LOISEAU-TREMBLAY

AS JULY COMES TO A CLOSE, blueberries and cherries are a fresh and common sight at the weekly markets, such as the downtown Campbell River Farmers market on Sunday afternoons. Blackberries are ripening and trees are heavy with fruit, presenting a sweet buffet for wildlife. While some of us struggle to keep the animals from gobbling up our produce, fruiting trees that are of less importance to our diet—such as bitter cherry, elderberry, and mountain ash—are a productive food resource for local fauna.

Mountain Ash, which is in the genus Sorbus, is common in this area. While we have some that are native to BC such as Western Mountain Ash (Sorbus scopulina) and Sitka Mountain Ash (Sorbus sitchensis), many of the varieties we see are European Mountain Ash, Sorbus acuparia, which is naturalized and interbreeds with native species, making it widespread in Canada. The word ‘naturalized’ in the context of botany is used when a plant has successfully established itself and reproduced in its new environment. While some naturalized species can become invasive (ie. himalayan blackberry, scotch broom, spurge laurel) many do not, and may become integrated into the ecosystem without inflicting much ecological harm. Another common example of a naturalized species is Broadleaf Plantain, Plantago major, a common weed that is rampant in any disturbed and damaged areas. Plantain was a very early plant to arrive with colonizers, and was used medicinally by Indigenous peoples. Because of its weedy habit of growing in disturbed areas, it is actually good for stabilizing damaged soils.

One of the common bird visitors to strip Mountain Ash trees at berry time is the beautiful Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum, a member of the waxwing family of passerine birds. This medium sized bird is well known for its silky plumage, with a brownish head and head crest, fading into subdued yellow belly, a neat black mask thinly outlined with white, gray wings with attractive bright red wingtips and short, square tails that are dipped in yellow.

Cedar waxwings are a very social bird and do not display territorial behavior, feeding in large flocks that are common sight in forests and woody edges that are plentiful with berry and insect sources, orchards and farms. Other common trees in our area that are frequented for food by waxwings are dogwood, saskatoon berry, cedar, juniper and hawthorne. Waxwings also feed on holly and spurge laurel, contributing to the spread of invasive plants.

In urban areas, this species can be seen in open areas bordered by berry producing shrubs and trees, especially if combined with water sources such as ornamental fountains or waterways present in areas such as golf courses. Along with cedar waxwings, western tanagers, finches, sapsuckers, chickadees, yellow-rumped warblers and many other species can be seen feasting on the season’s bounty. Happy Birding!