Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) is near and dear to my heart. It’s plump red berries in winter and beautiful yellow blooms in spring… Yes, I love autumn olive even though it has a bad reputation.

I first learned about autumn olive in my wildlife habitat class while working towards my master’s in wildlife ecology. My professor noted that autumn olive is the poster child for wildlife biologists not always getting their management correct and that even scientists can fail.