365 urban species #264: Virginia Creeper

Photos by cottonmanifesto. Location: Riverway/Jamaicaway, Brookline/Boston line.

Urban species #264: Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Autumnal equinox has come and gone, and in Boston the green has begun to drain from the leaves. The sugar maples get all the credit for the beautiful colors of fall, but many other plants turn red and orange when the chlorophyll disappears. One the first and loveliest plants to turn is Virginia creeper, a woody perennial vine with distinctive leaves that have five leaflets. Like many vines, it vexes homeowners as it climbs over trees and shrubs, and fences and walls, creating an untidy appearance and spreading very quickly. Personally, I like it; it's native to our area, unlike oriental bittersweet, and it doesn't cause me the irritation that poison ivy does. Some authorities definitely consider it to be a noxious weed, and its berries and leaves contain toxic (to humans) amounts of oxalic acid.

Virginia creeper can grow in many different habitats, tolerating shady forests, but especially thriving along forest edges. It can grow near water, and can tolerate drought. An individual vine can grow to fifty feet long. In the best cases it climbs eyesores, adding lush and scruffy beauty to vacant lots and abandoned buildings. The berries are an important winter food source for songbirds, and, when they fall, feed skunks and other mammals.

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