Bearberry vs Yellow Mountain Avens - TreeTime.ca

Bearberry vs Yellow Mountain Avens

Dryas drummondii

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Yellow Mountain Avens
Bearberry

Yellow Mountain Avens is a native perennial wildflower with bright yellow buttercup-like blooms. The nectar-rich flowers attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. By thriving at higher elevations, it helps sustain pollinator populations and provides one of the earliest sources of nectar and pollen in alpine habitats.

As a nitrogen-fixing plant, Yellow Mountain Avens enriches soil fertility and supports the growth of surrounding vegetation. It forms dense, spreading mats of evergreen foliage that act as a groundcover and help stabilize soil. Often among the first species to establish in disturbed alpine sites such as glacial outwash or landslides, it is well-suited for alpine revegetation, erosion control, naturalization, and ecological restoration projects in harsh, rocky environments.

Bearberry is a dwarf shrub known for its creamy pink flowers and red edible fruits.

It is great as a filler in gardens and flowerbeds in place of invasive ground cover plants, like English Ivy.

Bearberry will attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees to your property. It is one of the top 12 plants recommended by the Alberta Native Bee Council to support pollinators.

Yellow Mountain Avens Quick Facts

Bearberry Quick Facts

Zone: 1b
Zone: 1b
Height: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Height: 0.1 m (0.3 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: mat-forming, creeping
Spreading: stolons - medium, seeds - low
Suckering: medium


Foliage: evergreen, leathery
Foliage: leathery, evergreen
Flowers: yellow, buttercup-like, nodding
Flowers: small, purple-white
Bloom time: spring to summer
Berries: small red berries
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON, QC, NB, NL, YT, NT
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: drummonds dryad, drummonds mountain avens, yellow dryad
Other Names: kinnikinnick, mealberry, sandberry