Pyracantha: For the Birds and the Bees

Outside my study is a sprawling Mermaid rose that might have taken over the entire area except for an equally massive and aggressive pyracantha (common name firethorn). Hardy from USDA zones 5-9, once established they require little fertilizer or supplemental water. Depending on the cultivar, pyracanthas can be a compact 18-inches or a giant 12-15-feet. Mine is the latter and I appreciate the Mermaid and pyracantha's dense, thorny growth because they serve as visual barriers between myself and the neighbor's home. And in the spring, clusters of delicate white pyracantha blossoms appear as a lovely compliment to the Mermaid's yellow flowers. Both attract our local bees and in the late summer-autumn, orange to scarlet berries develop and mature. Although contrary to folklore, pyracantha berries are not poisonous, they are bitter tasting to the human palate, but they are a welcome buffet for our resident birds. As I watch scrub jays, cedar waxwings, mockingbirds and yellow breasted chats devour the berries with gustatory zeal from my study window, I have come to appreciate the pyracantha more and more - not only for its beauty, easy care and utilitarian barrier, but for its bounty and shelter for the birds and the bees.