Great find in a nearby meadow!

I was walking through a nearby meadow and came across this plant which is starting to exhibit it's fall glory.  Ilex verticillata or Winterberry Holly is a wonderful native shrub that looses its leaves in the winter--shocking I know for those of you who think of a "holly" as being evergreen.  The great thing about this plant is the loosing of the leaves makes it all the more showy throughout the winter--at least until all of the wildlife comes to visit and helps to remove the berries.  In order to ensure that you will have the beautiful berries on your winterberry holly, it is advisable to plant one male to every three females that you purchase--most native plant nurseries should be able to help you identify the male and female plants!