Did you recognize the vine from last week’s puzzler? Many people mix it up with poison ivy, but they are different, as poison ivy has leaflets of 3 and this vine, Virginia Creeper, has leaflets of 5 (though will also sometimes have leaflets of 3 too). Its leaves turn bright red in the fall, making it a great vine to have in your yard.
Virginia Creeper, also called woodbine, five-leaved ivy or Parthenocissus quinquefolia, is a decidious perennial vine with a woody stem. In the wild you can often see it growing at wood edges, along highways or in the woods, climbing up trees. It is native to the United States and makes for an excellent vine to add interest to any arbor, fence or wall. It will grow in the sun or in partial shade and is fast growing, able to get 50-90 feet long! It will wind small forked tendrils around plants or other things to allow it to climb up vertical surfaces. In the fall the leaves burn brilliant red and the plant will have purplish-black berries on it, which the birds and squirrels will readily eat.
Have a great weekend! See you again soon… and don’t forget that this is the weekend of the Perseid Meteor shower–get outside to see the show!