Snowberries

Day 69: Snowberries (Symphoricarpos albus) go largely unnoticed throughout most of the year. They are bushy, greyish-green leaves quite effectively hiding small and nondescript white flowers, and are common along lowland roads and trails. In winter, however, their beauty becomes strikingly apparent as the fruits swell and form clusters along the branches. The berries are purportedly poisonous (animals and birds do not consume them) although Native peoples used them sparingly as a carminative. The fruits are pithy and contain small seeds inside a firm skin which has delighted countless generations of children as something to be popped.