Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in photo #1?
The answer to last week’s mystery is Winged sumac, Rhus copallinum, pictured in photo #2.
Winged sumac, Rhus copallinum, also known as shining or flameleaf sumac, lights up the landscape in fiery shades of red, orange, and gold each Fall. In midsummer, its greenish-yellow flower panicles draw a variety of pollinators and, by late season, female plants produce drooping clusters of ruby-red drupes that persist through winter—an important food source for migrating and overwintering birds.
This adaptable native thrives across much of the eastern United States, especially on the Coastal Plain, where it spreads naturally along roadsides and open fields. It’s a valuable erosion-control plant and host for the red-banded hairstreak, luna moth, and regal moth. Beyond its ecological role, the fruit has long been used to make a tart, vitamin-rich drink or as a spice, and the tannin-rich plant can even serve as a natural dye.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
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