Partridgeberry

   Winter in the upstate of South Carolina is a time of contrasts.  In our woods lie great expanses of gray and naked deciduous forests which show off the rolling, leaf-littered terrain. As a native Floridian I truly love the naked trees. They are an amazing sight, even after living at Middlewood for 26 years.

There are also thick evergreen pines that sway and groan in the cold winter blasts. These are mostly loblolly, Virginia, and shortleaf pines.  They line our sunny pipelines. Tucked under the pines you will find the lovely Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens), small evergreen vines sporting vivid red berries in the winter.  I drew the one above on a cold, sunny day in January.