Usually I love to share what is blooming in the area, however I wanted to also focus your attention on some of the fruit that you might currently see on the trails.
One of the many beautiful native climbing vines that is setting fruit is the Pink Honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula var. vacillans). From April to June it blooms a beautiful pink flower that carries a sweet honey like nectar. In the early weeks of autumn it produces a berry fruit that resembles a red gemstone.
Many native tribes used the hollow stem as a pipe stem and the ashes for tattooing. The berries are relished by the birds and are edible to humans, though they taste bitter. Their native range is confined to the western states of California, Oregon, and Washington, and extends north into British Columbia. Pink Honeysuckle grows near stream courses and in oak woodlands in shade or full shade.
