Spring Lake Shade Tree Committee

Checking in on this American Linden this morning. This homeowner is doing a great job keeping their new tree watered. 👏👏👏 If you are a lucky recipient of a Right of Way tree, please share a photo and tag us.
Remember 💦💦💦 & keep those Gator bags filled, especially during this heat wave.

The shrubs along the fence aren't just landscaping. They're where most songbirds actually nest.

Cardinals, catbirds, and song sparrows raise young in the shrub layer, not the treetops. The caterpillars those parents feed to nestlings need to be within feet of the nest. Native shrubs host them. Most common ornamental shrubs host very few.

🌿 Six native shrubs ranked by caterpillar support:

- Blueberry — one of the most productive shrub genera for caterpillar species. The berries feed dozens of bird species in late summer on top of it.

- Dogwood — flowering and pagoda dogwoods support caterpillars in high numbers. The berries are among the most sought-after fall foods for migrating thrushes.

- Native rose — wild roses like Virginia rose host far more caterpillars than imported tea roses. The hips persist into winter as bird food.

- Viburnum — arrowwood, nannyberry, and blackhaw are the ones worth planting. Native viburnums support a food web that ornamental replacements don't.

- Hazelnut — American hazelnut is overlooked. Polyphemus and io moths use it as a host plant. Catkins feed birds in winter, nuts feed mammals in fall.

- Sumac — staghorn, smooth, and winged sumac. Often confused with poison sumac, which grows only in wetlands. Native sumacs feed birds through winter when the berry clusters hold.

The plant you choose between two that look the same is rarely a tie 🌿