A Helping Hand 2. For centuries farmers have planted hedgerows to mark the boundaries between fields or properties. Then, as now, birds and small mammals find food and shelter in the shrubs and trees of a hedgerow. Hedgerows also form a transition zone between two different habitats, such as fields and woods. Living together 3.
Vines use trees as ladders to reach the sunlight.
Vines make good hiding places or nesting sites for birds. Look for hairy-looking stems climbing up a tree trunk. In open areas poison ivy can look like a shrub. Small, greenish flowers in the summer produce blue-black berries in the fall and winter. Birds and other small animals eat the clusters of small purple grapes.