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Mountain Huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum)
Rarity: Abundant where it grows, but may be elusive until the timing is right.
Thin‑leaf huckleberry is a native mountain shrub of the Pacific Northwest and the broader West. It flares into notice in late summer when the berries ripen, turning open forests and old burns into foraging country for people, birds, and bears.
Ecological Role
Thin‑leaf huckleberry is a cornerstone late‑summer fruit in montane forests. Its flowers feed native pollinators in spring; its berries sustain birds and mammals, especially bears, well into the dry season. After fire, underground stems survive and send up new shoots, thriving where the canopy has opened; in turn, the patch helps knit soil on exposed slopes and adds living structure to recovering forests.
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