Green Thumb Academy

shrubs that birds use for food, including dogwood (Cornus), holly (Ilex), mulberry (Morus), and Southern Bayberry (Myrica cerifera). Hollies are also great for shelter in colder climates, along with Southern Bayberry, which is another evergreen shrub. Gooseberries (Ribes) provide a good source of protection and birds will eat the insects that feed on them.

American Holly (Ilex opaca) is an evergreen, flowering shrub, providing not only food, but also shelter and nesting options for birds. Holly is excellent to protect birds and provide them with a source of food, even in cold winter months, growing well all the way from Massachusetts to Florida and then as far west as Texas. They produce a good crop of red berries that attract jays, robins, mockingbirds, and woodpeckers, among others.