The berries on the American Holly in my backyard are starting to turn red. The berries actually begin to develop with a green color in September, develop into a bright red by November, and tend to stay on the tree through the winter. As seen in the photo, they’re still on the orange-side, but these berry-laden holly branches so commonly used as Christmas decorations, are a sure sign that summer is over and winter is on it’s way. Interestingly though, like all hollies, the American Holly is a dioecious plant, which means each tree is either male or female, but not both. And it is only the female trees that produce these characteristic red berries.  Also, the “berries” of American holly are considered drupes, which are fleshy fruits with thin skin and a central stone containing the seed. Plums, cherries and olives are other examples of drupes.

American Holly is native to the eastern United States, from coastal Massachusetts to Florida. Ecologically, the American Holly is a good source of food for many animals including wild turkeys, mourning doves, cedar waxwings, northern cardinals, and other songbirds, as well as mammals such as eastern gray squirrels, white-tailed deer, eastern chipmunks, meadow voles, white-footed mice, red foxes, raccoons, and eastern cottontails.