[I don't have a good set of pictures (yet), but follow the CAHE links below to pictures and other details from the Native Plant database at the College of Agriculture and Home Economics library at Washington State University.]

Of course, my enthusiasm may seem somewhat abstract without actual, ripe berries at hand. While some of these berries may be delectable as early as (it has happened!) late May, and huckleberries still yummy (though some would quibble about that) into October, they are generally best in the months of July, August, and September. Earlier if there is several weeks of hot, sunny weather (which also improves the flavor), later if the weather is wet or cool. By the way, several vendors at the Pike Place Market offer preserves and jams of some of these berries.

Okay, so I am not so fond of salmonberries (Rubus spectabilis), but they are prolific, and were (I'm told) a major food item for the Indians. Shade tolerant and water loving, they grow just about anywhere that is wet: ditches, around the edges of lakes, just about any low spot that catches water. Indeed, salmon berry indicate wet areas that trailbuilders do well to avoid. If you came through the Fence Line Trail from the old trailhead you undoubtably recognize salmon berry now: up to eight feet high, woody stems with lots of small thorns. The berry is like a raspberry, but a salmon color that ranges up to a dark red. And pretty tasteless. CAHE

Now thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) is definitely a sublime berry, and my favorite. Not nearly as common as the other berries (darn!), it is nonetheless abundant in and about the road cut just before Boxley Creek. It can be spotted by leaves that are gigantic compared to other members of the Rubus family--six inches or more across. The berry is a dark red (when ripe), delicious, and oh so fragile. Indeed, it is difficult to pick one with out crushing it. CAHE

In Western Washington we have three kinds of blackberries. Most well known, because it is everywhere, is the Himalayan blackberry (formerly Rubus procerus, now Rubus armeniacus). Introduced by Luther Burbank a century ago, who apparently thought it was native to the Himalayas, it is now believed to have originated in Armenia. You undoubtably recognize the large canes, with the serious, in-curving thorns, tending to form dense thickets. It has large, tasty, sweet berries, but it is an aggressive invader. When you find it growing across the trail, don't just clip it: put on some heavy gloves and rip it out! There's plenty enough elsewhere.

Also wide-spread but not quite as prolific is the Evergreen blackberry (Rubus lacianatus). Another immigrant, I'm told it came from England. It also forms thickets, which can be distinguished at a distance by a subtle reddish color to the stalks and leaves. Close up, the distinguishing characteristic is how deeply the leaves are serrated. The berry is generally not as sweet as the Himalayan berry. Though it seems to be a matter of taking longer to ripen: if we have a hot, late summer they are reasonably good. There is a solid patch of these in the ditch just before the Cedar Butte trailhead, and various outbreaks in the logged area. Pull them out, too!

The one native blackberry (Rubus ursinus) is called dewberry, or trailing blackberry. It behaves more like a vine, sending out long, slender runners with a tinge of blue through grass and low brush, often snaking across the trail, and can trip up the unwary. But a very edible berry, very sweet and tasty. A wonderful treat, and never enough of them! To judge by the Latin name, I suspect bears also like it. CAHE

Rounding out the local members of the Rubus family is a variety of raspberry, the black raspberry--well, the berries are more of a dark purple color, but that's what folks call it. Not as tasty as the "improved" varieties of cultivated raspberries, but a pleasing treat to find while tramping through thick woods.

The red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium) is another of my favorites. Closely related to blueberries, these are the bushes with the tiny leaves and red berries that line the lower section of the Cedar Butte trail through the area that was logged, and a significant reason why my friends are often (patiently!) waiting for me at the bottom of the trail. One of the first berries to ripen in the late spring, they persist in abundance into October. I love them, but I have to admit they are a bit tart, and not excessively sweet. (A certain friend is always asking me if they are ripe yet. So once in a while I call out: "Yuck! That one was ripe!!" Oh, well.) Shade tolerant, they can be found through out the woods, especially in old rotted logs or stumps. But they thrive and throng in areas that have been logged or burnt, or where heavy winter snows suppress the trees. The leaves turn bright red in the autumn, coloring many of the upper (and steeper) mountain slopes, such as on West Defiance. CAHE

Important caution: while I generally encourage people to sample the various berries, there is a potential danger. In particular, something called "deadly nightshade", which is dangerous to small children. This is actually a creeper, sort of like a dimminutive ivy, often found in one's yard. (Or a neighbor's yard.) It has small, red berries, much similar to huckleberries. If you introduce children to red huckleberries, please emphasize that these grow on a bush, and that they should avoid red berries that grow on any kind of vine or creeper.

The Oregon grape (Berberis nervosa) is a characteristic plant of the Western Washington forests. (I gather it's common in Oregon, too.) A low-lying evergreen bush, a key characteristic is the spines on the leaves. It also has a distinctive yellow flowery part (my botanical nomenclature needs extending). The berry is edible, though many people would wonder why--it can be pretty sour! CAHE

Salal (Gaultheria shallon) is also charcteristic of the Pacific Northwest, being the most common roadside shrub. It is very similar to Oregon grape in form, but has a rounder, slightly larger leaf that lacks the spines. It can form dense, waist-high thickets that are difficult to travel through. A sun-loving plant, it grows well on the south side of Cedar Butte, wherever sufficient sunlight can get through the trees. The trail up from the Blowout used to go through several thick patches of salal, but they seem to be dying out, probably because of reduced sunlight. Also an edible berry, it was a significant part of the diet of the local Indians. CAHE

And those are the principal edible berries on Cedar Butte. There are others, but these are the most prevalent.