chelle said:Methinks I need some of that lovely bamboo.Susan, did you say somewhere that it took a number of years to produce berries?
My winter interest/camouflage plants can't touch it, but they do help to hide utilitarian items in the yard.
Some homeowners plant Nandina to provide food for cedar waxwing, American robin, Northern mockingbird, Eastern bluebird and other birds that depend on winter fruits to survive. Nandina berries last for months, attracting hungry birds when food is in short supply.
When dozens of cedar waxwings were found dead in Thomas County, Ga., Moges Wolderemeskel and Eloise L. Styer from the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, found the cause to be Nandina berries.
All the birds had intact Nandina berries in their crops. There was hemorrhaging in the heart, lungs, trachea, abdominal cavity and other organs.
Nandina berries contain cyanide and other alkaloids that produce highly toxic hydrogen cyanide, which is extremely poisonous to all animals. Sudden death may be the only sign of cyanide poisoning, and death usually comes in minutes to an hour, Wolderemeskel and Styer report.
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