Tag Archives: Huckleberry bushes

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Huckleberries, wild blueberries, are prized by pretty much everyone. Birds love the berries, as do four-legged animals like Deer. Two-legged animals - humans - love them too. This spring the bushes are absolutely load with beautiful white blossoms - they obviously loved all the rain we received this winter. Hall Kelley recently photographed one branch, saying the blossoms looked like a string of pearls.

If you note which bushes are laden, it's easier to find the ripe berries beginning in August. The berries are either dark blue or black. Here is a photo of mine showing the first huckleberries ripening. The green ones will continue to ripen through September, October and even November.

I call huckleberries "Mother Nature's antioxidant pill." They are rather tart, but delicious. I put them in sourdough pancakes - delish!

Thanks to Hall for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

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I so enjoy California Honeysuckle - Lonicera hispidula. In the spring lovely pink blossoms appear. And now, on this first day of autumn, the berries that formed after the blossoms have begun to ripen. They are round and a brilliant orange-red. They are edible but very bitter. Some birds will eat them if they can't find other food. With all the Huckleberry bushes we have on our property in Anchor Bay providing a multitude of sweet berries, the fruits of the Honeysuckle usually adorn the vines well into winter.

To see their pink blossoms, click on this link and imagine you are smelling their delicate fragrance: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/06/30/california-honeysuckle-has-begun-blooming-such-a-delicate-climbing-beauty/

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A gift of several used picnic tables got Rick and me to think outside the box. We decided to create an outdoor room. In the autumn when we get our hot weather this shaded table will be an oasis. We are fortunate to have a lot of large rocks on our land, which add beauty and interest. This is a mixed forest of Bishop Pines, Douglas Firs, Redwoods and Tan Oaks. Wild rhododendrons, huckleberries and manzanita grow beneath the trees, giving cover and shelter to wildlife.

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Despite the heavy storms of March that knocked some of the blossoms off the bushes, most Huckleberry Bushes have a profusion of blossoms. A few bushes even have tiny green huckleberries already formed up. When we first bought our property and we were walking the land with our friends, Tamarrah and Bill, Tamarrah said to me, "You know all these bushes are Huckleberries, don't you?" No, I didn't. I was thrilled! Not every year is a banner year for these wild blueberries. Last year was a great year. Now it looks like we will be celebrating two banner years in a row. Life is good!

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In the forest are 7 foot tall remnants of old growth Redwoods. The Gualala area was logged of Redwoods in the 1880's. The roots of the trees that were taken birthed second growth Redwoods and the stumps became a haven for plants such as these Huckleberry bushes. A few old growth Redwoods were spared in our area because they have a twisty growth pattern. I'll share a photo of one of those ancients in the days to come.