‘Oso’berry, from the Spanish word for bear + berry.
The most widely used common name for this local is ‘Indian Plum’. A dated name to say the least. It is also sometimes referred to as a June Plum, Oregon Plum (inaccurately), Squaw berry (cringe), Osmaronia (plant nurseries), and Osoberry (from the Spanish word for bear).
So Osoberry it is..
It’s a native to the Pacific Northwest, from British Columbia, Canada to Santa Barbara County in California.. but you can read all about that kind of stuff on wikipedia. What I can tell you is why I chose to draw it and why I think it’s a special yet underappreciated local shrub.
Osoberry is usually the first sign of fresh life and new colour in our local wooded areas. A barometer of the coming change to Spring. A real ‘pick-me-up’ following our long, wet Vancouver winters. Early to bud and quick to bloom (mid-February), Osoberry ushers in the early Spring by lining paths and dutifully filling in the undergrowth, first with sprays of small white clustered flowers, followed in short order by large chartreuse, elliptical leaves. It always gets me looking forward to setting up the garden and Easter.
The flowers are one of the very first sources of nectar for pollinators and hummingbirds in the new year, and the berries that start to appear in early June are an important food sources for countless birds and mammals. Each berry cluster (female plants only) consists of a half dozen or more fruit resembling tiny plums, containing a hard pit and very tart flesh. I love how the fruit in each cluster tend to ripen at different times, offering a short-lived, tricolor rainbow display. Definitely something I would like to try and represent with some watercolour in the future.
The flowers.. can have a very strong scent of cat-urine if cut and taken indoors.. but on the trail, take a leaf and crush it in your hand to reveal a pleasant smell of cucumber. If your looking for birds.. vireos, kinglets, finches, junkos, hummingbirds and warblers, to name a few.. this is a good place to start. Of course, if you happen to be in the right area.. usually in the evening, you may also be lucky enough to see bears feeding on the fruit, as the name suggests. Sometimes, they leave behind a gift.. evidence of their last meal, filled with seeds ready to germinate. As I write this post, I am sitting not 10 meters away from this morning’s bear dung donation behind our house.
And when it’s all over, the Osoberry’s parting gift of seasonal colour is the change from green to cheerful yellow leaves. Splashes of yellow highlights begin to appear in July, accelerating in August before they detach and fall to the ground, eventually filling the forest floor and creating golden trails and pathways through the thinning under brush.
So now, I’m going to assume you know which shrub I’m talking about. Osoberry has always been a favourite of mine, as it offers so many opportunities and inspiration for creation and study, throughout the year.
For this sketch I chose a simple mechanical pencil, loaded with .07mm HB lead. I’m drawing on my cherished Christmas 2018 gift sketchbook from my creative buddy Caitlin. She got it from MUJI on Robson and customized the cover for me. The paper is plain white, probably 15lb pages, with smooth finish.
I drew this back on April 4th, 2019.
– Aaron