It’s the middle of December when crowds of bright red winterberries appear on Maine roadsides clinging tightly to their bare branches like sole survivors on winter wreckage. They are profuse this year.
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) is a native, deciduous holly that is a crucial winter food for birds, but toxic to humans. It thrives in wet ditches beside roads, enjoys life as male and female plants (it’s “dioecious”), and was historically used by Native Americans for applied medical remedies. Don’t taste those berries! But they can be used for long-lasting decorations:
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on December 11, 2025.)