Native Plant Profile...Gray Birch (Betula populifolia)
Grows to 30 foot tall, often with multiple trunks.
Widely distributed in northeastern woodlands in sunny sites.
sterile sites and dry to wet soils.
The bark does not peel as much as Paper
(Betula papyrifera) but used by birds as nest materials.
fields and burned– over sites.
Provides cavity sites.
Common Names: poverty birch, fire birch, old field
Flowers/Fruits: Small flowers on catkins mid – April to
May. Small flat nutlets inside cones early September to mid-October. Nutlets
persist into winter.
Landscape Notes: Beautiful yellow autumn color and
interesting bark patterns similar to paper birch though not as white. Hardy,
fast growing and graceful in form. Trunks resilient to breakage from snow
and ice. Tends to grow multiple trunks divided at the base. Best planted in
the spring. Do not prune in the spring when the sap is running.
Gray Birch Tree
Gray Birch Flower
Gray Birch Twig
Paper Birch Bark
Gray Birch Bark
Gray Birch Leaf
Other Birches: River Birch (Betula nigra) tolerates wet
soil conditions and is common throughout the southeast. Sweet Birch (Betula
lenta) may live to be 200 years old, while most birches are short lived. Was
also the source of flavoring for birch beer prior to artificial flavorings
for the soda.
Birches are larva host plants for: Mourning Cloak,
Tiger Swallowtail and Compton Tortoiseshell butterflies and a host of moth
larva including Io, Polyphemus, Promethea and Cecropia moths.
Birches are shelter for: American Woodcock,
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmouse,
White-breasted Nuthatch, Solitary Vireo, Baltimore Oriole.
Birches are nesting sites (S) or provide nest materials
(N) for: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (S) Hairy and Downy Woodpecker (S), Tufted
Titmouse (S), White-breasted Nuthatch (S), Solitary, White-eyed, and
Philadelphia Vireos (N_, American Redstart (N), Baltimore Oriole (S),
Scarlet Tanager (N)
Birches provide food for many species of wildlife: Green winged Teal, Wood Duck,
Bufflehead, Turkey, Ruffed Grouse, Ring- necked Pheasant, Great Blue Heron,
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Blue jay, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted and
Red-breasted nuthatch, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Cardinal, Rose- breasted
Grosbeak, Purple Finch, Common Redpoll, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, Red
and White –winged crossbill, Northern Junco, Tree and Fox sparrows, Beaver,
Deer, Eastern Cottontail Rabbit, Porcupine.
Cultivars of Gray Birch you may find commercially: “Laciniata”, ”Pendula”-
has drooping branches, “Purpurea”- Young leaves are purple
Range: Flying squirrels are found in forests of Eastern
North America, with the Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) found
in coniferous forests and Southern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys volans) in
deciduous forests. The two species overlap in some parts of the Northeastern
U.S. When this occurs, the southern species is more aggressive and will
dominate. Home range averages from one to five acres.
Habitat: Southern Flying Squirrels require mast-producing trees such as oaks and hickories for food, They also need tree
cavities in dead or live trees for shelter and to raise their young.
Woodpeckers originally make cavities that flying squirrels often use. Flying
squirrels prefer entrance holes larger than 1” in diameter. The nest is
lined with shredded bark or leaves, sometimes feathers or moss are included.
Flying squirrels often have two nest sites: one that is used constantly and
one used as a refuge if the first nest is being disturbed. Southern flying
squirrels will also use leaf nests in the southern part of their range.
Appearance: The Southern flying squirrel is identified
by its small size. Both species of squirrels have a fold of skin that
extends from the wrist of the front leg to the ankle of the hind leg. When
the legs are extended, this allows the creature to glide from tree to tree.
The furry, flattened tail acts a rudder during the glides. Eyes are large,
which aids its nocturnal habits. Whiskers and ears are prominent.
Northern flying squirrel is slightly larger. Its fur is a darker brown, with
its belly fur gray at the base compared to the Southern flying squirrel ‘s
belly fur, which is white at the base. Southern flying squirrels are about
9” from the nose to tip of the tail. The upper body is brown to grayish
grown, with creamy –white belly fur. It weighs 2 to 4 ounces. Fur of both
species is soft and silky.
