Creeping Wintergreen

Description:

In the late fall and winter the mealy, spicy berries of the Wintergreen (Checkerberry) provide welcome food for bears, deer, grouse, and other wild creatures. They may be eaten by humans and the leaves are also delicious. Perennial, 2 to 6 inches. stems creeping. branches erect. leaves evergreen, oval, leathery and clustered near the tips. The leaves turn bright red and have cherry-red berry-like fruits in the fall.

Habitat:

Near water and woods especially under evergreens.

Notes:

My dad introduced me to the wintergreen and I always love tasting the leaves when I find them at Groton State Forest.