Snowberry – BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking

September 19th n- One of the odder fruits of the autumn is the snowberry. Serving only as bird food, this ornamental shrub, like firethorn, is often used for ornamentation in public parks, edge lands, industrial estate landscaping and so on.

As far as I can tell, the birds seem to like the white berries that make a distinctive popping sound when stepped on or thrown hard at the floor, and the bees certainly like the pink and white flowers, still very much in evidence on the same shrubs as the large, healthy-looking fruit.

Snowberry will grow with little attention needed and does look pretty, especially when dappled by dew, as these examples in the centre of Darlaston attest.

September 13th – On the way home, I was travelling in the damp air and landscape just after heavy rainfall. Everything glittered, reflected and shone. Of the things rendered precious, few were more beautiful than the snowberries near the roadside in Pleck which looked pure and dappled with glinting raindrops.

Cycling after rain is a joy. Actually in the rain – not so much.

October 16th – Spotted in Wednesbury, a whole line of snowberry bushes. These low, still flowering shrubs are peppered with the globular, white berries that look quite beautiful.

I know of no other fruit like it. I assume it’s an import for ornamental reasons. It’s certainly one of the markers of autumn.

August 25th – Although it was a grey, miserable morning, the canal near Bentley Bridge still looked awesome. It’s still very lush and green, in spite of the merciless mowing of the towpath. Today I noted snowberries were coming on to fruit, and the ragwort is still going well.

A little brightness is always nice on dull days. The kingfishers remain elusive…

July 13th – I headed to work on a sodden, rainy, wet Monday morning. It was a hard ride in humid conditions, when waterproofs leave you wetter from sweat than the rain they shield you from.

Pausing for a breather in Darlaston, I spotted the snowberry bushes in flower, spotted with raindrops. They captivated me.