365 urban species. #274: Boston Ivy

[urbpan]

Photos by cottonmanifesto. Location: the Winsor School, Boston.

Urban species #274: Boston ivy Parthenocissus tricuspidata

There are many buildings in Boston (and across the river, Cambridge) that are ivy covered, some of them famously. For a while now I have suspected that much of it is not "true" ivy (Helix spp., to be dealt with in a future post) but some other plant. My main pieces of evidence included the fact that the Boston ivy's leaves change colors in fall, and drop before winter. True ivy is evergreen. Also, I read the assertion that true ivy (a European native) feeds no birds with its fruit. Boston ivy used to cover the building I live in, and I would watch mockingbirds perch on my windowsill and eat its blue berries. As I finally learned today, the Boston ivy is in fact, a plant called "Boston ivy."

It is a relative of grape and Virginia creeper, and also goes by the common name "Japanese creeper." This name may be more appropriate, since Boston ivy is actually native to Asia. The plant does have a genuine connection to my city, however, as one of the varieties discovered and cultivated at the Arnold Arboretum goes by the name "Fenway Park." Chicago's baseball park, Wrigley Field, also has Boston ivy growing on its walls. In fact, the main use of this plant is to cover masonry on large buildings like stadiums and schools, and in at least one case, a parking garage. I'll leave it to readers in New Haven, Providence, Ithaca, Hanover, Philadelphia, and Princeton to check to see if the rest of the League is covered by ivy, or Boston ivy.



Parking garage on Brookline Ave, Boston.


Abandoned building, Jamaica Plain.



Thanks to interfecta from the urban_nature community for the identification!

Comments

Philadelphia

[candent.livejournal.com]

It does look like Boston Ivy but it's kind of hard to tell from a distance.

I've always heard that English Ivy (Hedera) flowers are very rich in nectar, a late food source for bees and other insects; and the fruit are small black berries ripening in late winter, and are food for many birds.

[jennocide.livejournal.com]

Boston Ivy covers the side of my house. Somehow, it has found a way to survive on aluminum siding. I expect it to turn red later on this month.

[turil.livejournal.com]

That illustration you are using as your icon is by John Muth! From one of the Old Turtle books! Those are some beautiful books. Have you seen the Stone Soup, and Zen Shorts books by Muth too? I highly recommend them. My preschool students were fascinated by the Zen Shorts book, with it's gigantic Zen panda bear (in shorts, of course).

[ankhanu.livejournal.com]

There's some of this growing on my undergrad university; didn't realize it wasn't actual ivy. Thanks :)

I do very much love the look of Ivy and Boston Ivy; there's just something delightful about these plants coating buildings.

Ivy

[(Anonymous)]

Your pictures remind me of something I saw just a few hours ago, while driving for my yearly physical. As I approached the stone railroad viaduct in Canton, Mass., which has its own rich history, I noticed that two
of the large areas underneath the slightly protruding arches were covered with 30 foot high poison ivy vines, that had been reddened by cool nights and glistened beautifully from their color, the dew, and the rising sun, which shone directly on them.

Dwight

[miekec]

Wow, it sure grows fast! That parking garage has only been there for about 15 years. And it's pretty tall...
I would love to grow some kind of a creeper in our backyard, to cover up the fugly wall of the house nextdoor. However, it would have to be something that won't damage the grout, so suction-cups rather than tentacles, I think. Someone recommended a "Wingerd" (dutch name for parthenocissus, don't know the common English name), since the wall in question is east-facing and mostly shaded. Although, if I get my way with the @*(^#!@^$!! tree there, it will get a lot more sun soon.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Boston ivy attached with suction cups, so it may be the one you want. In Connecticut, they have discovered that it has some invasive tendencies, so choose with caution. Why Connecticut and not anywhere else--I have no idea.

Ivy check - Ithaca

[magic-bee.livejournal.com]

From what I've seen, up at Cornell they have a mix of both. They have some real ivy, but I've definitely seen the stuff that turns red around too. :-)

[cyborgsuzy.livejournal.com]

I lived in a dorm in Wales that was covered in this stuff. It grew in through the cracks of my (poorly sealed) window.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyborgsuzy/89109687/in/set-1807361/

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Beautiful! It grows on my building like that too! I have to rip it out of the screens in order to close the storm windows in winte.