North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[John S <swim_at_svc@yahoo.com>]

Kathryn, Tartarian Honeysuckle is horribly invasive around here.  It is all over the place and difficult to control.  Around here, the birds do not bother them much and the berries linger until fall.

It is easily recognized by it's tendency to produce twinned berries.

On the other hand, I have not noticed any buckhorn in the wild.  The kind I grow is for fruit and has not been bothered by the birds.

This is an unusual year as far as birds eating fruit.  I have a number of tart cherry trees that are usually quickly stripped by the robins, but this year the fruit is still on the trees after about of month.  I've been picking 3 weeks running now.



--- On Fri, 7/18/08, Kathryn Mathews <kathmath@charterinternet.com> wrote:

From: Kathryn Mathews <kathmath@charterinternet.com>
Subject: [NAFEX] birds & cherries
To: "NAFEX" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Friday, July 18, 2008, 9:22 AM

Those of you with small fruit gardens (I hesitate to call mine an orchard) containing tart cherries may want to consider planting a honeysuckle bush (Lonicera tartarica 'Arnold Red').  This year I didn't net my cherry tree because due to lack of bees early in the spring, I didn't have much fruit.  I figured I'd just let the birds have what little fruit there was.  Much to my surprise, after some initial sampling, the birds, including robins, have left it alone and spent most of their time eating the fruit of the honeysuckle, which ripens just a bit earlier and stays on until the birds have picked it clean.  Maybe they prefer the honeysuckle berry because it's smaller and easier to eat.  One of the reasons I planted 'Arnold Red' in the first place was because it is a fairly narrow, upright shrub (10' tall x 6' wide), tough and hardy, fast growing, and usually blooms after the apples and before the roses.  It has definitely "earned it's space" in my small garden now that I know it will also keep the birds from eating my cherries!

Kathryn Mathews

Southern Minnesota 

This notice is required by IRS Circular 230, which regulates written communications about federal tax matters between tax advisors and their clients.  To the extent the preceding correspondence and/or any attachment is a written tax advice communication, it is not a full “covered opinion.”  Accordingly, this advice is not intended and cannot be used for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by the IRS.

 

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