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Tag: Autumn olive

Early April Leaves – A Non-Native Calling Card

Early April Leaves – A Non-Native Calling Card

I took a quick walk at Wareham Land Trust‘s Agawam River Trail after work today, enjoying the abundant late-day sunshine. Although signs of spring were seemingly everywhere, from the red-winged blackbirds calling in the nearby wetlands to the red maple flowers bursting in vibrant color, I did notice an interesting trend. At least five different plant species were pushing out new green leaves, but none of these were native.  Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) 2. Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) 3. Shrub…

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Welcome Autumn!

Welcome Autumn!

September 22nd marked the autumn equinox – one of two points in the year where the length of day and night are equal. From here, the length of daylight will continue to shorten as we move towards winter. While I always miss the outdoor exploration opportunities that early evening sunshine affords me, there are so many things to look forward to about autumn.  Although traditional “berry season” (i.e., blueberries, raspberries, etc.) is long over, many fruits and nuts are ripening…

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Wild Edible: Autumn Olive

Wild Edible: Autumn Olive

Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) shrubs are a common sight along Massachusetts roads and at the edges of clearings and fields. These shrubs were commonly planted for windbreaks and erosion control in the 1940s before it was known how invasive they could be. The vast amount of fruit produced by each shrub, and the high germination success of the seeds, means that once there is one autumn olive in a location, there will likely be more. The high number of berries…

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