Fruitful Findings

This year, as summer winds down here in the lowlands, the familiar blooms are mostly gone with the exception of a few very hardy souls like spreading dogbane, tansy, and a favorite of ours: orange jewelweed (shown at right). Even the mountain trail blooms are pretty sparse due to a very long, dry period since late spring. And now, with wildfires burning throughout the west and the subsequent smoky air, it's a challenge to get out in the field.

But fear not! Your intrepid wildflower blog team never sleeps - well, at least not when we are out on the trail! Sure the trails are super dusty now and every living thing near a trail has kind of a brown glow; but if you venture off a bit you can find some colorful and interesting rewards: fruits.

Mind you, these are not the kind of fruits we humans would eat - unless perhaps you are lost in the forest. Most of these fruits are toxic, small and colorful, just waiting for a ride to a new place, near or far, to set up camp and eek out a living. Whether it's a bird, mammal, insect, or just the wind, these fruits are on a mission to propagate!

However, since this is a family-friendly blog, we won't delve into the intricacies of botanical reproduction today. Instead we'll "focus" on the more artistic aspects of our fruits de jour. Here are some recent fruity findings.

Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus) at
Stub Stewart State Park 7/30.

False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) at Rooster
Rock State Park 7/06/2018.

The highly toxic Red Baneberry (Actaea rubra) at Rooster
Rock State Park 7/06/2018.

That's no chili pepper! Hooker's Fairy Bell
 (Disporum hookeri) in Forest Park 7/10/2018.

It's hard to ignore these cat's eye jewels: Star Flowered
 Solomon Seal (Maianthemum stellatum) at the Tillamook
Forestry Center 7/12/2018.

Cherry tomatoes? Sorry, no salsa here! False Lily of
the Valley (Maianthemum dilatatum) at Rood
 Bridge Park 8/20/2018.

His red sibling gets all the attention, but the Blue Elder-
berry (Sambucus nigra) is widespread
 throughout OR as well. 8/03/2018.

Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) 6/22/2018

Ok, here's one you can definitely eat: Thimbleberry
(Rubus parviflorus) at  the Tillamook Forestry
Center 7/12/2018.

If you've lived in Oregon for
one summer, then you know these:
Tall Oregon Grape (Mahonia
 aquifolium) at Fern Hill Wetlands
 8/03/2018.

And last but not least, here is your bonus round. If you can ID this native plant fruit, then you are a true local botanical wizard!

Hover or tap photo to reveal the ID.