Smilax as a food source is invaluable to some of our wildlife. Florida’s fish crow relies on the berries almost exclusively as a food source and for white tailed deer, the foliage and stems rate as one of its most important food sources. [1] Wild turkey and wood ducks eat the fruit, foliage, flowers and tender new leaves. Smilax berries are an important food for a wide variety of songbirds including cardinals, catbirds, mockingbirds, sparrows, thrashers, and woodpeckers. Florida mammals that consume the ripe berries include opossums, raccoons, squirrels, bears, woodrats, and rabbits. The same wildlife also consume the new growing shoots, leaves and flowers.
Once Smilax becomes a tangled mat of vines, its thorns provide excellent cover for wildlife. If allowed to grow naturally in the home landscape, small mammals and songbirds will frequently utilize its structure as temporary escape from predators.
Songbirds occasionally nest in smilax vine when conditions are just right. For this to happen, Smilax must be located in an out of the way, protected area with an access route they have established which is free from thorns that would otherwise catch their wings. If the vine is located next to a large tree frequented by raccoons or other predators, or is located too close to regular human foot traffic, it will be avoided by the songbirds for nesting, but sometimes the conditions are just right and it becomes a valuable nesting location.