This time of year I get lots of questions about a particular vine growing upwards onto trees with a vibrant red color. This vine is Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) and it shows itself with great pride during the early fall.
Virginia Creeper is very common. It is found in every state east of the Rocky Mountains and in most county’s in the upper Midwest. It can be expected to be found in every woodland, tree line and thicket in Northwest Illinois. It likes the rocky soils and ravines that the area provides. It has the ability to climb 50 feet vertically. Like many vines it has tendrils, giving this vine the ability to cement itself to walls, trees, fences and the like and needs no support. The presence of adhesive tips and the end of the tendrils, instead of penetrating rootlets, also means it doesn’t damage buildings the way some vines do. It is one of the earliest vines to color in the fall. A vigorous grower, it can cover a trellis, building side or a tree in just a few years.
Virginia Creeper Climbing Tree
Unlike some woody vines found in our woodlands. Virginia Creeper tends to not damage trees. It plays nice with others and serves as a winter food source for birds and many insects use its foliage. Another common name for Parthenocissus quinquefolia is Woodbine. Do you think this any any relation to the town in Jo Daviess County named Woodbine?
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/savanna/plants/va_creeper.htm
