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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Varied Thrush still around

Yesterday Kelly observed the thrush eating blackish berries from vines. It took some detective work to identify the vine, but with the help of Bill Lindemann, via an email description by me, I finally discovered the vine is an Ivy Treebine (Cissus incisa), alternately called Sorrelvine, Grape Ivy, or Possum Grape.


Mine now have purplish-black berries that are not edible to humans. A mockingbird was very territorial and chased the thrush away from the berries, but the vines are growing so profusely up, down, and along the arroyo that I doubt the thrush is much deprived of them.

I also learned that the vine is considered invasive and undesirable in some areas of Texas, but I've always loved it, and never more so than now.


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