THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 8, 1995 TAG: 9501060153
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Coastal Journal
SOURCE: Mary Reid Barrow
LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
On one of the Audubon Christmas Bird Counts, Norfolk birder Bob Anderson stopped counting robins after he figured he had seen an estimated 16,500 of the birds passing by.
The robins were flying over Sandbridge, waves upon waves and layers upon layers of them, high in the sky. Anderson gave it a valiant effort for almost an hour before he quit tallying up the birds.
``They were moving like a river,'' Anderson said. ``The grand movement of birds is such an interesting phenomenon.''
I had only one thought at the time. Some of those birds were bound to make their way to my yard where my holly trees are standing, laden with red berries, like a waiter with a silver tray poised to serve a table of hungry diners.
Not only robins, but cedar waxwings fly in early in the year to feast on my tasty holly berries. Yaupon holly's red berries also make a fine meal for migrating birds that stop over in Virginia Beach to fuel up on their strenuous journeys. (On days like that, if I'm around, I could fill my bird bath several times over because the hard-flying birds are so thirsty.)
The robins' and waxwings' fondness for holly berries is one reason why the Virginia Dare Soil and Water Conservation District included American holly for the first time as one of the species in its annual tree seedling sale. Randy Jackson, horticulture extension agent with the Virginia Beach Agriculture Department, advised Conservation District manager Julie Bright on seedling choices this year.
In addition to old favorites like loblolly pine and dogwood, they decided to add trees like holly, sassafras and pawpaw to the list. Jackson's theory was to go with ``trees with a bonus.''
``We wanted trees that add interest to the landscape or help wildlife - either do something for ourselves or do something for the creatures,'' he said.
Hollies with their prickly leaves provide safe nesting sites for birds and other animals. And of course, fruit-eating birds, like the robins and waxwings, feast on the berries.
People have a fondness for the native Virginia holly, too. An evergreen, the handsome dark green tree stands out in the drab winter landscape, whether its berries are still there or have been plucked clean by the birds.
Because it is an evergreen, holly also is a traditional Christmas decoration. Picking a bunch of holly right outside my own front door gives me the same sense of satisfaction as picking a bunch of flowers in summer.
I also have a little ``grove'' of sassafras trees in my yard. Every fall their mitten-shaped leaves that come in three different shapes turn a bright crimson. The leaves turn so brilliant red, I once looked out the window at the sassafras and, for an instant, thought something was on fire.
Jackson likes the sassafras for its fall color and also because of its size. The tree grows between 30 and 50 feet tall, just right for suburban yards. ``There are too many big trees on small lots,'' he explained.
Jackson is high on the pawpaw tree too, another tree that doesn't grow too large, up to 30 feet. The pawpaw bears purple flowers before it leafs out in spring and it produces a fruit that both people and small mammals like squirrels and raccoons vie for in late summer.
The Virginia Dare Soil & Water Conservation District will be selling bare root seedlings of pawpaw, sassafras and holly as well as dogwood, goldenrain tree, red bud, loblolly pine, Virginia pine and the shrub, lespedeza. The seedlings are 1 to 2 years old and range in height from 18 inches to three feet, depending on species.
On the low side prices range from $1.50 for one holly to $20 for a bundle of 100 loblolly pines. On the high side, one pawpaw costs $3 and a bundle of 10 pawpaws costs $20. Most of the trees are sold as singles, in bundles of five or in bundles of 10. The two pines and the lespedeza, a good small game cover, come in quantities of 25, 50 and 100.
Call 427-4775 for order blanks and more information. The office will be taking seedling orders through Jan. 31. The conservation district uses proceeds from the sale for environmental educational programs on conserving our natural resources.
Purchasers will be notified by mail about seedling pickups set for sometime in March at the district's office in the Department of Agriculture building at the Municipal Center. Virginia Beach Master Gardeners will be on hand to supervise the pickups and offer planting advice.
One caveat: Buy a bundle of hollies if a visit from the robins and waxwings is what you really want. Hollies need male and female plants to produce berries and the seedlings don't come tagged as to sex!
P.S. Virginia Beach Master Gardeners were honored as the outstanding Earth Team group in Virginia at the annual meeting of the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. In addition to serving as volunteers for the seedling sale, master gardeners were recognized for constructing a demonstration site to measure the effects of run-off under various soil and plant conditions.
SHADES OF THE SHORE, maritime paintings by Cynthia Rector Jones and Jeane Kight, are on display through Jan. 29 at the Life-Saving Museum of Virginia. The exhibit is free with admission to the museum. MEMO: What unusual nature have you seen this week? And what do you know about
Tidewater traditions and lore? Call me on INFOLINE, 640-5555. Enter
category 2290. Or, send a computer message to my Internet address:
mbarrow(AT)infi.net.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY REID BARROW
Yaupon holly's red berries make a fine meal for migrating birds that
stop over in Virginia Beach.
by CNB