The American Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana, is in its berrying-up mode once again, on track for autumn bird migration and general purple peckishness by birds and mammals.
The gardener won’t dine on the berries, but is infatuated with the bodacious beautyberries!
Some years the berries disappear just after the purpeling, but at other times–and this year is one of those times–the berries linger, wildlife apparently having other dining choices and so aren’t snarfing the berries the second they turn purple. There have been nibblers on the berries; I’ve witness one or more Mockingbirds dashing away as I approach, berry in beak. In this shot, notice the empty pedicels alongside those still offering berries. As well, more evidence of bird visitation are the splotches of white in the background which are splashes of bird poop. Birds eat, birds poop!
Most of the berries on my shrub are purple, but some are stubbornly slow to segue from the unripe creamy white to the luscious metallic purple. That’s okay, those will turn eventually, thus providing nourishment and beauty for a later time when ripe and ready.
The American Beautyberry is a lovely, deciduous shrub. With an airy growth pattern, its wide, rich green foliage is arrayed along graceful, arching branches. The purple berries are preceded in June and early July by dainty clusters of sweet pink blooms. My limited photographic skills have never quite captured just how attractive this shrub is, berrying or not.
I recently took these two photos at about 6pm and at 100F. Yes, it’s been that hot in sunny Austin, Texas! This shot is from the side of the shrub,
…and this one is facing the front of the shrub.
You’ll notice that the leaves are a tad droopy. You would be a tad droopy too if you were sitting out, day after day, in 100F+ temperatures!
Even though the plant looks droopy, on this particular day, the plant really didn’t need extra water. One job of roots is to take in water from the soil and deliver moisture through plants’ vascular systems to keep foliage and blooms fresh. When soil is moist, plants’ roots are effective in delivering water and plants are vibrant and healthy. During daylight hours plants release water vapor through stomata and when it’s hot and dry, that release increases. This process is called transpiration and it often causes leaves look droopy toward the end of a day. But during overnight hours when temperatures cool, plants recover the water in their leaves because the process of transpiration significantly slows and roots are able to deliver moisture to the plant. When soil is extremely dry and the roots have no water to extract and deliver, plants wilt–and remain wilted. And if wilting continues for for a long enough period of time, plants die.
I don’t fuss when I see wilted plants at the end of a day, especially during our long, hot growing season. But when a plant is wilted in the morning? It gets a nice, deep drink! The Beautyberry is a thirstier plant than most of the others I grow and requires a drink about once every five days or so. I love the plant, so I’m committed to that watering schedule and is why I placed it on this spot near an outdoor water spigot.
This Beautyberry berrying season I haven’t successfully captured any wild thing eating, but last year at about this same time I observed a young female House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus, who enjoyed the berries.
Bon Appétit to all who partake!
Such a pretty berry. While I have one, we are at the northern end of its range and it struggles with our frigid winters, often dying back, poor thing!
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It really is. Does yours return from the roots, or is it a goner after winter?
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The roots and parts below the snow line seem to come through alright and sprout from there, but I think the plant struggles having to expend energy year after year. However, I can’t bear to abandon it entirely!
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That would make sense, given how far north you are. Good for you for keeping it–and hope–alive!
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I remember the first time I saw those in the woods around my house in TX. The color is so stunning. Years later, Mother Nature planted one outside my kitchen window, and I was able to get some bird photos through the window. I found out they will grow here, so the Beautyberry is on my list.
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Yay! So glad you can grow it there! Funnily enough, mine (I’ve grown 2 individual plants) have never produced seedlings, at least not in my gardens.
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I think that was the only one that ever came up. Everything must have lined up just right.
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You’re fortunate to have caught the finch in flagrante delicto.
The beautyberry plants in our yard are indeed looking droopy now, despite having a full complement of fruit.
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As I recall, I took photos of this female and her mate from my bedroom window, just above where the beautyberry is located. They were on the shrub for a long time. Fortunately, the window must have been relatively clean. 🙂
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BEWARE Bears like berries ⚠️
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I know! There are no bears here, just raccoons, opossums, grey foxes, and lots of birds. We’re safe, from bears anyhow!
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I LOVE beauty berries but they and plumbago are two plants that just never ever thrive for me! I stopped trying to force it, but I sure wish I could grow these guys like yours- they’re so beautiful!
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That’s a bummer, but I feel your plant pain. I have a couple of plants that I really like that I’ve given up trying to grow. It’s weird, isn’t it?
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The prettiest beautyberry sight I ever came across was in Arkansas. The plants with their deep purple berries were interspersed with goldenrod, and the leaves of the beautyberry had turned the lovliest yellow imaginable. I’ve never seen that here; I suspect that northwest Arkansas was just enough far enough north that the foliage changed like leaves on the trees. I still haven’t seen any goldenrod in bloom here, but I’ll have to check out our local beautyberries and see if they’re in full color.
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Wow, that must have really bee something! My beautyberry leaves do turn a really nice shade of yellow, but most years, they just drop. Last year, they stayed on for a few days and were so nice. I can only imagine what they looked like with the purple berries and goldenrod!
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Love it! My zone 5b is just a bit too cool for it. I have ‘Pearl Glam’ but that’s not native. I’m thinking of replacing it with the native, which apparently dies back to the ground in my zone, but might grow back quickly each spring. We’ll see. It’s a wonderful plant!
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Yeah, I imagine you’re just a little too cold in the winter, but I hope you can find a spot for it. It is a great plant!
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Thank you for giving us glances of your beautiful, bodacious berries, Tina. I have never seen them in Colorado, but they used to grace my dad’s garden in front of the house where they drew a lot of admiring looks.
Interestingly, I never saw a bird eat them. Maybe they aren’t as tasty as other berries to a bird’s palate.
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Thank you, Tanja! I don’t often see birds eat the berries, but I have noticed that they are steadily disappearing. I’m both gratified and a little sad. 🙂
On the plus side, I’ve seen a Yellow Warbler and a female Painted Bunting visiting the pond–fall migration!!
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