Vaccinium macrocarpon (American cranberry) plant with ripened fruit. Photograph courtesy of Jessica Frega and Carolina Habitats
Well, it is once again time to give thanks. A time to be grateful for food, fellowship, and native flora and fauna. This month’s weird and wonderful focus is not on a certain seasonal bird, but rather on a certain berry: the American cranberry, to be exact. Also known as bear berry, large cranberry, or marsh berry, this rare species is found in the mountain bogs of our state, often residing near sphagnum moss, within which the cranberry seeds easily germinate. It is an evergreen shrub that forms thick mats of stems and small leaves, resulting in it also being described as a creeping vine. This species produces white-to- pale pink flowers from May through June and bears bright red fruit from August through November, though oftentimes the berries can still be found on the plant in the following spring.
Vaccinium macrocarpon (American cranberry) flower and leaves. Photograph courtesy of Jessica Frega and Carolina Habitats
Originally termed “crane-berry” due to the flower and fruit’s resemblance to the head and neck of a crane, this tart berry is enjoyed by wildlife and humans alike. This species, Vaccinium macrocarpon, is the plant from which modern cranberry cultivars are grown in the commercial cranberry industry. Cranberry bog farming is not without its perils: several species of semi-aquatic spiders inhabit the bogs, hunting the other invertebrates that call that landscape home. When the bogs are flooded to initiate the harvest, the spiders search for higher ground, which often ends up being the farmers wading into the water. Now, while many people may associate cranberries with the fall and winter seasons, they are utilized year-round and have been for centuries. In the past, indigenous tribes would dry the berries and pound them into strips of dried venison to make a winter staple called pemmican. In addition, they would incorporate the fruit into poultices for wounds; today cranberries are often prescribed as a means of boosting one’s immune system and as a source of antioxidants. The next time you take a sip of cranberry juice, remember the brave bog farmers who fended off spiders while harvesting the ripe cranberries.
Vaccinium macrocarpon (American cranberry) plant. Photograph courtesy of Kurt Frega and Carolina Habitats.
American cranberry, aside from being a Thanksgiving star, is immensely important to the insect life in its locality, providing food for numerous butterfly and moth species. The leaves, fruit, and roots provide sustenance to caterpillars throughout the spring and summer. One such butterfly is the Bog Copper, a small species that requires the American cranberry for its entire life cycle. The adults feed on raindrops and on the nectar from the flowers, with females laying a single egg at the base of each leaf. Since the cranberry plant grows along the ground, the leaves are often submerged in the water within the bog, but the eggs can withstand periodic flooding events. The caterpillars emerge in the spring and begin feasting on the leaves and new shoots of their host plant. In addition, bumblebee species, which have been on the decline in recent years, are the primary pollinators for the American cranberry, collecting nectar and pollen from the flowers. So, if you want to increase the amount of butterfly, moth, and bumblebee species in your backyard garden, consider adding this weird and wonderful bog plant. The native fauna will thank you, and as a bonus you will get to enjoy the fruits of your labor with homemade cranberry sauce every fall.