Western Washington Plants for Birds

Cascara Buckthorn Frangula purshiana

Photo by Mick Thompson, Eastside Audubon Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)

The mature male Western tanager has an orange- red head, a brilliant yellow body, and coal-black wings, back, and tail. Females and immatures are somewhat dimmer yellow-green and blackish.

These birds live throughout the West preferring to stay hidden in the canopy.

They eat mostly insects, supplemented with small fruits, especially during fall and winter. This insect diet provides the pigments for their colorful feathers.

Preferring to nest in conifer forests, these birds are seen in more open habitat during migration. They winter in Middle America. Photo by Donna Franklin, Washington Native Plant Society Cascara Buckthorn Also known by the scientific name, Rhamnus purshiana, this small tree grows 15-36 feet tall and in a variety of habitat types.

It produces greenish-yellow flowers (May-June) in an umbrella-like pattern and a purplish-black fruit (August-September). These berries are popular among many birds and small mammals. Its leaves are bright green in spring, turning dark and glossy in summer.

Cascara is sensitive to air pollution and is better suited to a woodland park or garden. Be aware that it is pollinated by wasps so you may not want to plant it next to a picnic table or in a backyard.

Interestingly, the bark of the tree was used as a laxative by Native Americans and is still used pharmaceutically. It is harvested commercially in Washington and Oregon from wild trees.

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