In winter, ivy provides a highly nutritious meal for birds
HIGH IN FAT, IVY BERRIES ARE AN AVIAN superfood. Weight for weight, the juicy, navy blue or black orbs are comparable to a bar of a well-known brand of chocolate, the RSPB says. No wonder birds love them. The berries appear between October and December, and don’t rot as quickly as most fruit, so are a useful food late in the year, when supplies of other berries have been exhausted.
The best crops of ivy berries are produced by older, mature plants, an excellent reason for allowing ivy to ramble to its heart content over trees and walls. If you see someone relentlessly hacking away at ivy, why not gently point out it is a favourite with birds? And not just birds – before the berries form, the ivy blossom provides nectar for late-flying butterflies and insects such as ivy bees and hoverflies.