Habits/ Behavior: Northern flying squirrels mate in
late winter, while the Southern flying squirrel mates in early spring. The
Northern species has one litter per year while its southern counterpart will
have a second litter in August/September. Both species give birth to 2 –5
young after a 10 to 11 day gestation. Newborns are weaned after 60 days and
will stay with the female until she breeds again. The Southern flying
squirrel will remain in its nest I very cold weather and will enter a sleep
– like state called torpor, but not hibernation. The squirrels will glide
from one tree to another. Northern flying squirrels will spend time on the
ground feeding, but not the southern species. Both species of squirrels will
chirp, which sounds like warblers. Southern flying squirrels will often use
a specific den site for defecation. In the winter flying squirrels will den
together in groups to conserve warmth.
flying squirrels feed on lichen and fungi as well as nuts, seeds insects and
will store food for the winter. The Southern flying squirrel feeds on nuts,
seeds, berries, small birds, their young, eggs and insects. They will also
gnaw maple trees and drink their sap. Known for putting away large
quantities of nuts for winter.
fox, weasels and house cats are the primary predators.
Because flying squirrels are nocturnal and secretive, they have not been
studied as extensively as daytime squirrels. Flying squirrels will use nest
boxes designed for gray squirrels and often songbird nest boxes.
Songbirds In Your Meadows
Maryland has only nine species of truly grassland birds:
We all enjoy watching
colorful songbirds like Cardinals and Blue Jays that come to our bird
feeders and fly about our yards, but the birds found in Maryland meadows
can be equally worth the watching.
These birds typically live
in large grasslands (usually greater than ten acres) and nest on the
ground. In fact Maryland has only nine species of truly grassland birds:
The Upland Sandpiper, Horned Lark, Eastern Meadowlark, Dickcissel,
Bobolink, and several sparrows including the Savannah Sparrow,
Grasshopper sparrow, Henslow’s Sparrow, and Vesper Sparrow. You may not
see these birds in your backyard but you might find them in your local
school’s playground, at the airport, on a nearby farm, or along a
Grassland birds are unique
and interesting in their own right. The Bobolink looks like it is
wearing a tuxedo on backwards singing a bubbling call while in flight.
The Grasshopper Sparrow ‘s insect –like call accounts for its name. And,
the Vesper Sparrow is known for its evening song, at vesper time.
Grassland birds usually
are hard to spot because of their brown coloration and ability to melt
into their grassy background. But one, the Eastern Meadowlark, has a
vibrant yellow chest and throat set off by a black necklace, and its
tail flashes white when it flies atop a fencepost to emit its call. Some
species are very rare like the Henslow’s Sparrow and the Upland
Sandpiper, while others are widespread in Maryland like the Horned Lark.
The Horned Lark and Vesper Sparrow like short, sparsely vegetated fields
and pastures, while the Savannah and the Grasshopper Sparrows and
Meadowlarks and Bobolinks like moderately tall thick meadows.
Some of our grassland
birds have been declining in numbers in recent years, particularly the
Meadowlark, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Vesper Sparrow. The reasons for
these declines are related to the loss of habitat to development, the
decline of the dairy industry and its associated hayfields and the
increase of intensive row crop agriculture with its dependence on
stronghold for grassland birds was in the Midwest prairies, not Maryland
forests. However the loss of prairie habitat has forced grassland birds
to push into new areas. Reclaimed strip mines in western Maryland
represent extremely important habitat for Maryland ‘s grassland bird
Landowners can help these birds by
maintaining large areas of meadow habitat on their properties. If you
are an urban or suburban landowner this may be impossible, but smaller
meadow habitats can be extremely beneficial to butterflies. Be sure to
investigate town and county mowing ordinances in the planning stages of
your meadow as laws vary.
Another way concerned
landowners can help grassland birds is by urging county governments to
leave roadsides unmown. Farmers can also help by delaying the mowing of
hayfields until mid-July to give these ground nesting birds time to
raise their young. Or better yet, farmers can retire an area of cropland
and plant it in native warm season grasses and wildflowers, which is
aesthetically pleasing to us and highly beneficial to wildlife species.
So take some time in the
spring and summer to listen and look for these unique birds of our
Note: Habichat thanks Scott A. Smith, a biologist with DNR's Heritage
Program, who originally wrote on this subject.
Helping Migrant Songbirds Survive
Bird migration can be inspirational
and mysterious. In Maryland, this biannual event can feature “kettles”
of hawks soaring over mountains or swirling masses of shorebirds on
Assateague Island. Few events, however, can compare to songbird
Each year, beginning in
mid July, millions of songbirds in North America head southward.
Neotropical migrants, birds that breed in North America but winter in
the Caribbean or Central and South America, represent by far, the
largest group of songbirds that nest or occur in Maryland during
migration. Common Maryland backyard nesters include Gray Catbird, Yellow
Warbler, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Barn Swallow, Baltimore Oriole,
Chipping Sparrow, and Indigo Bunting. However most neotropical migrants
are forest dwellers that need large, unbroken forests. Sadly, these
birds and their habitat on their breeding, migratory stopovers and
wintering areas are disappearing.
In addition to offering
fruit, seed and suet at feeders, a yard landscaped for wildlife can help
these birds while on migration.
