Partridge berry in bloom

Partridge Berry is a small, evergreen, and entirely unobvious vine that hugs the forest floor. Still, if you know where to look, you can find it, and doing so is worth the effort, particularly these days, when it comes into bloom. Its paired, relatively long-tubed, and showy flowers—well, if you're on your belly and looking at the plant from a few inches away—have a glorious scent, and when the pollinators have done their job, the autumn will bear witness to red berries that show bright on the leaf litter. According to Larry Stritch, a writer for the USDA's Plant of the Week website, Linnaeus gave the plant its Latin name, Mitchella repens, to honor John Mitchell, a doctor who figured out one method for treating yellow fever. The common name is a nod to what was once a favored food of partidges: the birds, not the family. Alas, both are pretty much gone from these parts, but the Partridge Berry doesn't seem to notice.