Wednesday
Nov182009
What in tarnation?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 4:49AM
Those are the words that popped into my mind, I swear it's true. What in tarnation are those? I thought. Who actually says the word tarnation? I mean, other than me. I would love to know its etymological origins.
What in tarnation are those? Why are they growing outside the studio?
It looked like a plum, but smaller. And there were different colors growing on the same tree.
Is one ripe and the other unripe? What in tarnation are they doing out here? Not that I'm complaining, it's just that the studio is not exactly located in the Garden of Eden.
And there's not just a few here and there. We're talking a whole tree full, and then some. In fact, does that look like several trees growing fruit? Things are really intertwined and overgrown back here in the Garden of Tarnation.
Are these persimmons? That's the only thing I can come up with. The birds adore them. In fact, they were angry at me for having the audacity to leave the windowless studio and step outside for a moment. There is yarn to make, after all. And it's important that I not leave until every last bit of it is well and truly done, even if it means waiting until my children are 25, coming and going only during the dark hours of the day, and all the (persimmons?) are off the tree. The birds are HUNGRY.
Look what else I found on my daylight foray.
Are these currants? Or some kind of southern berry that I've never heard of before?
(An aside: having grown up in the great white north my mother refers to as American Siberia, I was unaware that there was an entire magazine devoted to living in the American South. I was also unaware, having grown up in the aforementioned Siberia, that Washington, DC is indeed the South. It's not just "south of Maine," it's the South-South. It says so in right here in my Southern Living magazine.)
Currant? Unheard-of southern berry? Currant? Unheard-of southern berry? They grow close to the ground, if that helps any.
And these. These have to be someone messing with me. What other explanation is there for all of the trees and bushes outside my studio to suddenly, in mid-November, begin producing copious amounts of unidentifiable fruit?
They're iridescent. They're purple and light blue and dark blue. And they have chartreuse leaves.
I got nothin'. They're definitely not blueberries. Notice how the stem on the left has been stripped of almost all the berries? And notice how the leaf on the right is half-eaten?
All of this stuff was growing mingled together, the red berries at ground level, the blue berries 3-5 feet off the ground, and the plummy-persimmony things starting at about five feet and going "way, way high up in de sky" like my baby would say.
The whole time I was out there, there was a secret bird operation going on. They were clearly worried I was encroaching on their territory, and were signaling each other both raucously and covertly about my whereabouts and my doings.
She has a large instrument used for harvesting our fruit! It has a big round window on the front and a button that makes a sound! She's getting close to the fruit! Prepare for a 5-9-8-7!
So more raucous than covert, then. Seeing as I could clearly make out what the birds were saying to each other.
I, too, am a woman of hidden talents.
What kind of birds are these? They're brown and iridescent. Small-medium sized (this was taken from far away).
I think these are the grown up babies of the mama bird who, this spring, made a nest in my air conditioner.
She did a good job cleaning up after herself, you can't see the remnants of the nest anymore.
So, quick recap of today's What in tarnation? quest:
Persimmons?
Currants?
No idea?
Starlings?
Help?
What in tarnation are those? Why are they growing outside the studio?
It looked like a plum, but smaller. And there were different colors growing on the same tree.
Is one ripe and the other unripe? What in tarnation are they doing out here? Not that I'm complaining, it's just that the studio is not exactly located in the Garden of Eden.
And there's not just a few here and there. We're talking a whole tree full, and then some. In fact, does that look like several trees growing fruit? Things are really intertwined and overgrown back here in the Garden of Tarnation.
Are these persimmons? That's the only thing I can come up with. The birds adore them. In fact, they were angry at me for having the audacity to leave the windowless studio and step outside for a moment. There is yarn to make, after all. And it's important that I not leave until every last bit of it is well and truly done, even if it means waiting until my children are 25, coming and going only during the dark hours of the day, and all the (persimmons?) are off the tree. The birds are HUNGRY.
Look what else I found on my daylight foray.
Are these currants? Or some kind of southern berry that I've never heard of before?
(An aside: having grown up in the great white north my mother refers to as American Siberia, I was unaware that there was an entire magazine devoted to living in the American South. I was also unaware, having grown up in the aforementioned Siberia, that Washington, DC is indeed the South. It's not just "south of Maine," it's the South-South. It says so in right here in my Southern Living magazine.)
Currant? Unheard-of southern berry? Currant? Unheard-of southern berry? They grow close to the ground, if that helps any.
And these. These have to be someone messing with me. What other explanation is there for all of the trees and bushes outside my studio to suddenly, in mid-November, begin producing copious amounts of unidentifiable fruit?
They're iridescent. They're purple and light blue and dark blue. And they have chartreuse leaves.
I got nothin'. They're definitely not blueberries. Notice how the stem on the left has been stripped of almost all the berries? And notice how the leaf on the right is half-eaten?
All of this stuff was growing mingled together, the red berries at ground level, the blue berries 3-5 feet off the ground, and the plummy-persimmony things starting at about five feet and going "way, way high up in de sky" like my baby would say.
The whole time I was out there, there was a secret bird operation going on. They were clearly worried I was encroaching on their territory, and were signaling each other both raucously and covertly about my whereabouts and my doings.
She has a large instrument used for harvesting our fruit! It has a big round window on the front and a button that makes a sound! She's getting close to the fruit! Prepare for a 5-9-8-7!
So more raucous than covert, then. Seeing as I could clearly make out what the birds were saying to each other.
I, too, am a woman of hidden talents.
What kind of birds are these? They're brown and iridescent. Small-medium sized (this was taken from far away).
