3 Native Strawberries and an Invasive Imposter!

The two species of wild strawberry native to eastern North America, the Virginia strawberry, Fragaria virginiana, and the woodland strawberry. Fragaria vesca, are great as a groundcover or in the pollinator garden. Of course they have the bonus of producing tasty strawberries! Pollinators such as native bees and butterflies are drawn to the blooms and the leaves serve as host for a multitude of caterpillar species. Of course the berries are eaten by all sorts of critters and birds. There is an introduced imposter, the mock strawberry, Potentilla indica, that looks a lot like a strawberry, but that is about all it has in common with them. Learn about our native strawberries and how to tell them apart from the mock strawberry, and how our third native species of strawberry, the beach strawberry, Fragaria chiloensis, which is found on the west coast, along with the Virginia strawberry, played a part in producing the garden strawberries we know and love.