As promised, a quick post on holly berries, these ones photographed in mid-Summer at my sister’s (I have two sisters) garden in Great Neck, Long Island. I had never noticed this bush before, but after asking, realized they were indeed holly bushes, one of many varieties. They were incredibly lush and dark green and the berries obviously “unripe” at that stage. Note the classic shape of the leaves that feature prominently in drawings/depictions of holly in art/drawings/etc.
The berries tend to ripen and turn red later in the year, and in winter, are a stark contrast to the snowfall and other evergreens. I understand it has snowed a foot or more in many Eastern states from Virginia northwards, so it looks like it’s going to be a white Christmas for those folks at least! Holly is often used in wreaths or other Christmas decor hung in boughs, for example… Stay tuned for several more Christmas related posts, and the Marketmanila household’s annual gingerbread creation! :)
5 Responses
they kinda look like coffee berries if you look at the berries alone, no?
i wonder what actress halle berry would say when she sees holly berries….
Yes, we are blanketed in the white fluffy stuff for now. Drifts are over 4 feet in places, the dogs had a blast romping in the snow. If we’re lucky it will stick around for a while, but I suspect we’ll end up with a warmer spell melting everything into muck.
MM, you might want to check out the pyracantha as well. I don’t know if it’s related to holly, but the leaves and berries look very similar. I remember the pyracantha attracting lots of birds, particularly cedar waxwings.
Pyracantha is in the rose family, Ilex is its own family, so the two are not related. Pyracantha is very common as an ornamental, more so than holly. They’re thorny plants (another name for it is “firethorn”), so just as prickly as holly!