Planting trees and shrubs of varying
heights to mimic forest conditions in your yard is a good way to appeal
to many birds. Blackburnian Warblers are treetop feeders that glean
insects from the tops of tall trees. Red-eyed Vireos glean insects on
foliage in the middle, while Black-and-White Warblers find insects on
tree trunks and large branches. Planting pitch or loblolly pine trees
may attract Pine Warblers or Bay-breasted Warblers.
Insects attracted to
wildflower meadows may provide food for Palm Warblers or Common
Yellowthroats. A Purple Martin house or a clothesline may provide a
feeding perch for flycatching birds like the Eastern Phoebe and Eastern
An excellent method of
attracting neotropial migrants includes water, which can be as easy as
hanging a drip bucket over a bird bath. Be sure to place a lid over the
drip bucket to prevent drownings. See:
Drips for Wild Places
In a residential sea of
treeless, manicured lawns , a yard that provides at least some of these
habitat ingredients can be an oasis to an exhausted migrant. However, it
is important to remember that suburban areas can never replace the
undeveloped habitat that once existed for songbirds during migration. We
tend to think of neotropical migrants as “our” birds since they raise
their young here, Yet, a typical neotropical migrant spends less than
half of its life in North America and the remainder in their tropical
winter homeland. They are in fact part of our international wildlife
heritage and remind us that local actions can have global effects.
Note: Habichat would like to thank Jim McCann , zoologist
with our Heritage Program for the original work on this.
If you enjoyed this issue of Habichat, you might want to check out
our online back issues and clickable listing of Habichat articles.
Click here for online back issues.
Photographs of Gray Birch Tree, Flower, Twig, and Bark courtesy
of Dr. John Seiler, Virginia Tech Forestry Department,
Photograph of Gray Birch Leaf, courtesy of Penn State
Photograph of Paper Birch Bark, courtesy of Joseph O'Brien,
USDA Forest Service,
Photograph of Northern Flying Squirrel, courtesy of the National Park
Photograph of Southern Flying Squirrel in flight,
courtesy of UWSP Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society, University of
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
Photograph of Southern Flying Squirrel on branch, courtesy
of John White
Photograph of Southern Flying Squirrel on ground,
courtesy of UWSP Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society, University of
Wisconsin, Stevens Point
Photograph of Eastern Meadow Lark courtesy of USGS
Photograph of Dickcissel, courtesy of Steve Maslowski, USFWS
Photograph of Bobolink courtesy of Pennsylvania Game
Commission Photo/Joe Kosack
Photographs of Migrant Songbird Habitat, courtesy of USDA,
Here is a listing of phone numbers, web sites and organizations that you might find helpful or interesting in your search for ideas to manage your wild acres.
DNR Online... Inspired by nature!
Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at
backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North
America. FeederWatchers periodically count the highest numbers of each
species they see at their feeders from November through early April.
FeederWatch helps scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird
populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. Project
FeederWatch is operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in partnership
with the National Audubon Society, Bird Studies Canada, and Canadian
Nature Federation. http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw
National Wildlife Federation - Details on their backyard habitat program www.nwf.org or call them at 1-800-822-9919.
Native plants - The Maryland Native Plant Society offers information dedicated to protecting, conserving and restoring Maryland's native plants and habitats, visit them at
Maryland Cooperative Extension offers home and garden information, tips publications, plant problems, Bay issues, and other links at
Their Home and Garden Information number is statewide and can be reached at
1-800-342-2507, and from outside Maryland at 1-410-531-1757.
Bioimages, a project of
Vanderbilt University, provides educational information to the public on
biologically related topics, as well as a source of biological images for
personal and non-commercial use.
Maryland's "Becoming an Outdoors - Woman Program
"- One of the topics covered in the three-day workshops is Backyard
For a free wildlife & native
plant newsletter, visit the WindStar Wildlife Institute at
and subscribe to the WindStar Wildlife Garden Weekly e-newsletter. You can
also visit this website to learn how you can become a certified wildlife habitat
For more information on butterflies - visit the North American Butterfly Association at
Warm season grasses and wild meadows for upland nesting birds visit Pheasants
Forever at www.pheasantsforever.org or e-mail:
We want to hear from you!
Letters, e-mail, photos, drawings. Let us know how
successful you are as you create wildlife habitat on
Write to Me!
Natural Resources Biologist II
Maryland Wildlife and Heritage Service
MD Dept of Natural Resources
580 Taylor Ave., E-1
Annapolis MD 21401
Access For All
Click here for online back issues.
Habichat, the newsletter for Wild Acres participants, is published by the Wildlife and Heritage Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The facilities and services of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources are available to all without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, physical or mental disability. This document is available in alternative format upon request from a qualified individual with a disability.