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| Native fruits and berries are an important food source for wildlife. |
Among the key components of any healthy, natural habitat are the native plants that provide sustenance for wildlife. In central Texas, there are several species that provide abundant fruits and berries during the warmer months, and many are edible for humans as well as wildlife.
Common in brushy areas, open woodlands, and stony hillsides, the Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana) is a small tree (8-12 feet) that is moderately deer resistant. Flowering in March/April, this tree has little green leaves and attractive smooth pale reddish-gray bark that peels off to reveal a whiter trunk. The female trees bear 1-inch fruits that turn from green to black as they ripen in late July to September. Texas or Littleleaf Mulberry (Morus microphylla), also a large shrub or small tree, produces an edible fruit that is small, fleshy, and berry-like. It varies from red to black and typically ripens in May, although in ideal conditions this tree is known to produce a large quantity of fruits over a longer period of time, providing much needed food for migrating and nesting birds.
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| Texas Persimmon Fruit |
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| Texas or Littleleaf Mulberry Fruit |
Our native Escarpment Black Cherry (Prunus serotina var. eximia) is a fast-growing, straight-trunked tree with long clusters of white flowers in April/May, followed by small purple-black cherries ripening in late July through October. Although impractical for fresh eating, the cherries are used in juices and wines, and the bark was once used in making cough syrup. This deciduous tree is also unique in that it offers stunning yellow fall color. Another attractive tree is the Mexican Plum (Prunus mexicana), whose dense white flowers appear before the leaves in early spring, and offer a very sweet, heady scent attractive to pollinators. The plums, which ripen from July to September, are nearly as ornamental as the flowers, as their color varies widely from gold to crimson to purple-black.
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| Escarpment Black Cherries |
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| Mexican Plum |
Agarita (Berberis trifoliata), a common native barberry, is a medium evergreen shrub whose gray-green holly-like leaflets are joined by yellow flowers in February/March and small red fruit in May through July. The leaflets have sharp points at the ends, so care must be taken to harvest the fruit (if you can get them before the mockingbirds do), which makes an excellent jelly. Another sprawling shrub with thorny, woody stems is Southern Dewberry (Rubus riograndis) or Zarzamora. A bramble common to sunny meadows and open fields, its white flowers bloom in March/April, followed by berries that resemble blackberries but have more of a sweet/tart flavor. Usually found climbing along fencerows and high over other plants in woodland edges and stream sides is the Mustang Grape (Vitis mustangensis). Best used for wines and jellies, these vines can grow up to 40 feet long, and produce small clusters of acidic berries that ripen in late July through September.
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| Agarita Fruit |
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| Mustang Grapes |
Take a little time this fall planting season to seek out and add some of these native fruit and berry producing plants to your landscape. Not only will you be providing food for several species of birds and mammals next summer, but you’ll have the chance to savor a natural and healthy treat for yourself, too.
