Wildlife Strawberry Bushes [Euonymus americana L.]

Wildlife Strawberry Bush Euonymus americana L.

The Strawberry bush gets its name from the round, red berry-like fruit that bursts open to reveal large scarlet red seeds that resemble strawberries. Sometimes hundreds of these fruits open at once in September and October creating a spectacular Fall ornamental bush that attracts wildlife from everywhere in the forest.

Wildlife hunters plant these strawberry bushes mostly to attract whitetail deer that love to eat the leaves so much, they will strip the leaves off the bushes in the fall during hunting season, and the deer plot owners report that deer stands located near plantings of the strawberry bushes will attract deer for leaf feeding - even more than corn or any other food, for that matter.

The leaves of the strawberry bush grow about three inches long and can be egg shaped and pointed on the ends. New leaves grow back rapidly, once the white-tailed deer strip them off. The leaves turn red and deep maroon during the fall, accenting the value of the plants as fall color under -story bushes. Once the leaves of the strawberry bush have fallen, the bright green stems and twigs glow as a choice exotic ornamental specimen bush.

The strawberry bush can grow six feet tall and thrives best as an under-story bush under trees or large bushes but can also grow satisfactorily in full sun. The strawberry bush can survive moderate droughts, however, it thrives in moist woodland environments and hardwood bottom-land forests near water holes or running streams.

So! White-tail deer and rabbits love to feast on the leaves of the strawberry bush; and turkey and a flock of other birds and fowl gather around the bushes when the strawberry fruit begins to ripen. This American native shrub is widely replanted by animals and birds, after they eat the strawberry seeds and disperse them in the woodlands.

The strawberry bush transplants well and easily, and the establishment of the bushes is done most satisfactorily durign the winter or spring when the shrubs are dormant.

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