Friday's Foto

American Holly (Ilex opaca), Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY

The American Holly is native to the eastern and south-central United States from coastal Massachusetts, south to central Florida, and west to southeastern Missouri and eastern Texas. Its red fruit appear late in the fall and are an important food source to a variety of songbird species, gamebirds and mammals. They are poisonous to humans and, if ingested, will cause diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration and drowsiness. The flowers are of special value to Honey Bees and the host plant for Henry's Elfin butterfly. Unfortunately, along our west coast from California to British Columbia, the English holly (Ilex aquifolium) is spreading into native forest habitat, where it crowds out native species.

Some of the bird species that feed on American Holly drupes:

Northern Bobwhite
Wild Turkey
Mourning Dove
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
(several species of sparrow)
Northern Cardinal
Yellow-rumped Warbler