Native plants for a Cape Cod garden

Whether Vinland was located in Newfoundland, on present day Cape Cod, or somewhere inbetween, there is no dispute that the Norsemen were here long before Columbus re-discovered America. And I am pretty sure they named their discovery after the fox grape vine. This was repeated when Bartholomew Gosnold named the island of Martha’s Vineyard. This plant is ubiquitous on the cape and islands, and can be found attached to trees, shrubs and hedges everywhere. The vine has large leaves with three-toothed lobes. The purple grapes, which are generally half an inch or so in size, won’t be available until September. Something to look forward to when summer winds down… This species is the origin of a better known cultivar – the Concord grape.