Native blue elderberry shrub confirmed growing in Oregon roadside habitat
iNaturalist: bookishheather
Native Plants
If you're planting a native hedgerow or foraging patch in the Pacific Northwest, this sighting confirms blue elder is thriving right in suburban Happy Valley, not just deep forest.
Someone out walking near Happy Valley, Oregon spotted a blue elder shrub and logged it on iNaturalist, where other experts verified the identification. Blue elder is a native tree covered in clusters of powdery blue-purple berries that people have long used for jam, wine, and syrup, and birds love them too.
Key Findings
Observation verified as 'research-grade' on iNaturalist, meaning the community confirmed the species ID
Location: SE Boy Scout Lodge Rd, Happy Valley, Oregon, a suburban/edge habitat rather than deep wilderness
Species: Sambucus cerulea (blue elder), a native Pacific Northwest shrub known for edible berries
chevron_right Technical Summary
A naturalist logged a confirmed sighting of blue elder, a native Pacific Northwest shrub prized for its berries, growing along a roadside in Happy Valley, Oregon.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
blue elder (Sambucus cerulea) observed in SE Boy Scout Lodge Rd, Happy Valley, OR, US
Research-grade observation of blue elder in SE Boy Scout Lodge Rd, Happy Valley, OR, US.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Street trees cut heat deaths by 39 percent in European cities
Trees in your local park or street aren't just pretty — they are literally keeping people alive during heatwaves, and planting even a modest number of the ri...
Sambucus cerulea or Sambucus nigra subsp. cerulea, with the common names blue elderberry and blue elder, is a coarse textured shrub species of elder in the family Viburnaceae.