5. Wood Thrush/White-throated Sparrow (Flowering Dogwood

This bird is my greatest favourite of the feathered tribes of our woods. To it I owe much. How often has it revived my drooping spirits, when I have listened to its wild notes in the forest… Vol. 1, 772

—J. J. Audubon

Wood thrush Call: pit-pit-pit

Fig. 16

White-throated sparrow Fig. 17 Song: Oh sweet Canada Canada Canada; calls: pink or tseep

Fig. 18. The flowers on the dogwood are the small, inconspicuous, rounded cluster in the center. The showy white "petals" are actually bracts, or specialized leaves.

AUDUBoN’S WARBleR, HeRMIT WARBleR, BlACk-THRoATeD

gRAY WARBleR, Plate CCCXCV

Strawberry Bush

Euonymus americanus

The strawberry bush occurs in the shady understory of moist forests of eastern North America from New York south to Florida, and west to Oklahoma and east Texas. A specimen covered with hundreds of bursting red hearts is a remarkable sight. In autumn, the leaves turn shades of orange and red before falling. In the winter, the leafless green twigs and stems are structurally interesting. The fruits, though beautiful to look at, are reported to be poisonous to humans. However, wildlife biologists often refer to strawberry bush as an “ice-cream plant” for deer. In areas with heavy deer populations, the strawberry bush may be almost impossible to find. The original painting situates the birds on a Carolina allspice bush painted by Maria Martin, who would become the mother-in-law to both of Audubon’s sons. At some later date, Audubon had her make a painting of the strawberry bush for him. In the Biography he says, “For the drawing of this plant represented in this plate… I am indebted to my much esteemed friend Miss Martin” (Audubon, Vol. 5, 57).

The painting on which this print is based was made in Charleston in 1836. Audubon had purchased the skins of these birds in Philadelphia in October 1836 from Thomas Nuttall, a member of the Wyeth Expedition, which crossed the Rocky Mountains.

What Audubon called "Audubon’s warbler" is now called the yellow-rumped warbler (Dendroica coronata) and is a winter resident of the Southeast. The other two species pictured in the print are summer residents of the Far West.

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