As you look out at the muted landscape and don an extra sweater to keep off the chill, the time for harvesting fruit may seem long past. And yet, that’s precisely what many species will be prioritizing over the next few months. While migratory birds left months ago and overwintering mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians are cozily burrowed in dens, leaves, logs and mud, many other animals remain active during the winter. These species rely on berries and other fruits — as well as nuts and seeds — found on trees, shrubs and stems. Together, this diet delivers the fats, protein and carbohydrates they’ll need to survive long stretches of sub-zero temperatures. Among those depending on this winter bounty are blue jays, cedar waxwings, northern cardinals and black-capped chickadees as well as deer, squirrels and chipmunks.
Many native trees and shrubs and some herbaceous plants have fruits that persist into winter, including nannyberry (Viburnum lentago), sweet crabapple (Malus coronaria), American mountain-ash (Sorbus americana), common winterberry (Ilex verticillata), black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), thin-leaved snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) and red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea).
Beyond providing winter food for animals, many of these plants contribute visual interest that you may enjoy, with coloured or textured bark, early spring blooms and beautiful leaf colours in the fall. They also provide shelter and nesting habitat, bringing wildlife into your garden all year ‘round. In urbanized areas, they can be planted as privacy hedges and help decrease run-off by absorbing rainwater with their root systems. Growing these species really “bears fruit” for both wildlife and people!
Information from your Garden Tracker helps us show the collective impact of our efforts — we appreciate you continuing to share it with us!
This time of year, after the growing season, naturally lends itself to introspection. It’s a time to pause, look back and consider the changes and growth in our gardens (and beyond) before looking forward again once the calendar rolls into the New Year.
It was a very successful year for In the Zone, thanks to your effort, enthusiasm and willingness to share your habitat restoration journey with us. Remember, there’s still time to count your garden in for 2023 by tracking before the end of December!
Here are some of the highlights for 2023:
100,971 plants added to backyards, balconies, community gardens and other green spaces.
51 hectares of healthy habitat created with native plants.
1,964 hectares being stewarded by In the Zone participants, with potential to become healthy habitat.
650 new native plant gardens created.
4,530 new participants working in and enjoying their gardens.
Congratulations and thank you for helping wildlife thrive, one garden at a time!
Easy to grow as a dense shrub (let the suckers take over!) or a single-stem tree, nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) is a superstar for both its seasonal interest and its importance for wildlife. Showy, creamy-white flowers in slightly domed clusters bloom in late spring, followed by berry-like fruit (drupes) that ripen from yellow, to red, to blue or nearly black when fully mature. The fruit stays on the branches well into winter, hanging in clusters and tempting a variety of birds and mammals (including humans). In fall, this shrub’s glossy, deep green leaves turn a vibrant red-orange, adding a warm burgundy splash to the landscape.
Nannyberry easily adapts to a variety of conditions, tolerating both wet and dry soils and part shade to full sun. It’s naturally found in woodlands and along their edges, and spreads by suckers and sometimes old branches that arch towards the ground and take root.
Growing to a mature height of about four-and-a-half metres and able to form dense thickets, nannyberry provides sheltering habitat for wildlife in all seasons and makes an ideal privacy hedge and windbreak.
Nannyberry is a larval host to the spring azure butterfly (Celastrina ladon) and also attracts the caterpillars of many small moth species including the pink prominent, the hummingbird clearwing and the green marvel. This in turn makes it a popular shrub for nesting birds on the lookout for caterpillars to feed their young.
2023 Pawpaw Parade
Together Carolinian Canada and partners helped distribute 500 trees across 23 communities in southwestern Ontario.
Thank you to all who participated this year for your commitment to celebrating this rare tree and helping return it to the land. Each year, the stories and impact of the Pawpaw Parade grow as more people join to build local partnerships and connect to the native plants that we share this land with.
Limited quantities of 2023 Healing Garden Kits are still available
For every Dig In Kit purchased, Carolinian Canada will donate one to Indigenous Communities across the Carolinian Zone. Buy them here: Dig In Healing Garden Kit Carolinian Canada.
Pre-order your Healing Garden Kits now for spring delivery!
Let joy take root with a native plant seed ornament
Perfect as a stocking stuffer or tree trimming, Ontario native seed ornaments are now available in the WWF-Canada e-store! Inside each one is a dry grass prairie mix locally sourced from our friends at Kayanase Greenhouse in Caledonia, Ont., containing plants native to southern Ontario such as common milkweed, wild bergamot, heath aster and more. Order yours here.
Thank you for your efforts to help wildlife thrive, one garden at a time. Please get in touch at any time at contact@inthezonegardens.ca.
Wishing you all a bright, healthy and hopeful 2024!
The In the Zone team
The In the Zone newsletter shares the latest Garden Tracker updates, stories of your gardens, native plant profiles and events where you can connect with In the Zone staff and others working to create gardens that help native species thrive! Find out more at inthezonegardens.ca.
In the Zone: A joint initiative of WWF-Canada and Carolinian Canada that aims to help native wildlife thrive through gardening
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