Discovering His Creation: American Beautyberry / French Mulberry (Callicarpa americana)

This has been an amazing summer for learning new wildflowers, plants, shrubs and trees. The tiny lavender flowers on what I thought was a small tree caught my eye when taking a look at the Muscadine down the hill . The American Beautyberry which is a shrub can grow to 9ft tall. They usually reach 3-5 ft which is about the size of this one right now. It is native to the Southeastern United States. I Can't remember if I've noticed this down the hill before or even the berries that will appear later. There is so much to see and usually I'm busy working, using the weed eater or raking. The fruit is edible and this will be another new one for me to try. The berries can be astringent so best if eaten raw to eat only a few at a time. It can be used to make jellies and teas. The birds and deer also love the fruit. The Native Americans used the leaves and roots medicinally. There are said to be chemicals present in American Beautyberry that act as a insect repellent. Boy do we need that here ! Mosquitoes are in abundance ! :( One of these chemicals has been patented by the United States Department of Agriculture as a mosquito repellent. I think I will look for more of these wild and be moving them to new locations throughout the yard. I am thankful to have discovered again another valuable plant that has probably been here for a while. Take a look around you and discover God's creation today.