08/28/2026
Just in time for fall bird migration, Spicebush berries are ripening in our woods. Spicebush is a common understory shrub whose “habitats include rich deciduous woodlands, wooded bluffs, bottomland forests along rivers, wooded slopes (usually toward the bottom), and gravelly seeps in shaded areas. While Spicebush is fairly shade-tolerant, it benefits from occasional disturbance that reduces the dense shade of some canopy trees, particularly Sugar Maple, American Beech, and similar trees…This shrub prefers dappled sunlight to medium shade, moist to mesic conditions, and a fertile loamy soil with decaying organic matter. It is adaptable to cultivation in yards and gardens.” (IL Wildflowers).
Spicebush’s fall foliage is a rich yellow that makes this understory shrub’s presence well known in autumn woodlands, just like its conspicuous yellow flowers in the springtime, too.
Not only does this shrub offer floral resources for many early spring flying bees, its foliage supports caterpillars of several moth species as well as Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars. “Among vertebrate animals, many species of birds consume the red fruits occasionally, spreading the seeds of this shrub to new locations (see link in comments to Bird Table). This includes such birds as the White-throated Sparrow, Veery, Grey-cheeked Thrush, Wood Thrush, Eastern Kingbird, and Red-eyed Vireo” (IL Wildflowers).
Do you have this powerhouse shrub growing in your landscaping or on your property? What else are you finding in your outdoors explorations?
Northeastern Ohio, 8/27/26
Photo credits: Becky Siekkinen Donaldson
