Highbush Blueberry

High bush Blueberry     Vaccinium corymbosum L.

Mature Size:  Highbush blueberry is a deciduous shrub that grows 6 to 12 feet high and wide.

Form:  It has numerous upright stems and twiggy branches that form a rounded, compact outline.

Where to Find Them:  Swamps, bogs, dry barrens, oak woods (the latter fitting the description of the specimens at the Hutchinson Tract); wet to dry, acid, rocky soils to organic peats.

Leaves:  Reddish-green spring leaves, 1 to 2 inches long and 1 inch wide, turn blue-green in summer and red, yellow, orange and purple in fall.

Fruit:  The fruit is a 1/4 to 1/2-inch diameter blue-black berry.

Wildlife use:   The blueberry’s value to wildlife gave this species entry into our “tree list” even though it may be considered a shrub.  Blueberries, huckleberries and cranberries are all part of the genus Vaccinium, and are members of the heath family.  At least 53 species of wildlife are confirmed users of blueberry, mostly attracted to the sweet fruits (as are humans!).  The berries are of particular importance to the scarlet tanager and bluebird, but are eaten by many other songbirds.  In the mountains to our west, black bear and ruffed grouse are also big fans of including blueberries in their diets.