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Month: November 2021

Evergreen wood fern (Dryopteris intermedia)

Evergreen wood fern (Dryopteris intermedia)

Here in late November, we are solidly into autumn. The temperature has dropped, the days are getting short, most of the leaves have fallen from the trees and shrubs, and the predominant landscape colors are brown and gray. But lichens, clubmosses, and some ferns remain green year round, providing splashes of vivid green throughout the landscape. One such fern is the aptly named evergreen wood fern (Dryopteris intermedia), which is indeed green year-round in areas of mild winters, such as…

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Oriental bittersweet: Eradicate, Don’t Decorate

Oriental bittersweet: Eradicate, Don’t Decorate

Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is a climbing deciduous woody vine that thrives in disturbed habitats (e.g., roadsides, forest edges, riverbanks, etc.). This plant can grow rapidly, shading out and/or strangling native plants, including mature trees. In the fall and winter, after the leaves have fallen away from the bittersweet vines and the surrounding vegetation, the bright three-sectioned red-orange fruits and their yellow outer “husks” can draw your attention from quite a distance. As the capsules dry, they hinge open, revealing…

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