American Beauty
AnnaLift 8/1 - 8/15/25 found here: https://oscraps.com/community/threads/annalift-challenge-08-01-25-08-15-25.42631/

Journaling reads: When I think of an American Beauty, this plant is not what comes to mind. I was looking for an old picture of Mark when I came across these photos I took when I spent several weeks with Michael and his family after Tim died. All of my grands can be classified as American Beauties, if you ask me...which is all that counts, right? Kara was 11 years old at the time this photo was taken on October 3rd, 2017. We were taking a walk through a portion of the woods on their property when I captured this spunky face full of attitude that is Kara...and her cat! I miss this spunky little girl!
American beautyberry, is an open-habitat, native shrub of the Southern United States which is often grown as an ornamental in gardens and yards. American beautyberries produce large clusters of purple berries, which birds and deer eat, thus distributing the seeds.
The raw berries, while palatably sweet, are suitable for human consumption only in small amounts, because they are astringent. Some people have reported mild stomach cramps after consumption. The berries are also used in jellies and wine. The roots are used to make herbal tea.
The berries ripen in September through October and are a favorite among wild bird species including cardinals, mockingbirds, finches, woodpeckers and more. Beauty- berry is commonly planted in landscape designs to attract wildlife because of the food source the berries provide and the cover animals get from the shrub itself. This plant is considered good for ornamental uses due to its requirement for little maintenance.