Snowberries

The snow berries were looking glorious this morning as I did my usual walk up the hill and around the lanes.

Snowberry wasn't introduced to this country until the early 1800s and comes from North America.

I have read that the First Nations sometimes call this berry a Corpse Berry and snowberries are poisonous, although some UK birds will eat them at a push, but the name comes from the belief in these cultures, that they are the food of the dead.

Alternative names are ghostberry, waxberry and in Shropshire, lardy balls, as they resemble the balls of lard once sold in pig's bladders.