African Garden + wildflower wednesday

A Berry Nice Wildflower Wednesday
Smilacina racemosa a/k/a Maianthemum racemosum

With the return of the rains, the garden has revived and many plants are surging into new growth. Instead of showing these, I decided to feature the beauteous berries of wildflowers, some of which are quickly gobbled up by hungry creatures, others that persist for months, such as the Solomon's plume berries shown above, which will become a vibrant red very soon.

The fruits of jack-in-the pulpit also have a ways to go before reaching their full redness.

Arisaema triphyllum

Even green, the fruits are captivating. They remind me of the statue of Artemis as the mother goddess. Moving right along...

Aralia racemosa

the berries of Aralia racemosa are more showy than the blooms. The maroon/ruby/chianti color shines even in the shade. I wish they lasted longer, but the birds enjoy them too much.

And now, something blue.

Caulophyllum thalictroides

one of my favorite wildflowers, partly for nostalgic reasons, blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides). It's doing especially well this year. Too often, by the time the berries blue up, the foliage is a tattered mess because my garden is a bit too dry for its liking. The extreme amount of rain that's fallen since the end of July has saved the day this year.

Thanks go to Gail for hosting Wildflower Wednesday, the fourth Wednesday of every month.