It's still cold and not much is going on in the garden. Signs of spring are coming slowly. The familiar aroma of dead skunk in the road, big flocks of robins working the open green places, and turkey vultures circling overhead are all welcome signs of spring. Even so Ed had to take a long walk to the back to find something colorful to photograph. He found this partridgeberry berry left over from last year. The turkeys and grouse missed this one. Red partridgeberries have two belly buttons since a single berry comes from two pretty little white flowers. So distinctive, the berry and the leaves make it possible for positive identification. The berries are edible but don't taste like much. In my opinion they are definitely not worth a case of "beaver fever" unless you really are lost in the woods. Ed left the berry for a grouse or wild turkey that might happen by. Later when May arrives, we can look for flowers.
Ed took a couple of pictures as he found the plant. To confirm the identity of the plant, the berry was turned up revealing the twin buttons. The final picture, the one seen here, was snapped with both buttons up.
3 comments:
I never knew turkey vultures were a sign of spring...we have seen many this past week so I will take it as a wonderful omen to the heralding to spring...
Learned something new about partridgeberries! Didn't realize they came from two flowers! I've loved spotting them and chewing on their leaves(reminds me of wintergreen) since I was a child. Is there really such a thing as beaver fever?
"Beaver fever" is a name for Giardiasis which is a parasite you can pick up from animals or polluted water. Hikers can get it from water or berries along the trail. Be like a racoon wash stuff before you eat it!
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