTube. She is amazing and has developed some pretty interesting relationships with the birds in her Canadian environment. Here’s hoping that all this wet weather makes for a lovely spring. Until next time…