Friend of the greenbrier

The male northern cardinal is one of the most loved songbirds in all of North America and Southeast Missouri. His bright red feathers make him easy to recognize, especially during winter. He is often fussy with other cardinals at a winter bird feeder, but is usually quite gentle and tolerant of other feeding birds.

The dark berries in this photo belong to a vining plant called a greenbrier. Several kinds of greenbrier are native to North America. Some are smooth thornless vines. Others are rife with small needle-sharp stickers that can rip your clothing or skin. Small animals such as rabbits and songbirds can find excellent shelter from larger predators by hiding in a tangled greenbrier patch. The greenbrier shown here is thornless.

Many wintering songbirds will eat greenbrier berries during winter when the seeds fully ripen. Each berry has one seed that will pass unharmed through the bird. Songbirds do the slender green vine a favor by spreading its seeds randomly far and wide to new locations.