Snow Day!

The Holly and the Ivy

70 degree temperatures led to bare feet in the meadow on Christmas Eve. On the western edge of the clearing grow two American holly trees, native evergreens festooned with bright red berries this time of year. The leaves are prickly and the berries are poisonous to humans, but the smooth bark of the trunk and branches make this tree perfectly climbable, with a little boost.

Holly berries are a favorite wintertime feast for birds, and we've spotted many different species perched in the branches of these two trees. What species are these?

English ivy grows profusely on this side of the meadow in the shade of the trees.  English ivy is an invasive species from Europe. Left unchecked, it can eventually smother a tree under thick woody vines and a blanket of dark green leaves. In the woods and meadows of the American South, English ivy chokes out vast areas preventing other plants from growing and creating an "ivy desert." Like its invasive cohort, privet, English ivy easily escapes gardens and should not be planted or cultivated in places where it is invasive.

A few years ago, a friend and neighbor took it on herself to save the life of a Magnolia tree growing in the yard of her rented apartment, and sawed through an English ivy vine as big around as a tree sapling. The tree in the far corner in the photo below, a hackberry I think, needs similar rescuing.