Mahonia aquifolium
Nectar and Pollen maybe taken by Blackcaps, Bluetits and House Sparrow. Berries eaten by Blackbirds and Mistle Thrushes. Early flowering nectar source for Bees and Bumblebees. Bright Line Brown Eye, Cabbage and Peppered Moth Caterpillar Food Plant. Non-native introduced to UK in 1823.
Gardening Jules 
Beautiful colour, lovely plant.
At this time of year, its a ray of sunshine. 🙂
Lovely photo. So fresh.
Thanks, yellow flowers in late winter make me feel that Spring is not to far away. 🙂
One of my favourite shrubs, I’ve got M. japonica which has fab foliage colour too. Love your header image, Julie, well done!
Thanks so much Annette, the header image was taken in a ancient woodland near home. M. japonica is a wonderful shrub, tough and structural, I’d like to grow that too but need more space!
…..and a lovely splash of winter colour.
Absolutely! We are forecast some very cold winter days and nights for several days ahead, any plant this tough and cheerful is welcome here.
Nice pictures too 😉
Thanks Christiane, I hope all is well with you. 🙂
The hummingbirds in my garden love building their nests in these wonderful plants, mine have the most gorgeous blooms that arrive in really early spring.
Charlie, how lovely to have Hummingbirds nest, that sounds really wonderful. 🙂
The bees also love my Mahonia bealei. It’s a reliable nectar source in winter. Your photos is lovely!
I haven’t grown M. bealei and have just looked it up Tina. Your bees must love it, I imagine in Texas you have a wider range of nectar producing plants in winter than we do, although today we did see several Honeybees on a flowering hedge of Sarcoccoca ruscifolia, that took us by surprise in today’s chilly winter sunshine.
beautiful flowers Julie, I planted one when I was first here but it never grew well and died, I have just bought another, I hope this time I get it to grow, I’ve learnt a lot in 14 years of trying to garden! Frances
I hope your new plant thrives Frances, I know just what you mean and have lost various plants here, we have a high water table, but sandy nutrient poor soil, luckily this Mahonia seems to thrive on those conditions and my neglect!
hmm, that sounds promising Julie, as I have a wet peaty nutrient poor soil, Frances
The Mahonias are loved by the honey bees when there is little else for them.
I am struggling to think of many native winter nectar producing plants and wonder what happened before we introduced plants from afar and that we should all grow more Mahonias!
Lovely macro, Julie!
Thanks Eliza. 🙂
We have a lot of mahonia here but I never realized how beneficial it was. Thanks for the info! 🙂
Hi Tammy, I have been inspired by your blog to try and track down a list of organic plant growers/suppliers here, but so far its proving harder than I realised. But will keep searching. Hope you have a lovely week.
Beautiful image 😀
Thanks Su 🙂
Lovely photo Julie. I have a Mahonia x ‘Media Charity’ which used to start flowering in late Autumn and go on til Christmas. Since the cold winter of 2012-13 (when its flowers were all frosted) it has started flowering earlier, in October, and is finished by the end of November. Very strange to have an intelligent shrub! I bought my mother a Mahonia aquifolium a few years ago and it is looking lovely at the moment.
I had M.Charity too Clare, thats a really lovely shrub, brains and beauty! Annoyingly though mine succumbed in a tub to a vine weevil grub attack. M. aquifolium is a really good doer and brings some much needed sunshine at this time of year, a lovely gift for your mum. I hope you have a lovely weekend. 🙂
Thank-you Julie – very good so far as I hope yours is too. Vine weevil!! I have lost so many plants to these nasty pests.
Smells gorgeous too!
Yes it does, winter flowers always smell that much sweeter!
Looks like a fabulous plant,
It’s tough as old boots and a very good doer Jason!
What a gorgeous photo Julie. A really lovely plant and I’m so glad that it is such a good food source for birds and insects.
Thanks Kate, even though its tough as old boots look closely and its still very beautiful. 🙂