The Moose ate my Hobblebush
Greetings!
If you are out and about in the White Mountains this week, you will likely see hobblebush blooming, pictured below. Depending on the elevation, you may also see the leaf buds, breaking leaf buds, and flower buds, displayed above the flowering image. Hobblebush is officially in bloom when the smaller white flowers in the center of the clusters begin to open and expose their stamens and pistils. The showy white larger flowers that surround the middle are sterile and only for decoration.
You may also encounter branches that have been broken off. In one of our study plots in Crawford Notch, we had several hobblebush starting to blossom that mysteriously disappeared a week later. Earlier in the same area, I saw a moose walking along the trail, browsing on beech leaves. Although we do not know for sure that this moose ate our study plot hobblebush, in the Algonquin language the word "moose" means "eater of twigs". Another common name for hobblebush is moose bush.
Hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides)
Hobblebush phenology sequence (Top right: leaf buds; Top middle: flower buds and breaking leaf buds; Top right: Sterile flowers and flower buds; Bottom: Open flowers and flower buds)
More info about Moose:
https://vtfishandwildlife.com/learn-more/vermont-critters/mammals/moose
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