Snowberry - Symphoricarpos albus

Features: This rare shrub is native to Lake and DuPage Counties though not Cook. Bees, beetles, moths, butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to the small white/pink flowers that blossom in June. These are followed by white berries that last throughout the winter, providing food for birds.

It is a larval host and nectar source for the Snowberry Clearwing Moth and the Vashti Sphinx moth. Native Americans used these bitter berries to make medicine and soap.

Light: full to partial sun

Soil: dry, medium, moist - tolerates clay soil

Height: 3 - 5 feet

Width: 6 ft

Blooms: summer

Flower color: green/white/pink

Fall color: russet orange

Photos: 1 Patrick Standish/flickr (cropped); 2 Illinois Wildflowers; 3 Missouri Dept of Conservation