Mother Nature has begun working on the season. Just the start. Greens turning to many warmer shades, pumpkin orange, lemon yellow, scarlet and crimson red, with a little bit of a cooler shade – purple scattered here and there. This, a prime example of her work. Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) draped over thick branches deep in the woods. Just the beginning of decorations to celebrate autumn.
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Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), in autumn, creates beautiful patches of scarlet in the woods. Native to eastern and central North America.
And in autumn along with those scarlet leaves you’ll find its deep blue berries (drupes) which support oodles of species of birds through the winter.
Those that might want to bring Virginia Creeper into their yard, growing it in their gardens, will find that it will soon overpopulate those gardens. In the wild though, I’m quite glad to see it — decorating as it grows.
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Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) a quick growing vine, native to eastern and central North America. It has palmately compound leaves usually with 5 leaflets. And can be confused with Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) so double check the number of leaflets that you’re seeing. Maybe what you see is not Poison Ivy, but just Virginia Creeper. Also, a bit of caution if you are actually getting into the Virginia Creeper, this vine will not give you a painful rash like you might get from Poison Ivy, but there are some people who will get skin irritation or a slight rash from the sap of Virginia Creeper.
It’s an aggressive grower, adding about 20 feet a year. Considered by many to be a weed. I have to discourage it in my gardens but in the woods it’s beautiful. In the autumn it turns a gorgeous crimson. Sometimes it turns from green to red just one leaflet at a time.
Right now, up here in the mountains there are trees that are still mostly green but there are also places where Virginia Creeper is growing, draping its crimson throughout the woods. Lovely.
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