It's time for the Thursday edition of #BenInNature presented by our friends at Carter Bank & ...

June 3, 2021

It's time for the Thursday edition of #BenInNature presented by our friends at Carter Bank & Trust!

This is Euonymus americanus, also called strawberry bush or hearts-a-bustin'. The flowers may not look like much right now, but once fall arrives, this will become a very unusual-looking plant!

After the flowers have been fertilized, strawberry bush produces some very unique fruit capsules. The capsules are about half an inch wide, dark red, and covered with small spines or bumps. Eventually, the capsule will split wide open into five different sections, revealing five bright red seeds!

These plants are native to the southeastern U.S., and if you're looking for an awesome native shrub to add to your property, it's hard to go wrong with this one! It tops out at a little less than seven feet tall, and the fruit capsules definitely grab people's attention. The seeds are dispersed by animals and deer do enjoy grazing on strawberry bush, but it's best not to follow their lead; for us humans, the seeds are an extremely powerful laxative!

ABOUT #BenInNature
Social distancing can be difficult, but it presents a great opportunity to become reacquainted with nature. In this series of posts, Administrator of Science Ben Williams ventures outdoors to record a snapshot of the unique sights that can be found in the natural world. New updates are posted Monday - Friday, with previous posts highlighted on the weekends. This series of posts is made possible thanks to the support of VMNH Corporate Partner Carter Bank & Trust (www.cbtcares.com).

NATURE PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS
If you discover something in nature that you would like help identifying, be sure to message us right here on Facebook with a picture (please include location and date of picture) and we'll have our experts help you identify it!