I cannot recall ever seeing holly berries growing like this before. It's not just the odd sprig but virtually every fruiting branch on the old holly near the house. Has anyone else seen it before?
Mutant Holly!
- Thread starter Broch
- Start date
There is a saying (in Finland) that a rowan can't carry both berries and snow, as there were no berries this year (there were a few but they fell off very early) it is going to be a snowy winter. So far we are slightly behind in the schedule.
I suspect it's more a sign of the weather we've had earlier in the year; it's been a good 'mast' year in general. Our holly normally has two, three, or at most four berries at the nodes - this is completely new to me.
There is a saying (in Finland) that a rowan can't carry both berries and snow, as there were no berries this year (there were a few but they fell off very early) it is going to be a snowy winter. So far we are slightly behind in the schedule.
Really? Our Rowan have been laden with berries; still are really, and I've seen no flocks of redwing or fieldfares yet.
Field fares and redwings a-go-go here in the SW. Flighty little bggrrs tho as I can’t seem to get a decent photo. Our trees were stripped bare by the end of October - the birds are all in the field to feed on worms etc.
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I've seen holly like that in my Grandmother's garden. It really stood out so brightly because that was in the hard, hard cold and snowy years of the early sixties. The bushes were huge next to me. I can still hear my Grandpa (who honestly fed me every kind of wild edible he knew of) saying, 'Noo, no' that yin; it's no' for eatin'. Just you leave it be for the speugs."
My Rowan, and the other ones up and down the street, had a huge crop of berries this year. I made jelly
and there were masses left still for the 'speugs' (sparrows) and the wood pigeons to gorge on. There were a couple of beautiful bullfinches on the tree for a while too.
My Rowan, and the other ones up and down the street, had a huge crop of berries this year. I made jelly
and there were masses left still for the 'speugs' (sparrows) and the wood pigeons to gorge on. There were a couple of beautiful bullfinches on the tree for a while too.
Ah, so not mutant thenI've seen holly like that in my Grandmother's garden. It really stood out so brightly because that was in the hard, hard cold and snowy years of the early sixties. The bushes were huge next to me. I can still hear my Grandpa (who honestly fed me every kind of wild edible he knew of) saying, 'Noo, no' that yin; it's no' for eatin'. Just you leave it be for the speugs."
My Rowan, and the other ones up and down the street, had a huge crop of berries this year. I made jelly
We've had several small flocks of bullfinches (truly beautiful little birds) stripping the buds off the cherries and plums over the last couple of weeks
Nothing is funnier than a tipsy waxwing, at one point they realize that drunk flying is not safe even for a natural flyer, they just sit here or there to burn the alcohol off.
Bullfinch, lovely looking bod( bird) but what a boring call they haveAh, so not mutant then
We've had several small flocks of bullfinches (truly beautiful little birds) stripping the buds off the cherries and plums over the last couple of weeks
It simply indicates that the conditions during the flowering & pollinisation period were optimal with a following favourable growing season............
On the other hand, when a plant suddenly starts to produce a lot of fruit, it could also be that it's on it's last legs or under some sort of attack & that massive fruiting is a last ditch attempt to save it's genes.
On the other hand, when a plant suddenly starts to produce a lot of fruit, it could also be that it's on it's last legs or under some sort of attack & that massive fruiting is a last ditch attempt to save it's genes.
Does that go for us who’s overindulged during this festive season??
Well yes, but we rarely have those birds here, while sparrows (or speugs as my Grandpa called most every wee bird) are plentiful.
@Broch @Mesquite
I think you're right that it's a rare thing to see, and that the sparse well spaced berries are more commonly what we see. I wonder if it really just indicates that the insects were out early, or it was warm enough that the Holly Queen was full of pollen while the Holly King was ripe, just an optimal window.
My like sentences often have an implicit "here", it just looks dumb to always use it.
It's a big world.
Truthfully I have only every once seen fieldfares and redwings eating the berries in my garden, and I have lived here over thirty years now.
Bullfinches, thrushes, blackbirds, woodpigeons, starlings and the like though, they guzzle them every year.
Truthfully I have only every once seen fieldfares and redwings eating the berries in my garden, and I have lived here over thirty years now.
Bullfinches, thrushes, blackbirds, woodpigeons, starlings and the like though, they guzzle them every year.
As far as I know a lot of species eat rowan berries but some only if nothing else is available. Most thrushes and small passerines can be seen eating them, only waxwing seems to be specialized and if available they eat nothing else. If not available they apparently pass southward faster than normal.
