tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2891478286629018612.post6317273923388097424..comments2024-03-14T14:32:56.802-05:00Comments on Garden Musings: I Was So WrongProfessorRoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17827625019371233145noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2891478286629018612.post-52063737464380261362015-05-26T21:02:36.145-05:002015-05-26T21:02:36.145-05:00Some of that depends on the nandina varietie(s) yo...Some of that depends on the nandina varietie(s) you grow. The primary question is whether they produce berries, which are the toxic component if eaten to excess in birds (and livestock). Several popular cultivars of nandina, for instance 'Firepower' and 'Harbour Dwarf', seldom flower and produce berries, while the more common species, Nandina domestica does and it spreads as a noxious weed. So the answer to your question is; they may be toxic, but if yours don't flower and produce berries, or if you pick the berries off so the birds don't feast on them exclusively in winter, then there won't be a problem.<br /><br />It is also interesting to note that the "toxic to birds" stories all go back to a single report by veterinarians at the University of Georgia, who examined 5 dead Cedar Waxwings and found their stomachs full of Nandina berries. Nandina berries are one of the only sources of fruit in Georgia in the winter. So, first of all, it seems the berries must be eaten to excess, which may a problem with Cedar Waxwings more than other bird species, and secondly, as the article states, these five birds lesions in these birds were consistent with cyanide toxicity so it is a likely supposition, not a certainty. Interestingly, the article also states that over 2000 plant species produce cyanides toxic to man and beast. The article can be read here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3005831/<br />ProfessorRoushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17827625019371233145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2891478286629018612.post-24985255084393392512015-05-26T20:32:35.182-05:002015-05-26T20:32:35.182-05:00May I ask an unrelated question? My neighbor wants...May I ask an unrelated question? My neighbor wants me to dig out all my nandinas because she says they are toxic to birds. Is this true?Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15804624132281828634noreply@blogger.com