Common Ninebark
(Physocarpus opulifolius)
Common Ninebark is an excellent plant for a shrub border which offers golden yellow fall leaf color. When the leaves have fallen, the bark is revealed, showing the thin papery layers that exfoliate from the main stems. It has spirea-like flowers in the spring and after the petals fall, the bladder fruit forms changing from green to russet and hold through the winter. The common ninebark is moderately fast growing to heights of 5-9', is moderately tolerant of shade, and will grow in a variety of soils
Wildlife Food & Cover:Good food-great nectar source, fruits eaten by several species of birds Good cover-nesting, escape, perching.
Flowers: White umbrella-like clusters, spring
Fruit: Russet pod, dense clusters late fall
Ecosystem: Mesic (moist) oak forest, Lowland Hardwood Forest
Other: Golden yellow fall color, attractive fall papery layered bark
Image Source: Conservation Trees and Shrubs Pocket ID Guide US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service