- Curious about something you saw while walking in the woods? Spot the coolest bug ever? The prettiest flower and butterfly? Stumble on a rock and found a fossil? Or was it? This is the place to show your discoveries and share in the knowledge of the natural world right outside our doors. Join in the fun everyday at The Daily Bucket.
April 2015
Sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum) is a small tree in the Heath (Ericacea) family, closely related to Blueberry and found only in the Southeast. They are blooming now.
It produces many small berries, mostly black and, despite my attempt every year to eat one of the berries, they have no flavor and leave you with a mouth of tiny seeds you really want to spit out.
and a closeup of the blooms...
The best part about Sparkleberry, other than the pretty blooms and seeing this understory tree almost everywhere I go in the North Florida woods, is that it makes a perfect walking stick. Strong, lightweight, often a curve to it that fits your hand. Here's a bunch I recovered from Spring Canyon after chopping down 100s (and 100s) from under the Longleaf pines as part of the restoration. I give these sticks away, leave them at trailheads, offer a few of the best as gifts, and some of the odd distinctive sticks I even sold for 10 bucks each. Especially desired are those were I leave a stub of a branch up near the top to use as a "botany hook."
That's it for me; Bob's your uncle, etc....
See ya in the comments
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