Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
From: Gettysburg, PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Wildlife Gardens
Title: Chemical composition of native plants for birds
Answered by: Nan Hampton
From the journal article above I found a reference to an earlier article that might be the sort of thing you are looking for. The article by Robert A. Johnson et al. "Nutritional Values of Wild Fruits and Consumption by Migrant Frugivorous Birds" is in Ecology, Vol. 66, no. 3 (June, 1985), pp. 819-827. The birds in question are: Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, Gray-cheeked Thrush, American Robin, Hermit Thrush, Veery, Wood Thrush, and Red-eyed Vireo. In the Appendix of this paper (pp. 826-827) you will find a table that gives:
"Variation in mass and morphology, cation content, and nutrient content of individual fruits collected in central Illinois (except A. rubra in Minnesota)."
The plant species included are: Rubus allegheniensis, Arisaema triphyllum, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Prunus serotina, Sambucus canadensis (syn.=S. nigra ssp. canadensis), Cornus racemosa, Smilacina racemosa (syn.=Maianthemum racemosus ssp. racemosum), Polygonatum commutatum (syn.=P. biflorum var. commutatum), Phytolacca americana, Actaea rubra, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Solanum americanum, Celastrus scandens, Panax quinquefolius, Vitis vulpina, Celtis occidentalis, Lindera benzoin, Menispermum canadense, Smilax hispida (syn.=S. tamnoides), Smilax lasioneura, Euonymus atropurpurea, and Rhus radicans (syn.=Toxicodendron radicans ssp. radicans).
You can find all these plants listed in our Native Plant Database. With the exception of Solanum americanum and Smilax lasioneura, all the above plants occur in Pennsylvania (according to the USDA Plants Database) so they should be appropriate for your talk to the Audubon Society meeting in Gettysburg.
Additionally, I would like to recommend Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens by Douglas Tallamy (2007, Portland, Oregon: Timber Press)—in particular, Chapter 13: What does bird food look like? This chapter describes the insects that feed on the plants and are then fed on by the birds. So, the chemical components of the plants are important to the birds, not only as food for the birds, but as nutrition for the insects that make up the major portion of the diet of many birds.
Wildlife plants for backyard on Galveston Island
July 25, 2010 - Can you help me select native plants for Galveston Island that can be used in a backyard to attract native wildlife?
view the full question and answer
Monardas in section Cheilyctis not visited by hummingbirds.
February 03, 2011 - This is a correction. In your plant database, Monarda punctata is said to attract hummingbirds, but all peer reviewed research suggests it, and other members of Monarda in section Cheily...
view the full question and answer
Recommendations for native plants for Dallas Co., TX
May 12, 2007 - Looking for a Recommendation: Can you suggest a plant that meets the following requirements?
ENVIRONMENT --
- I live in Garland, in Dallas County, TX.
- The soil is primarily clay.
- Full sun...
view the full question and answer
Color year round, welcome to Austin Texas.
December 04, 2011 - I am new to Austin and want to plant colorful flowers for fall and winter that get a "wow" reaction. I have not seen much at the local nurseries. Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!
view the full question and answer
Replacing Nandina with natives for a schoolyard in Washington DC
May 11, 2011 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
Our schoolyard now has some invasive plants in the landscaping that we would like to replace with native plants. We have four clumps of Nandina planted at each pillar along a...
view the full question and answer
![]() |
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends. |