September 22-23-24

The observation plaform on the Northland Loop Nature Trail proved to be a good spot to take some group pictures. This was the only sun we saw all weekend.

Natasha and Jeffa brouht Willa Mae along who seemed to enjoy the weekend.

Smooth witherod is a rounded, multi-stemmed, upright-spreading, deciduous shrub that typically grows in the wild to 5-12’ tall and as wide. It is native to low woods, swamps and bogs in the eastern and southeastern U. S. from Connecticut south to Florida and Louisiana.

It features aromatic white flowers arranged in flat-topped clusters (cymes 2-5” wide) in May-June. Flowers are followed by clusters of ovoid berries that change color as they ripen, from light pink to deep pink to blue to purplish-black. The berries are highly acidic but edible. Elliptic to oblong-lanceolate glossy dark green leaves (to 4” long). Foliage sometimes turns an attractive maroon to dark red-purple in fall.

In late summer to early fall, berries in shades of both deep pink and blue-purple often appear on the same cluster, in striking contrast to the foliage. This species is also sometimes commonly called possumhaw viburnum.

A typical Dolly Sods Red Spruce growing in the thin soil of this boulder strewn landscape.