Beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

TL;DR: Don’t eat them when they look like this.

While beautyberry is known for its sweetness, these berries are old and dried out. Don’t ask me how they tasted, cause it won’t make you want to try them. Thankfully, this spot should yield some preservable berries later in the spring!

I recently read that the leaves of the beautyberry plant can be used as a mildly effective mosquito/bug repellent. As anyone who’s ever been in a swampy area with blood sucking insects can tell you, a little bit of help goes a long way.

The bright purple color of these berries pops out of the forest unlike anything else, even after they’ve dried out. As a final fact, this unique plant is known for cropping up in the aftermath of forest fires.

Stay tuned for a follow up post in the spring!