If you take the trail from the lower parking lot up to Carving Rock at Fort Hill, you can see the most beautiful multi-colored “Porcelain- berries” all along the trail on the left side. They are just exquisite! I have never them before and had no idea what they were. (Click on blog link to see other photo.)
“Porcelain-berry is a deciduous, perennial, woody vine from Asia that can grow 10 to 15 feet a year. A relative of our native grapes, porcelain-berry produces distinctive fruits in late summer and early fall that change from lilac or green to bright blue.”
But there is a major problem: “It invades field and field edges and spreads rapidly. Porcelain-berry climbs on and over native plants, much like oriental bittersweet. Currently it is mostly found in southeastern Massachusetts and along the coast. Birds are attracted to the fruit and spread the seeds.”
Although they are beautiful and look like a vine of tiny colorful Easter eggs, they are a very invasive plant in Massachusetts.
I kept wondering what was eating the tops off of most of the flowers in my yard. And then one afternoon I saw some of my flowers shaking. There were five Goldfinches pecking away at the petals of five my Zinnia plants! Hmmmm.
I guess they have to eat too! This is a Goldfinch that I saw at Fort Hill enjoying one of the Thistle flowers by the side of the trail.
