With fall just days away, red berries by produced by plants such as Carolina moonseed, dogwood, and nandina are now beginning catch the eyes of bluebirds and other backyard favorites.  Although birds are attracted to these brightly colored berries, we should discourage them from consuming the berries of the nandina plant.

       This might come as a surprise to many of you since nandina has been planted as an exotic ornamental in North America since the early 1800s.  The plant’s evergreen foliage and red berries that persist throughout the winter make is a favorite among home gardeners.  The fact that birds also consume the berries seemed to make it an ideal addition to any yard.

       However, in 2009 scientists with the University Of Georgia School Of Veterinary Medicine, Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study made a startling discovery.  It seems that when birds consume too many of the berries they succumb to hydrogen cyanide poisoning.

       This news sent shock waves across the wildlife community.  Immediately a plant once touted as a great wildlife food plant fell from grace and wildlife experts began recommending that homeowners remove the plants from their yards.  In spite of the warnings, nandina is still widely found across the state.  Just this past week, I spotted a nandina laden with berries growing in the yard of an avid backyard wildlife enthusiast.

NANDINA BERRIES

       If you still have nandina growing in your yard, I suggest that you at least clip off the plants’ berries and dispose of them in the trash.  This will prevent your backyard bird neighbors from succumbing to hydrogen cyanide poison.  Better yet, follow up by removing the plants before the next growing season.