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@elisnativeplants.bsky.social Oct 8, 2026, 11:34 AM

Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) sure does pop this time of year. The berries will be there long after the leaves. They are one of those long-lasting, lower-value food sources that sustain the birds that brave our winters.
#nativeplants #nature #holly #ecoregion59

A stone chip/dirt path lines by fallen leaves and a fence on the left, with Winterberry Holly, weighed down by berries, drooping over the fence.

Red berries and green leaves of Ilex verticillata, with the leaves of the grapes that have climbed on top showing a pale yellow-green, contrasting the dark green holly leaves.

@elisnativeplants.bsky.social Oct 2, 2026, 11:25 AM

Teaberry, Boxberry, Checkerberry, Wintergreen...
Of all the things people call wintergreen, I give the capital (species name) to Gaultheria procumbens, because it has the flavor to back it up. I love finding these cheerful little red berries.
Acton Arboretum, MA, 9/30
#nativeplants #ecoregion59

Shiny, waxy, smooth, entire, lanceolate with aspect ratio 3 leaves on a 10cm tall shrub, adorned with bright, shiny, 1.5cm, spherical red berries in woodchip mulch.

This is a cultivar that produces large berries, planted here. We have wild-type in the woodlands nearby, but it's not as showy, and the berries aren't as large or abundant.

A garden bed full of wintergreen, circling the base of a mature tree. The wintergreen is all under the canopy —it wouldn't appreciate direct sun. It seems to be thriving in the more open setting, but idk how much of that is the cultivar, and how much is the conditions.

@jp0610.bsky.social Sep 16, 2026, 9:16 PM

New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae angilae) #nativeplants #ecoregion59