October 12, 2024

Berries on My Mind

Taxus baccata
 Common Yew (Taxus baccata)

Lately I've been noticing and thinking about berries, so I thought I'd reflect on them here on the blog. Some are poisonous and some are edible, but this post is simply about how beautiful they are and how they provide food for birds and other wildlife. For information on human edibility, check out this link. All berries shown here are in my garden.

Polygonatum biflorum
Smooth Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum)

Fuchsia 'Marinka'
Fuchsias (F. 'Marinka') (unripe berries above the flowers)

Actaea pachypoda
White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda)

Viburnum trilobum
Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. trilobum)

Callicarpa 'Pearl Glam'
Beautyberry (Callicarpa 'Pearl Glam')

Arisaema triphyllum
Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

Rhus typhina
Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)

There are more, but this was a quick reflection. How are the berries doing in your garden? Happy autumn!

17 comments:

  1. You've got a nice, varied collection of berries, Beth. Oddly, I haven't noticed any berries in my garden yet except the relatively small ones developing on my bluebell creeper (Sollya heterophylla aka Billardiera). I need to look into what's going on with the Pyracantha and Auranticarpa, both of which should be getting started by now - maybe they still think it's summer!

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    1. Summer is just saying goodbye around here. We had a fabulous and warm September through early October. 80s yesterday...sadly 50s tomorrow, and for a few days. But the berries are marking time for full autumn. I'll look forward to your posts throughout the months ahead...so I can stay "warm." ;-)

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  2. Oh wow! You have several berries there that I haven't heard about before, thanks for including them.

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    1. You bet. :) The berries are so vibrant and lush this time of year!

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  3. Gorgeous! I would never have guessed that was yew.

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    1. Hi Lisa: Yes, the berries are bright and striking, aren't they? So many berries that I only photographed a few...

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  4. Oooh, luscious autumn berries, they look so good, one could almost eat them! I know that American Beautyberry is edible (for humans), but I'm not familiar with most of the others. Lovely set of photos, Beth! Tina

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    1. Hi Tina: Thanks! Yes, some are edible, and great for baking. I did a story for a publication lately about some of them. But I wanted to focus on them as "eye candy" for this post. ;-)

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  5. Amazing berries. The colour of Callicarpa berries always amazes me.
    thequiltinggardener

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  6. Hello, I am a big fan of Salomon Seal berries, I think because they are blue. ;-)

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    1. Hi Carla: Yes, the Solomon's Seal plants and berries are fun natives. We didn't plant any of that species here...they love this property, though (shade, rich soil, lots of natural leaf mulch). :)

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  7. The Solomon's Seal is my favorite, probably because I don't have any! Gorgeous photos.

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    1. Thank you. :) I didn't plant any of the Solomon's Seal...they're native here and self-seed around. I love them, too.

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  8. The sumac is a nostalgic favorite. Russet tones, tart flavor, scent of autumn. And who doesn't love the brightness of the red against the dark green yew?

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    1. I agree. The Sumacs have such vibrant color in the autumn, no matter what type of autumn we have. The berries are fascinating, too, although I've never tasted them. Yes, the berries on the Yew are bright and vibrant, too. :)

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  9. Gorgeous lush berries. I love the name ' Dolls Eyes for the White baneberries as this is what they look like.

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