Virginia-creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), a.k.a. woodbine, can turn bright red in late summer and early fall. It's a climbing or sprawling woody vine sometimes found in association with Poison Ivy. The distinguishing factor is the number of leaflets. Creeper normally has five, while Poison Ivy has three. ("Leaves of three, leave it be; Leaves of five, let it thrive.") Creeper's scientific name is Greek meaning "five-leaved virgin-ivy." The alternate name, woodbine, can also refer to several honeysuckles, other creepers, and Virginia clematis.
The creeper's dark-blue berries are similar to wild grapes, a group of plants often growing in the same habitats (woodland edges and floodplains). Note the creeper's heavy, red fruit stems and compound leaves. This is an important distinction because the creeper's berries are considered poisonous due to a concentration of oxalic acid. Grapes, which are in the same family, Vitaceae, have single leaves with pointed lobes and dangling clusters of edible fruits.
The photo above was taken at the Montezuma Audubon Center in Savannah, Wayne County, New York, on Sept. 20 at 6 pm (from my archives). Canon XTi, EF 100mm f/2.8 macro, 1/30 sec., f/11, ISO 200
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