Mountain Winterberry - Ilex montana

Aquifoliaceae - Holly family

A Year With the Trees photo/drawing collection
Tree No. 8

Mountain Winterberrry

Ilex montana

Where to find:  Around Mt. Pisgah campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I walk around the campground and find it healthy and happy there throughout the campground and the trails in and around that area.

Winter:

buds and twigs

bark

Winter before the leaves and berries.

When the Mountain Winterberry loses all their leaves,  this small tree is covered in bright red berries.  These red berries will be eaten by wildlife after a few frosts.  It seems that wildlife knows instinctively not to eat the berries until after several frosts.  For after the frosts, the toxic properties in the berries are no more.

Going out on a cold early winter's day for a walk, I can feel peace in the life that surrounds me in nature.

Spring:
 leaves, flowers

Spring time with berries.

The berries come onto the twigs in April - May and will stay on the tree through the winter to feed many species of birds.















Summer:
leaves, fruit

My journal page for the Mountain Holly

Fall:
leaves, fruit

Mountain Holly

I found the Mountain Holly. It is very much alive and well up on the top of the Blue Ridge parkway at Mt. Pisgah.

The beautiful beautiful Mountain Holly tree is filled with red berries at this time of year. These berries provide food for many birds and small mammals. This is a deciduous Holly, it is the same family as the American Holly, another most beautiful tree.


"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings, Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."  John Muir



Becky