kids just noticed the berries on the vines growing out in the scrub behind our fence today. Thinking it's a grapevine of some sort. I've never seen berries on it before. Please help!
Blackthorn (Sloe) Prunus spinosa grows as a shrub not a vine. Those tendrils on the stems makes me think a grape but I wouldn't sample one to see, it might bite you back Cut a length of the vine including some of the berries and take it to a local garden center (not a big box store) and see if they know. You could also send a photo of it to your local County Extension office. The offices in your area are associated with Amherst I believe.
That looks like a Concord grape to me--one in serious need of pruning, but a grape nevertheless. Take Toni's advice and put a clipping of vine, tendrils, berries and stem in a sealed plastic bag, and visit a local nursery to see if they can identify it. Taking the same to your local agricultural agent may help. Our agent is a great guy, very knowledgeable about livestock, but doesn't know a petunia from a pea vine.
I thought so too Jane, but if you look closely at the "bunches" of fruit they aren't in "bunches" like grapes, but they are related. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/vines/porcelain-vine/growing-porcelain-berry-vine.htm
Virginia creeper has no tendrils. it has this little grippy tentacle to adhere to whatever it is growing on.
https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs...0af70692acecfce35a14d2fce6ef.jpg&action=click They are Muscadines which is a wild grape. They do not grow in bunches like tame grapes. One year I picked gallons of them in the woods behind our house. If you squeeze one it looks different from a tame grape as the skin is fairly loose. You can see the seeds enclosed in the center. They make the best jelly ! They are ripe now and when they fall from the vine they are best but you can pick them off if the vines are low enough. They also do not have a typical shaped leaf as tame grapes. Some pics above.
I knew I had seen them somewhere, just didn't expect them to be growing in New England, I have never picked them by they grow like crazy on my in-laws property outside of Corsicana. The last few years haven't been good for them so I have not had any for jelly making. The red of the leaves is just that they are changing color because it is that time of the year. Yep, the jelly is wonderful.
It is not Virginia Creeper !! Just a plain old wild muscadine grape !! Toni,, I figured you would know !!
