Walking through many neighborhoods in Montana towns through the fall and winter, you’ll find yourself brushing past clusters of showy orange-red berries, hanging down from the limbs of mountain ash. By late winter many of the berries have spattered to the sidewalk, but through much of the drab months they provide a warm pop of color against the gray sky and white snow.

The mountain ash is a popular decorative tree, especially amongst wildlife watchers who use its fruits to attract wintering birds. Its moderate height (usually topping out around 40 feet) means that the mountain ash isn’t too much of a problem for power lines, and it is tolerant of conditions like strong winds, clay soils, and variable pH. Listen for more about mountain ash…

This Field Note was written by Kate Leary. Would you be interested in writing one? Contact Allison De Jong, Field Notes editor, at adejong [at] montananaturalist [dot] org or 406.327.0405. Please visit the Field Notes website at the Montana Natural History Center for more information.