Plant May Apple in your shade garden for unique, bright green foliage growing in the early spring. This woodland beauty grows to only about 18” and is deer-resistant, making this the perfect choice for most shade gardens.

What animals eat Mayapples?

The foliage of Mayapple is avoided by mammalian herbivores because of its poisonous qualities and bitter taste. The seeds and rhizomes are also poisonous. The berries are edible if they are fully ripe; they are eaten by box turtles and possibly by such mammals as opossums, raccoons, and skunks.

Do birds eat Mayapples?

Some mammals and birds are known to eat the berry, but the primary Mayapple seed disperser is the unsuspecting Eastern box turtle. Even slower than a turtle, if a seed successfully disperses to a new area to grow, it is believed to take around five years to mature to produce rhizomes!