Thimbleberry Leaves

    The leaves have been rapidly loosing their color, but there is still some beautiful displays out there to see.  Yesterday my search was helped by some bright sunlight.  What you are looking at is a thimbleberry leaf basking in the sunshine.

    Thimbleberries seem to be a close relative of the raspberry.  Thimbleberries are a very common plant growing in the understory of the forests that surround our house.  They have a berry that looks a lot like a raspberry, and hint of the same flavor, but they are very dry.  They seem to take all the moisture out of your mouth, so we never use them for anything.  A friend’s mother calls the berries “flannel berries” because of the way they treat your mouth.

    I assume they got their name from the shape of the berries.  When they come off of the plant they could, with a bit of imagination, resemble a very thick padded thimble.

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