Maryland Native Host Plant
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi – Bearberry
Bearberry is a trailing evergreen shrub with paddle-shaped leaves on flexible branches. The thick, leathery leaves, rolled under at the edges, are yellow-green in spring, dark-green in summer, and reddish-purple in the fall. Nodding clusters of small, bell-shaped, pink or white flowers occur on bright-red stems. Bright-red berries succeed the flowers and persist into winter. This ground-trailing shrub has the papery, reddish, exfoliating bark typical of woody plants in northern climates. It is a hardy shrub for landscaping rocky or sandy sites. Low maintenance, only trimming necessary is to remove die back. Bearberry is slow growing, but is a long lived evergreen. It is the larval host for the Hoary Elfin (Callophrys polia), the Brown Elfin (C. augustinus), and the Freija Fritillary (Boloria freija).
LGS Notes: “Bearberry is a great spreading groundcover that will tolerate almost any condition.” -Perri
Bearberry foliage with flowers
Bearberry flowers
Bearberry berries