Fragaria virginiana – Wild Strawberry – 1 Quart

The fruits of Wild Strawberry are tiny compared with modern cultivars but are packed with intense strawberry flavor. A common plant in old fields and margins of woods, and overlooked as a groundcover. It will never achieve the density of commonly used non-native groundcovers but, on the other hand, they will not reward you with such a tasty treat. You will have to beat the birds and chipmunks to them though, since they are also relished by wildlife. A second species of strawberry also occurs in our area, Woodland Strawberry (F. vesca). The two can be difficult to tell apart. Compare the central tooth of the terminal leaflet – it’s tiny in Wild Strawberry, whereas in Woodland Strawberry it’s about the same size as the other teeth on the leaf. Other differences – Wild Strawberry has somewhat larger flowers; flowers and fruits that tend to stay below the foliage on dense corymbs not elongated racemes, and seeds deeply embedded in the fruit surface.