Keeping Common Birds Common

The American sycamore, also called the "buttonball tree," is a massive canopy tree. The sycamore functions as a long-lived biological anchor along prominent floodplain corridors where their deep, expansive root networks structurally reinforce unstable, sandy, or gravelly bars and banks. Capable of enduring weeks of seasonal root inundation, sycamores absorb large volumes of storm surge runoff, slowing down high-velocity water before it can damage lower-lying habitats.

As a sycamore matures it drops limbs and naturally self-hollows without killing the tree. These cavities create secure dens for many species, from Wood Ducks to Screech Owls and Pileated Woodpeckers to flying squirrels and raccoons. Due to their massive height, sycamores are also primary nesting sites for some raptors, including Bald Eagles. Additionally, the state-endangered Cerulean Warbler specifically relies on the high, open branches of native sycamores to perch and sing during the breeding season. The American sycamore's hanging seed balls persist through the winter, providing a food source for local songbirds like the American Goldfinch when other alternatives may still be buried in snow.