Wild Strawberries?

These recently popped up in our side yard, where there is quite a bit of shade.  We don't use one of those lawn services that spray the heck out of your yard, so "weeds" grow freely in our organic lawn.  (Except dandelions, which we try to pluck out before they completely overrun the place.)

The patch is quite large and I don't mind them a bit because grass never really grew over here anyway.  These are much nicer to look at than dirt.

My question is this -- Does anyone know what berry this might be?  They almost look like mini strawberry plants -- smaller leaves, smaller berries and lower to the ground.  I don't remember if they flowered -- I didn't really notice them until my explorer daughter found them in their out of the way hiding spot.

Comments

[Cille]

It looks very much like what we in Denmark call 'Forrest strawberrys' or 'smulton' as they call them in Sweden. There are really two kinds - one can be eaten, one cannot. If it has white flowers go ahead and enjoy them. They are delicious. If they have yellow flowers they are not to be eaten. My kids usually find a long grass and draw the berries on the grass and only when they have a full string they munch away.

[Annie]

From the picture and your description, they appear to be Alpine strawberries. Here's more info: http://www.superbherbs.net/alpinestrawberry.htm

[Ang.]

They are probably mock strawberry, aka Indian strawberry. They are not inedible, but they don't have any real flavor. Mock strawberries have yellow flowers. I have them in my yard, and was quite excited until I tasted one - bleh.

[Chantelle]

What region are you in?

In my region (central Canada) it would be called ornamental strawberries - an invasive vining plant. It is often used as ground cover, but not recommended that it be mixed with other plants, as it is very aggressive. While the fruit is much smaller than domestic strawberry plants, it is edible, and the leaves are often used in tea as well.