A New Look at Beautyberry!

Ahh..Beautyberry..that wonderful bush that grows wild everywhere on the Coast! I have always loved this little bush and try to leave as many as possible in my yard. The purple wads of berries on each stem bring back memories of growing up on the farm..our chickens loved eating these berries. It always tickled me to see the fat hens jumping up and down to reach the higher berries until one would get the bright idea of flying onto a branch. The slender branches would not support the weight of the chubby chicken and both the branch and the bird would fall to the ground. This would cause a flurry of activity as all the others would rush in to eat as many berries as they could before the branch would straighten again. I can also remember picking these same branches to put in buckets with the Ditch Daisies (aka wild Black-eyed Susans) to use as decorations for the Halloween Carnivals held at the local elementary school. (None of those cheap paper cut-outs for our carnivals! Real cornstalks, daisies, Beautyberries and scarecrows from the fields decorated the booths! But that is another post!) Now, I just love the bright purple berries as an ornament in my yard..not quite..it is not as simple as that! I have found another use for this old favorite! Recently, it was brought to my attention that the leaves of this very same plant can be used as an effective mosquito repellent! WooHoo! I now adore this bush! Who would have imagined that??? Even better..these same leaves when rubbed on your shoes and pant legs will repel deer ticks..those nasty things that might give you a not-so-lovely gift..Lyme Disease. PLUS! Fireants can be repelled by using the oils distilled from the leaves! Ok..so face it..I live in South Mississippi..a plant that will repel mosquitoes, deer ticks and fireants??..a dream come true for sure! And there are some people that will tell you that the berries make wonderful jelly..this I cannot say as I have never even tried to eat any. Still I think this plant is amazing! If there ever was a "multi-purpose" bush this is it! American Beautyberry.. the Gerber or Leatherman tool of the plant world!

Oh, I just had to show you this picture. As I was cutting grass today, I noticed several nice large mushrooms growing near the Grapefruit tree. Perched on top of one was one of my least favorite critters found near the Bayou..the Lubber Grasshopper. He so reminded me of something out of "Alice and Wonderland" that he won a reprieve and was allowed to continue sitting there undisturbed. Tomorrow, I will probably find he has eaten one of my prized lilies and I will regret not ridding my yard of his presence!