Square twigs, with notches

Although today I snapped a pretty nice photo of a Snowberry Clearwing — http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sighting_details/1063606 — I *really* like this photo. Clare & I took an evening walk with our friend Bobbie, and this was a shrub along our walk.

I submitted it to my botanist-friend for an ID, but I persevered in my own searching to have a "suggested ID" of Euonymus alatus, or Burning bush.

From Missouri Botanical Garden, http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d729 » “Winged euonymus (also known as burning bush, winged burning bush or winged spindle tree) is a dense, mounded, spreading, flat-topped, multi-stemmed shrub that is particularly noted for its fiery red fall foliage color. It is native to forests, woodlands and scrub areas in eastern Russia, Japan, China and Korea. It was introduced into the U. S. around 1860 as an ornamental, and over time has become an extremely popular shrub for homes, commercial properties and along highways.

“Winged euonymus has escaped plantings and naturalized in at least 21 eastern and mid-western states. In some areas, it is now considered to be a threat to native plants because of its ability to establish itself in woodlands, forests, fields, roadsides and disturbed areas where, if conditions are favorable, it will out-compete native plants to form dense thickets.”

This image at PhytoImages, http://phytoimages.siu.edu/imgs/paraman1/r/Celastraceae_Euonymus_alatus_104516.html

Species page at PhytoImages, http://phytoimages.siu.edu/cgi-bin/dol/dol_terminal.pl?taxon_name=Euonymus_alatus&rank=binomial

1 year ago (“Spilosoma virginica”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2014-08-16
2 years ago (“Saluki”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2013-08-16
3 years ago (“A quest begins!”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2012-08-16
4 years ago (“Every splash — however small — creates ripples…”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2011-08-16

[ IMG_4456S12x9tm :: f/4 :: 1/160" :: ISO-800 :: 60mm ]

[Danette Thompson]

Looks like a ribbon!