Interesting Information

Elderberry

One of the joys of summer is to see how the delicate blossom of spring turns, as if by magic, to the fruit we all look forward to harvesting in the autumn. I am sure you are all familiar with the fruits of apple and pear trees, but I wonder how many of you, like me, have an elderberry shrub growing in your garden or have seen one flowering naturally amongst the country hedgerows?

The elderberry, which is native to Britain, is now making a comeback after having been out of fashion for many years, although in times past it was much prized for both its flowers, which were used to make a cordial drink, and its berries from which wine was made. Look in your local supermarket and see if you can spot any elderberry cordial on the shelves.

The elegant umbrellas of creamy white flowers which the elderberry produces appear in June /July and turn to close packed clusters of small black berries in September. As with other fruit bearing trees and shrubs which are vital to wildlife, we humans are in competition with the birds, who love to gorge themselves on the this juicy treat packed full of health giving vitamins. Small mammals also enjoy a meal of elderberries.

Try the dot to dot. You will see that this reveals the �pinnate' form of the elderberry's leaves, which are deciduous (fall off in autumn). Pinnate means that the leaf has a number of leaflets (3 -7) growing from a main stem.