Deck The Halls

By Kathy Reshetiloff

With just a few oak leaves barely hanging onto trees, the landscape around my house looks barren. Most trees have shed their leaves. The golden hues of autumn have been replaced with grays and browns.

But amidst this monochromatic background, a tree stands out in all its glorious color. Ignored most of the year, the American holly (Ilex opaca) now takes center stage with bright green leaves and ripe red berries feeding eyes that are so hungry for color.

Like all evergreens, the American holly does not lose its leaves at the end of the growing season. The leaves of the holly are thick and leathery, preventing the loss of water that causes other trees to shed their leaves.

The American holly is only one of many holly species found throughout the world. People have always been fascinated with these evergreens. Druids viewed holly as a tree never abandoned by the sun they worshipped. Romans presented holly boughs with gifts to esteemed friends. And of course many cultures “deck the halls” with holly, using them as seasonal decorations.

People aren’t the only ones who benefit from these evergreens. Hollies provide excellent shelter for many species. Birds are also the principal consumers of the fruit. Birds including the common flicker, gray catbird, cedar waxwing, mourning dove, ruffed grouse, Northern bobwhite, cardinal, blue jay, mockingbird, white-throated sparrow, rufous-sided towhee and wild turkey feed on the red fruit.

Birds are important in dispersing holly seeds.Perhaps the most important in seed dispersal are the large winter-migrating flocks of small birds such as the cedar waxwing and American goldfinch.

Many other animals feed on American holly including deer, squirrels, chipmunks, meadow voles, red foxes, raccoon, cottontail, white-footed mice and box turtle.

Hollies are dioecious meaning that both male and female plants are needed for fruit production. Both male and female flowers are small and creamy white. They appear in late spring or early summer, and pollination occurs thanks to bees, wasps, ants, yellow jackets, and night-flying moths. Only the female trees bear fruit.

Usually looking more like a large shrub or small tree, the American holly is a slow grower It can, however, reach up to 60 feet. It is easily recognizable by its prickly, leathery leaves. The fruit, known as drupes, ripen from September through December and stay on the tree throughout the winter.

Able to tolerate shade as an understory tree as well as thrive in full sun, the American holly is scattered from Massachusetts south along the coast to Florida. It grows inland throughout the coastal plain, Piedmont Plateau and Mountain regions. In the south it ranges west to eastern Texas and southeastern Missouri.

This native holly makes a wonderful landscaping tree when planted singly and given sufficient space to grow. However, many homeowners choose to group them as hedges to screen their yards from activity and noise or to serve as background plantings.

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