Martha's Vineyard Vineyard Habitat Network

Delicious and Versatile, Blueberries Belong in Every Yard

Tuesday, September 10 2013 - 12:14pm

For a shrub that works perfectly as a landscaping plant while also offering benefits for wildlife, consider the blueberry. Familiar to almost everyone, blueberries are perfectly adapted to Vineyard conditions. Four wild species occur here, with the most important distinction being between our two highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum and fuscatum) and our two lowbush species (V. angustifolium and pallidum). Countless blueberry cultivars have also been developed, with various fruit sizes and maturity dates, and are widely available on the commercial market.

Fruit and Features

Matt Pelikan

How do birds survive the winter? It’s amazing, when you think about it, that such tiny animals can successfully survive in our region, with snow often covering up food supplies and temperatures that can dip below zero sapping the energy out of warm-blooded creatures. If it’s warm enough to rain, that might even be worse; wet feathers, as you know if you’ve ever gotten soaked while wearing down clothing, are almost useless as insulation.

What's There in Winter?

Matt Pelikan

Some of the Vineyard’s wild species deal with winter by leaving – many of our nesting birds, for example, head south, as far as South America in some cases. Warm-blooded critters that stay here year-round – birds and mammals – all rely on some combination of curtailed activity (to conserve energy), exploitation of food sources, such as seeds and berries, that persist into winter, and shelter (to prevent heat loss) in order to survive the colder months. It’s easy to observe some of these species as they go about their daily business of survival.

How Much Lawn?

Matt Pelikan

For a homeowner, especially one with a fondness for gardening and landscaping, winter is the season for making plans and thinking about the possibilities of the coming year. As you contemplate your yard this winter, here’s a question to ask yourself: “How much lawn do I really need?” Modern patterns of homebuilding and landscaping tend to make sod-grass lawn the default use for any available space.