Winterberry -- © Dave Spier

Winterberry at Nick's Lake before the leaves turned color and fell -- © Dave Spier

To brighten your days after the leaves have fallen, look for a native wetland shrub with prominent red berries that hug the twigs. This is American Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), a type of deciduous holly. In other words, it loses its leaves in fall, making the bright red fruits more impressive. Some people call it black alder, but it's no relation to the alders in the birch clan. "False alder" would be more like it. It's also known as "fever bush" because the berries were used medicinally by Native Americans. It has also been called Canada holly, Michigan holly, possumhaw, swamp holly, Virginia winterberry, and common winterberry holly.

The Winterberry's genus, Ilex, is the Latin name for the Mediterranean holly oak, another non-relative, and the species name verticillata means whorled, probably referring to the way the berries hug the twigs. The holly used at Christmas, Ilex aquifolium, is a European import with spiny-edged, evergreen leaves. "Aquifolium," meaning pointed leaves, was the Latin name for holly.

Another view of Winterberry (holly) at Nick's Lake, Old Forge -- © Dave Spier

Winterberry occurs naturally throughout the eastern United States where it grows in swampy thickets, peat bogs, and lowland roadsides. It often marks wet acidic soils. In the spring, small yellowish-green to white flowers grow in the leaf axils (where the leaf stems attach to the twigs). The male flowers grow in crowded clusters on separate plants. The alternate leaves, with their blunt points and toothed margins, fully appear after the flowers so as to not interfere with pollination by bees and other insects. The red fruits appear in September and persist into winter, assuming the birds do not eat all of them right away.

Winterberry makes a nice addition to any landscape scheme and adds a showy touch of color to an otherwise dull December day. This shrub does well in moist, acidic soils with full sun or partial shade. The trick is to have at least one male plant to pollinate up to nine female bushes in the vicinity. The added benefit of this native is more food for robins, bluebirds, and waxwings before they head south.

Does winterberry grow near your home and what animals eat the fruits? Contact me at northeastnaturalist@yahoo.com

Another view of Winterberry (holly) at Nick's Lake, Old Forge -- © Dave Spier