Seen here is a tract of managed blueberry barrens. Soil here is naturally nutrient-poor and acidic. Apparently this is perfect for blueberries, though since this field is harvested commercially, I am guessing that some fertilizer is added to the mix.
Barrens are wide open areas that are flat or hummocky and covered with dwarf shrubs, like these lowbush blueberries. There are also often “carpets” of reindeer lichen, though I don’t see any from this angle.
"Fall Blueberry Barren"
Blue Hill, Maine
Blue Hill, Maine
Olympus E-M1 and 12-100mm F4 zoom @ 54mm
Auto ISO 200, Aperture priority F8, 1/125 sec
Processed in Lightroom Classic CC
What is particularly remarkable is that these lowbush shrubs (which are green and of course “chock full” of blueberries in the summer) have some of the first leaves to turn color in fall. And this is a bright red and/or orange! Unfortunately, summer travelers in Maine never get to see this spectacular fall display.
[These barrens are owned by a friend of mine. Last summer we picked berries along the edge of this road. My wife and I picked a couple of quarts each, in just minutes.]
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