Wild in the City: Ivy berries are a superfood for birds

Ivy has had a good few months and is now heavy with berries. These inky blue-black clusters of fruit are no good for humans, but like the rest of the plant, they sustain a large number of wild creatures. The high fat content of the berries makes them a superfood for many different birds.  

One regular customer is the wood pigeon, which moves clumsily about the plant as it dines. These plump birds are a cheering sight as they are so ungainly, particularly later in the year when they start trying to mate. They are highly amorous, but frequently thwarted in their attempts to get it on because they do regularly fall off the branch or fence where they’ve been fumbling with their partner. Even as they feed, they make a commotion, flapping desperately when a twig turns out not to be able to take their weight as they expected. A particularly splendid Ivy can take several of these junoesque birds at once.

 Ivy is a dimorphic plant. This means it has two very different forms depending on its age. The juvenile Ivy has the characteristic lobed leaves and clings to the host tree or wall that it climbs up using fine roots. It changes when it reaches adulthood, branching out so that it looks far more like a shrub than a climber. The leaves lose their lobes and become smooth and heart-shaped.  

This is the stage when it flowers and then fruits. Adult ivies aren’t just useful for hungry or saucy birds: they’re also an important source of food for many insects, who value the nectar in lean times of the year when not much is out. An Ivy bush on a sunny autumn day moves and hums. Red admiral butterflies love creeping around the pale yellow globe-shaped blooms, as do hoverflies, bees and wasps. It is also a handy shelter for small mammals including bats and birds during the nesting season.  

Given how valuable Ivy is to wildlife, it’s strange we don’t appreciate it more. Perhaps it’s because — as with so much of nature — we’ve not yet given it a proper look.  

Isabel Hardman is assistant editor of the Spectator and author of The Natural Health Service