Photo by Tom Norton on iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Beach plum
Prunus maritima
- When
- Typically August – September — August, September. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where it grows
- Coastal dunes and sandy scrub from Maine to Maryland.
- How to know it
- Low sprawling shrub in the sand, with dusty purple plums about the size of a marble.
- Look-alikes
- None dangerous.
- Harvest and use
- Legendary jelly. Tart and rich.
Found in these regions
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Also ready in September
NutSeptember – OctoberBlack walnut
Juglans nigra
Tennis-ball green husks lying under a tall tree with long compound leaves; the husk stains everything it touches brown.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg · CC BY 4.0
FruitAugust – SeptemberChokecherry
Prunus virginiana
Long drooping clusters of dark red-to-black cherries on a small tree with finely toothed oval leaves.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
BerryAugust – SeptemberElderberries
Sambucus canadensis
Flat, heavy clusters of tiny purple-black berries on red-tinged stems, on a shrub with opposite compound leaves.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: David Anderson · CC BY 4.0
Educational information only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom identified from a single photograph or description — confirm with a regional field guide or an experienced forager, and know the poisonous species in your area first.