Mountain ash berries

[ArtB]

Just like clockwork, the robins and other migratory birds are going south and stripping every mountain ash of berries.

Seems like the last 2 years they descend on one particular tree out our kitchen window -- never noticed them before in such a crazed feeding frenzy. Tree will be stripped in an hour.

This particular M ash is about 40 years old, maybe 30 ft high, 7" DBH, more like a huge bush. Tree is in pretty heavy shade of D. Fir and bigleaf maple, only gets a few hours morning sun.

Is there a maturity cycle of mountain ash (like olive, etc) ? Have heard of making jelly with mountain ash berries, but tasted one years ago and awful, yuk, spit it out. No frost here yet. Big holly tree 20 ft away, birds don't touch the holly.

 

[unclemoustache]

They are very useful berries - give them to kids and tell them to throw at one another or use in a small slingshot. Those little suckers are nice and firm for weapons and such. Don't know of any other uses.

 

[BC WetCoast]

If you're asking whether there is a finite lifespan for mountain ash, yes there is. However, like humans, the published life expectancy is an average, some live longer some live less. Usually you start getting more branch breakage than normal and pockets of rot. That size of tree isn't going to do much damage if it were to fail, so keep an eye on it. I don't think you'll get much more than 20 yrs out of it (less if problems arise)

 

[ArtB]

Must have some old age ones, pretty sure 4 of them (all wild, not planted) are over 35 YO.
Definitely recall throwing some stuff from the truck on top of one of them when about a foot tall when building the house in 1973, never seems to have hurt it any.

 

[BC WetCoast]

I meant 20 more years.

 

[ArtB]

Recently, reading a medicinal herb book, found why the birds descend on the mountain ash on one particular day.

According to the herb book, the berries are ultra sour prior to first frost, at first frost, sugars stabilize and bitterness is lessened and berries soften.

Birds appear to have always known that.

Have not tried tasting one after first frost, will need to do that next fall.

 

[Little Al]

Recently, reading a medicinal herb book, found why the birds descend on the mountain ash on one particular day.

According to the herb book, the berries are ultra sour prior to first frost, at first frost, sugars stabilize and bitterness is lessened and berries soften.

Birds appear to have always known that.

Have not tried tasting one after first frost, will need to do that next fall.

That was a "tip " passed on by my Grandpa I have never known the berries used for "food" fo humans Iwas always told & confirmed by google that they can be a treatment for various ailments Kidney diocese being one