Ivy takes over gardens in at least Melbourne, Sydney and Bowral, and is a pest to get rid of.
So why hasn’t ivy taken over Australian native forests in a big way?
mollwollfumble said:
Ivy takes over gardens in at least Melbourne, Sydney and Bowral, and is a pest to get rid of.So why hasn’t ivy taken over Australian native forests in a big way?
I have the usual assortment of bird species for central Victoria and I have noticed that the ivy berries go unmolested so maybe they can only spread by runner or being planted?
AwesomeO said:
mollwollfumble said:
Ivy takes over gardens in at least Melbourne, Sydney and Bowral, and is a pest to get rid of.So why hasn’t ivy taken over Australian native forests in a big way?
I have the usual assortment of bird species for central Victoria and I have noticed that the ivy berries go unmolested so maybe they can only spread by runner or being planted?
Oh no, they spread by seed. I have gazillions of ivy seedlings from the ivy on the old bluestone stable at the pub here. I am forever pulling them out.
buffy said:
AwesomeO said:
mollwollfumble said:
Ivy takes over gardens in at least Melbourne, Sydney and Bowral, and is a pest to get rid of.So why hasn’t ivy taken over Australian native forests in a big way?
I have the usual assortment of bird species for central Victoria and I have noticed that the ivy berries go unmolested so maybe they can only spread by runner or being planted?
Oh no, they spread by seed. I have gazillions of ivy seedlings from the ivy on the old bluestone stable at the pub here. I am forever pulling them out.
Mainly spread by runner, but just yesterday I counted a hundred or so new ivy plants sprouted from berries.
But that gives me an idea, blackberry, mistletoe and lantana are all serious woodland pests and birds love the taste of all. Could it be that Australian birds hate the taste of ivy berries? Is that how you read it, AwesomeO?
There has to be more to it than that, though. Perhaps a native invertebrate or fungus destroys ivy?
mollwollfumble said:
buffy said:
AwesomeO said:I have the usual assortment of bird species for central Victoria and I have noticed that the ivy berries go unmolested so maybe they can only spread by runner or being planted?
Oh no, they spread by seed. I have gazillions of ivy seedlings from the ivy on the old bluestone stable at the pub here. I am forever pulling them out.
Mainly spread by runner, but just yesterday I counted a hundred or so new ivy plants sprouted from berries.
But that gives me an idea, blackberry, mistletoe and lantana are all serious woodland pests and birds love the taste of all. Could it be that Australian birds hate the taste of ivy berries? Is that how you read it, AwesomeO?
There has to be more to it than that, though. Perhaps a native invertebrate or fungus destroys ivy?
My chooks eat the ivy seeds. And somehow they get distributed to my garden, 20-50m from the actual ivy.
Blackbirds are one bird that loves ivy fruits. Thing is, English blackbirds like most Poms, don’t like the Australian bush. For this reasno alone they probably don’t take the seeds there.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2015/feb/19/english-ivy-berry-good-for-birds
roughbarked said:
Blackbirds are one bird that loves ivy fruits. Thing is, English blackbirds like most Poms, don’t like the Australian bush. For this reasno alone they probably don’t take the seeds there.https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2015/feb/19/english-ivy-berry-good-for-birds
I don’t believe the pomme is an ivy fruit
dv said:
roughbarked said:
Blackbirds are one bird that loves ivy fruits. Thing is, English blackbirds like most Poms, don’t like the Australian bush. For this reasno alone they probably don’t take the seeds there.https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2015/feb/19/english-ivy-berry-good-for-birds
I don’t believe the pomme is an ivy fruit
it is pome. Otherwise you are correct.
roughbarked said:
Blackbirds are one bird that loves ivy fruits. Thing is, English blackbirds like most Poms, don’t like the Australian bush. For this reasno alone they probably don’t take the seeds there.https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2015/feb/19/english-ivy-berry-good-for-birds
Chooks and blackbirds then.
I’m not so sure about blackbirds not liking the Australian bush. In the bush around Melbourne they’re everywhere. So then why not feral ivy in the whole of this area?
mollwollfumble said:
roughbarked said:
Blackbirds are one bird that loves ivy fruits. Thing is, English blackbirds like most Poms, don’t like the Australian bush. For this reasno alone they probably don’t take the seeds there.https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2015/feb/19/english-ivy-berry-good-for-birds
Chooks and blackbirds then.
I’m not so sure about blackbirds not liking the Australian bush. In the bush around Melbourne they’re everywhere. So then why not feral ivy in the whole of this area?
Why not? Well, for the same reason that blackbirds have only infested areas that suit them, ivy seed cannot germinate in arid conditions.