More than just a Christmas carol, holly and ivy provide food and shelter for birds and other creatures during winter. However, when they are both full grown, they can shade out other plants in the wood, so require routine management !
Like all animals, birds need to fatten up to give them the best chance to survive harsh winter conditions. Whilst many sources of food are not available, or are in limited supply, due to hibernation, or the natural life cycle of species, like butterflies, this doesn’t mean that birds will starve.
While many plants go dormant in the winter, holly berries provide much-needed food. Brightly coloured and tempting, these festive fruits (which are poisonous to humans and some animals) attract winter birds. In return, birds help to spread the seeds, enabling new holly plants to grow.
Ivy berries are another good food source in winter. It’s estimated that these berries have the same number of calories as a chocolate bar, gram for gram. Darkly coloured and rich in fat, they grow in abundance in gardens, parks and other green spaces.
Following the late flowers that provide a nectar source for bees and butterflies from September to November the berries are generally avoided by birds until December. Once the shorter lived, less robust fruits have been eaten, birds will turn to ivy berries to provide food throughout the winter.
Ensuring there are plenty of berries for birds and that the hedges, meadows, ponds and woodland around the Borough are working for wildlife, is just a part of what Sutton’s Biodiversity Team do.
Every week, throughout the year, the Biodiversity Team, with the support of Sutton Nature Conservation Volunteers, undertake a variety of practical habitat management work at over 30 sites across the Borough.
Task Days provide an enjoyable and rewarding way to meet new people, make small nature discoveries, as well as getting some fresh air and gentle exercise.
Many organisations provide their employees with a number of days to undertake voluntary work with local organisations. If you would like to investigate volunteering as an individual, or would like to organise something with members of your work team, we would love to hear from you.
Please contact Mark Featherstone or Dave Warburton at biodiversity@sutton.gov.uk for more information.
