Wahoo adds hot pink fall color

I’m thoroughly enjoying the hot pink pods of our Eastern wahoo tree (Euonymus atropurpureus). I especially appreciate it this time of year when most of our fall color is gone. When we find it in the woods, we don’t usually see such abundant seed pods. I’m guessing more sun makes the difference. This is a small tree or large shrub that’s easy to grow. Ours is now about 15 feet tall, and makes a much bigger splash than it did in 2010. In addition to the autumn color, pollinators visit the small flowers in spring, and birds feed on the red berries that drop from the pink pods.

I’m glad to have this tree in our backyard. I wish it was better known, and planted more often.