I think these are the grown up babies of the mama bird who, this spring, made a nest in my air conditioner.
She did a good job cleaning up after herself, you can't see the remnants of the nest anymore.
So, quick recap of today's What in tarnation? quest:
Persimmons?
Currants?
No idea?
Starlings?
Help?
Reader Comments (21)
Unfortunately, I have no botanical skills or even bird watching skills to be of even marginal help-lol! But I rather enjoyed the nature shots and I'm just sayin' if you ever were inspired by those blue berries in the dyeing realm, I wouldn't be opposed;)
How wonderful to have all this activity and beauty right outside your studio! Remember how the Cedar Waxwings would come in huge flocks and eat the frozen, fermented Mountain Ash berries on our front tree? And how some of them fell off the branches, tipsy?
Here are a couple of guesses about your stuff, but I'm anxious to see what others say. I think the second picture might be small persimmons - not the pointed larger kind they sell in CA. A different variety. I think the eighth picture shows wild grapevine berries. And I thought the birds might be Brownheaded Cowbirds, but they're not known for eating fruit, I don't think, so I'm not sure.
I looked up the origin of "tarnation" and do not feel led to share it here. :)
Love you.
I can help with the first photos - they're definitely persimmons. Welcome to the South! I spent 10 years in Minnesota and I can tell you that it feels like balm to be back where there are berries in November (not to mention 70-degree days) and flowers in March instead of mountains of snow. aaahhh... By the way, I second your currant idea too, but I'm not sure about that.
I've got nothing enlightening to offer, except that I don't think the red berries are currants. Which is to say, I totally thought they were currants until I Googled currants and saw that the berries look like your berries, but currant leaves are three pronged. Maybe you have some sort of mutant currant that only grows in the Garden of Tarnation? We could call it the Yarnista Berry.
Starlings. The white spots give them away. Also their very hideous and completely not melodic "song."
Definitely persimmons. Get picking, woman! As for the rest, I dunno. Those red things don't look like the currants I've seen. Well, the berries might, but they aren't growing in bunches on a stem shooting off of the main branch. And the leaves aren't right. So don't eat them.
How nice to see a blog entry. Guess we've been keeping you way too busy. ;-)
first fruit: persimmons
redberries: look like honeysuckle berries. robins love them!
blue berries: look a bit like hawthorn, but i can't see the leaves clearly enough. is the plant like a shrubby tree with rough bark?
birds aren't clear, but not cowbirds. the beaks are too long & the color is too reddish. possibly a veery or brown thrasher.
Tarnation!!! Love that word!
No help here either, just giggling at your mama's "do not feel led to share" comment, nodding in agreement with Wendy about blue berry based yarn, and like Sandy, very glad to see an update showing that you do get to see daylight occasionally! We do want yarn, but we also hope you have a life. ;)
I wouldn't recommend eating the red ones. That's all I've got! Such pretty trees and berries though, how lucky this is right outside your door.
Not much help on the berries (Iowan, sorry) but I bet they would make pretty natural dyes especially those unknown bluish ones :)
yup, persimmons, and they have another use: winter prognostication. Cut one open, find the seed and use a very sharp thin knife to cut it open. The little embryo inside will make one of three shapes: knife, means and icy cold winter; fork means a lot of dry snow, and spoon means lots of rain. Also starlings are related to mynahs, so they make lovely pet birds, if you find an orphaned baby. Great mimics and very personable. There's a wonderful book I think called "Arnie the Darling Starling" or something.
Agree with persimmons. The red berries, look like honeysuckle - don't eat them! I think these mysteries of nature are there for inspiration for the Yarnista - the nautre collection! Glad to see you are spending at least a few minutes out in the fresh air.
Don't quote me, but I think those red berries are maybe bird-cherries? They're common where I live, and they are very popular with the birds! However, not for people!
Having lived in Mi and now in MN I have no clear idea what any of that fruit is... I was actually really surprised you had fruit in November, I'm so used to snow. We're behind on our snow fall here and it's been warm, I thought your post was more how the weather was unseasonable and the vegetation was confused (I know mine is, my rose bush started to sprout again! In MN! In November!)
sharon, the blue berries you see in your last photos are "Beauty Berries" and they are stunning. i tried to grow a bush in Danville Virginia but had so success with it. the friend who gave me the cutting told me what it was and she had given me a twig with those very berries on it, so when i saw your pics i recognized them. absolutely gorgeus color
I want to guess the red ones may be winter green. Can you pop one open and smell it? If it smells like Wint-o-green lifesavers then you know...
If you ever decide to do any natural dyeing you will be totally prepared!!
I definitely recognized the persimmons & starlings right off :) Being from KY those are things we see a lot of.
I almost want to say wild grape on the purple ones but something about it is making me say no (G-ma always made the most delicious wild grape jelly!).
The red ones look similar to the berries that show up on our bushes in the fall that the birds devour. But since we did not plant the bush I do not have any idea what it is.
Those are definitely persimmons. The red ones are honeysuckle (did you notice that some of them are stuck together, conjoined?) and are NOT edible.
The blue/purple/turquoise ones are my favorite. They are called porcelain berries. They are also not edible, but they are gorgeous (and, sadly, invasive weeds). Do a google image search for porcelain berries. The pictures are so pretty. They change from green, to white, to pale blue, to bright turquoise, to vivid blue, to bright pink, and bright purple. I don't know why, but as a kid I would squeeze them when they got ripe. One drop of white juice will pop out of the top and then go back in when you let go. They have one big seed in the middle.
Who says the internet is full of garbage?? Great post, I was searching for danville register bee and came across it. Glad I did....