Mountain Snowberry

by Vicki Barney A number of native shrubs have bloomed spectacularly this spring:   fragrant chokecherries with trailing blossoms, serviceberries with bursts of blooms, mountain ash with flat-topped flower clusters.  But it is the little Mountain Snowberry that catches my eye this time of the year. Snowberry in bloom Mountain Snowberry (Symphoricarpos rotundifolius (oreophilus)) is one of a variety of snowberries native to our area.   A small deciduous shrub in the honeysuckle family, it grows 1 to 5 feet tall and is currently blooming under the shrubs and aspens along our trails, as well as out in the undisturbed meadows.   The flowers are not showy and consist of clusters of small light pink bells at the ends of branches.    In the fall, it produces clusters of showy white berries that when broken open, reveals fruit that looks like “fine, sparkling granular snow.” ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphoricarpos ) Mountain Snowberry is a wonderful addition to the wildlife garden.   Th