Glossy Buckthorn (Frangula alnus)
I think my most common summer phrase is “berry season is the best season”. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying wild-picked blueberries, huckleberries, red and black raspberries, and wineberries, as well as the blackberries that are just now starting to ripen (I picked my first ripe one this morning). Now that my eyes have a “berry” search image, there’s one shrub I’m noticing everywhere: glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus), which grows as a deciduous shrub or a small tree up to 20 feet…