Elderberry

Elderberry...reminds me of a couple movies; there's the scene in Arsenic and Old Lace where the two crazy aunts are trying to get the old man to drink the elderberry wine - "elderberry wine? Why, I haven't had elderberry wine since I was a boy!" And of course, there are the insult-hurling french guards from The Holy Grail ("...and your father smelt of elderberries!") But seriously, elderberries have a place in cultural heritage for their use in cordials, preserves, medicine, and wine.

Anyway, red elderberry - Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa (formerly S. Callicarpus) is the elderberry species native to our region. Last I heard, Elderberry were in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae), but rumor has it genetic information has put it into the Axodaceae family.

Here's a fairly large, sprawling elderberry bush in Rockport.

That guy cruising down Highway 1 was doing some serious trekking - with all his belongings in one of those fancy baby-strollers. He seemed intent on making it to Westport that evening - and it was already 4:30 in the evening. "La Naturaleza, " he commented, as he passed me taking a photo, and then proceeded to inquire if there was a restaurant in Westport and if there was any thing sooner...10 miles on foot to the next meal. That's earning one's dinner.

PS: The Trillium petals are just beginning to turn pink.