Let me tell you a story. For many years we had several of these small trees growing in the woods in the front of our house, beside our azalea, and viburnum. A lot of what grows in our yard was not planted by us, but by the woman who lived here before we moved in. She was big on gardening, though her idea of an attractive yard and garden and mine are not quite the same. I think if she visited the house now she might faint upon seeing all of her English Ivy gone from the trellis, her Burning Bushes replaced with Fothergilla and her Gooseneck Loosestife replaced with Yarrow, Milkweed and Cardinal Flower. The yard is much wilder now with a lot more native plants since I am all about helping the bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife. I love choosing native perennials and attracting creatures of all sizes, including caterpillars.
Anyway, for years, these small trees stood undisturbed, growing out of the watchful eye of me. In the fall they get bright red berries which usually persist throughout most, if not all of the winter. I always thought they were attractive, never considering what they were. I never paid much attention to these shrubs until recently when I began noticing a lot of unfamiliar plants and began to research what they were. There were a lot more of these trees out there once I started to pay attention. In fact, they are quite prolific in our yard!
Here are some photos:
Does this tree look familiar? Have you seen it near you? Know what it is? I finally identified it a few weeks ago, and want to share it with you. I would love to hear from you if you have a guess! Use the comment box below and then check back next weekend to see if you were correct!
Until then, stay safe, and enjoy your holiday weekend. I hope you make time to get outside– rain or shine, it’s always a beautiful place to spend some time!