Little Susitna River, Houston: Lowbush cranberries are quite red with some white unripe blotches remaining on undersides; most berries crunchy. A few plants are still flowering. Everything is looking good for picking later. Very impressive bunchberries this year, good snacks. Also snacked on nice timberberries and found a few trailing currants for snacks, too soft to keep.
August 5
Swamp land, Big Lake: Tried to pick every kind of berry around. Picked tons of wild raspberries. Also picked quite a few red currants and very ripe watermelon berries (almost too squishy to get.) Picked many perfect trailing black currants from one spot. Picked a few ripe crowberries, cloudberries, and rosehips here and there. Snacked on ripe timberberries. Lowbush cranberries are large and green and highbush are turning red. Huge, interesting mushrooms are everywhere as well as a ton of mourning cloak caterpillars in feeding frenzies.
May 23
Swamp land, Big Lake: Currant flowers have been going absolutely crazy all over the Valley. I’ve seen many red currant and skunk currant flowers particularly. Red elderberry plants have purplish green heads getting ready to flower. Blueberries flowering. Timberberry flowering. Bog cranberry flowering.
July 24
Swamp land, Houston: Picked perfect blueberries. Perfect timberberries and bunchberries all around, super happy this year (actually tasty). Lowbush cranberry (half red/green) look super good and plentiful this year.