Skunkbush sumac (Rhus trilobata) on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (37332909495)

Description:

Summary[edit] Description: The first hint of fall on Seedskadee NWR begins with skunkbush sumac (Rhus trilobata). Its green leaves begin to turn red, yellow, and orange in the first few weeks of September. Other common names include sourberry, skunkbush, polecat bush, stinking sumac, ill-scented sumac, quailbush, basketbush, lemonade sumac, three-lobed sumac, and three-leaved sumac. It has been reported that some Native American Tribes used pliable young stems that were woven with grass stems into durable baskets that would hold water. On Seedskadee NWR, it only grows where extra water is available along the banks of the Green River. Many species of migratory birds use it to forage, rest, and nest among its branches and mule deer will browse heavily on the young stems. Photo: Skunkbush sumac on Seedskadee NWR Tom Koerner/USFWS. Date: 13 September 2017, 10:13. Source: Skunkbush sumac (Rhus trilobata) on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. Author: USFWS Mountain-Prairie.