Growing on the brick wall outside my back door is one of my
favorite native vines, Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia. It is a volunteer that I have allowed to grow
freely, except for an occasional pruning to keep it from blocking the
gutters. The thick foliage is a haven
for a multitude of insects, frogs and birds.
The leaves turn a bright red color in the fall and make an
impressive display. Few plants can rival
the brilliant red displayed by a healthy Virginia Creeper leaf.
The plant does have one problem. Too many people are under the mistaken
impression that Virginia Creeper is actually a mutant form of Poison Ivy or
more commonly, they think it is Poison Oak.
It bothers me to see people cut and spray a plant because of a
misidentification. A Virginia Creeper
leaf is composed of five leaflets, although by accident or design that number
may be reduced. Poison Ivy and Poison
Oak both have three leaflets. Poison Oak
is also a western species, so people in the eastern U.S.
Even if you were to pull a couple of leaflets off of the
Virginia Creeper leaf, the difference between it and the Poison Ivy, shown on
the left, is quite distinct. There are
many differences in the shape and design of the leaflets, but the most easily
recognized feature is the long stem at the base of the center leaflet of the
Poison Ivy. The bases of the Virginia
Creeper leaflets are very short and practically identical in length.
Virginia Creeper is a member of the Grape Family and the
blue fruits look much like wild grapes.
Birds are quick to clean up these fruits and drop the seeds over a wide
area.
This particular vine was growing in the center of a drainage
way, so received some additional moisture through the year. Many of the Virginia Creeper vines in upland
areas failed to produce any fruit because of the ongoing drought conditions. If people would give this vine a chance, I
think they would grow to like it.
