Winterberry Holly

Dec 13

Written By Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association

Ilex verticillata (Winterberry Holly)

While the flowers of this holly are not ever regarded as show-stopping, and the fall color of its leaves is not loudly celebrated (unlike most hollies, this one is deciduous; it sheds its leaves in the fall, and those leaves may simply turn black-ish with the first frost), but the fruit produced from those tiny flowers easily grabs the attention of just about all who see them -gardeners and non-gardeners alike.

As with all hollies, individual plants have either male flowers or female flowers (this term is dioecious, pronounced something like “dy ee shus”), with both sexes required for females to produce their bright red, berry-like fruit (during their late May/early June flowering period, many bee species transport the pollen from male flowers to female flowers). Cut branches are often used for winter holiday decorations and that striking red fruit, favored by many songbirds (thrush, mockingbird, robin, catbird, bluebird, thrasher & others), is typically consumed by mid-winter.

In the wild it frequently appears in swampy areas and along ponds and streams and is an excellent choice for rain gardens and any other low-lying, poorly drained area of a property. But it absolutely has no requirement for these “wet feet” locations. Fruit visually “pops out” within any landscape and is magnificent when backed up by evergreen plants, blue skies, and snowy landscapes. The absence of foliage makes it relatively easy to witness which bird species are feasting within.