Wax myrtle is important for wildlife that depends on the persistent fruits for fat and fiber in their winter diet. Birds - such as wild turkey, bob-white quail, various waterfowl, catbirds, thrashers, bluebirds, vireos, and warblers - are all frequent visitors to wax myrtle thickets.

The berries are the main food for wintering tree swallows in Florida. Wildlife is the primary disperser of wax myrtle seeds.