A Quest of Fall Berries 



pods, whose curling edges revealed the scar 

 let seeds within. Intermingled with the 

 stems of bittersweet, but climbing higher, 

 and spreading even over the top of the sur 

 rounding thicket, were the vines of the 

 moonseed, holding their scattered blue-black 

 berries in small, loose clusters. I was pleas 

 antly surprised to find the bunchberry 

 growing close to the water's edge, just over 

 the wall, and pushed my way through the 

 vines to gather a handful of the pretty red 

 berries, so like coral beads. 



I found hawthorn and dogwood bushes 

 growing by the sides of the road, soon after 

 I left the brook. I was glad to get the beau 

 tiful light blue berries of the dogwood, so 

 unlike any I had yet found ; and the scarlet- 

 spattered sprays of hawthorn made a fine 

 display on top of the basket. 



I found one other white berry during my 

 ramble--the white baneberry, not as clear 

 and transparent in color as the snowberry, 

 nor as solidly white, as it is marked by a 

 single obscure, cloudy spot near one end. 

 But it is beautifully oval in shape, and hangs 

 from the parent shrub in feathery clusters 

 that delight the eye. 



