Take a walk with me through the prairie......
- Thread starter Native Hunter
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Native Hunter
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Multiflora Rose is a plant that deer will browse quite a bit. They are considered invasive species, but I don't get excited about them, because they are easy to kill with either mowing or herbicide. They also can't take a lot of shade, so you won't find them in a closed canopy forest. I have a few of these scattered around the edges of the prairie, and that is okay. I did cut one back the other day that was trying to climb a pear tree, but otherwise don't give them much thought.
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I have those blueberry bushes here but have never seen blueberries on them...Lowbush Blueberry. These are native in our parts but very picky about where they grow. And Yes, I do eat berries off of them. They are delicious.
Native Hunter
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That’s odd Okie. I see fruit on mine about every year. Small in size but tasty.
Native Hunter
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I think they are but not sure from that pic. They are taller than mine. They could be highbush blueberry.
George
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Native Hunter
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I think I just found my first native huckleberry. I will research and post later.
Native Hunter
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I have an unusual one for you today. I found this at the edge of my woods and then unsuccessfully searched for 45 minutes for another one. After some research, I have identified this as Vaccinium stamineum (Highbush Huckleberry) also known as Deerberry. Apparently, it is quite rare in these parts. According to what I have found, deer seldom browse the plant but they do like to eat the berries. I cleared out around it some and caged it so I can watch it a little closer in the future.
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While I was mowing I took a photo of these at the edge of the yard...we literally have them everywhere! I did look closer and it appears they are fruiting...
Native Hunter
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Yes, I think that is Lowbush Blueberry.While I was mowing I took a photo of these at the edge of the yard...we literally have them everywhere! I did look closer and it appears they are fruiting...
Native Hunter
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This is a spot where blackberries like to grow. This spot was bushhogged down one year ago. In a wild setting like this where blackberry flourishes, succession has to take place from trees moving in from the outside, which could take many decades. They grow so thick that even seedlings from the mighty oak that pop up in the inside will be killed by the briers.
I like having a few places like this in the tree planting, because I love to eat them myself. However, if you start getting too many spots like this in your fields you need to address it. They can get so thick that deer cannot move through them.
I like having a few places like this in the tree planting, because I love to eat them myself. However, if you start getting too many spots like this in your fields you need to address it. They can get so thick that deer cannot move through them.
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Native Hunter
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Well...I feel like I have just run a marathon - just spent the last 4+ hours replacing all of the broken picture links in this thread. The problem happened when something occurred regarding Imgur pictures showing up. I just went back and removed all of those picture links and replaced them by directly posting the original pictures. My brain is fried - I need some rest. But now that this is fixed, I intend to get this thread going again. Take Care.
Native Hunter
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I was harvesting a few chestnuts today and couldn’t help but notice the beauty of the loaded up serviceberry bushes. I doubt that deer care much about them but the birds sure do. Actually, serviceberry makes a decent thicket and good cover if you keep it from getting shaded out.
Native Hunter
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I noticed another beauty today as I was walking. This is New England Aster. It is an excellent deer plant, and they will browse it readily - especially when young and tender. NEA is also an excellent pollinator plant.
Note: The second plant below is another aster, which I believe to be Smooth Aster, although I'm not 100% sure.
Note: The second plant below is another aster, which I believe to be Smooth Aster, although I'm not 100% sure.
Native Hunter
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This shrub caught my attention the other day as I was walking. It’s called Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida). It is the most common dogwood in our area.
This is an overall good shrub for all wildlife. Deer will certainly browse it, and the berries are favorites of birds. White spring flowers are attractive to pollinators, and when I was a child and squirrel hunted, it was very common to find them devouring the fruits
This shrub does well in partial shade but will do even better with more sun. I’ve never planted any of them, because they are fairly common on my farm.
This is an overall good shrub for all wildlife. Deer will certainly browse it, and the berries are favorites of birds. White spring flowers are attractive to pollinators, and when I was a child and squirrel hunted, it was very common to find them devouring the fruits
This shrub does well in partial shade but will do even better with more sun. I’ve never planted any of them, because they are fairly common on my farm.
