Mother Nature's Nourishment
Fall clean-up...something we all seem to enjoy with the cooler more tolerable temps. So when we began and I spotted this bush, I knew what I had to do especially since neither the Pres nor I had any idea what it was. Using those two invaluable resources I met (the ones I call Nancy and Lindsey), I emailed them a pic and found out that this is a good bush.
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| Deciduous Winterberry (aka Ilex Verticillata...a mouthful right?) |
To me it is now known as Deciduous Winterberry, although according to Google, it is also known as Black Alder Winterberry, Brook Alder, Canada holly, Coralberry, Deciduous Holly, Deciduous Winterberry, False alder, Fever bush, Inkberry, Michigan Holly, Possumhaw, Swamp Holly, Virginian Winterberry, or Winterberry Holly. I also learned that it provides nourishment to the birds so it's a keeper. And because we have some wetlands, it likes it here.
As the Pres and I worked to do a little clean-up of our own, we got to the Sensitive Ferns and I explained that the reason they are called that is because they are the ferns that are "sensitive" to even a light frost. Did you know that?
Telling him to leave the fern fronds alone that look like they have brown beads on them and let them remain standing, he didn't even bat an eye.
Spent Sensitive Ferns leave plenty of seeds for the birds and those wild turkeys to nibble on so let them stay during Fall clean-up. Oh, and if you collect seed from your perennials like I do, don't take it all. Leave some of those seed heads on the Shastas, the Black-Eyed Susan, Tickseed and Coneflower. It feels good to share...:)
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