Wild Berries from the Meadow and the End of Summer
A significant part of my photography practice includes learning about the land where I grew up and continue to live so I can better educate myself and my family. I believe that the landscape and nature surrounding us are one of the most important aspects of our daily lives. As a visual learner, I found that photographing nature helps me gain a deeper understanding of it. That's how the Worn Path zine series was born. I plan to share some of my observations here as well, which will serve as a sort of field guide.
It’s been getting chilly overnight and into the morning’s here in Pennsylvania. I just got some film back from State Film Lab that I shot last month. Most of the photos focused on the fruiting berries that seem to appear around the meadow in the middle of summer. As I write this, the wineberries and blackberries have since disappeared, leaving only bare vines along the meadow paths. This reminds me of the subtle, ever-changing rhythms of nature.
It feels like just a few weeks ago I was closely watching the vines as their ends formed subtle yellow leaf-like pods before bursting into colorful, delicious red berries. I visited the berry patch in the meadow a few times before they fully ripened, checking on them every few days. When I left for Maine, the berries were almost fully ripe, so I thought I might miss them. But when I returned, I was happy to see they had just turned a beautiful deep red, easily breaking off the vine with a slight pull. This year, I also found a patch of wild blackberries in the meadow and harvested some to mix with the wineberries.
These berries tend to grow in the same spots year after year, so once you find a patch, it's easy to revisit. I planned on making jam with the berries this year, but time got away from me as I’ve been busy renovating our future daughter’s room (she’s due any day now). Instead, I ended up eating the berries on toast in the morning and using them as a topping for granola. All in all, foraging for wineberries and native blackberries reminds me of peak summer and when the berries eventually disappear, it signals that summer is coming to a close and autumn is right around the corner. Looking back on these images during winter will be a refreshing way to remember summer and all it has to offer.
Talk soon,
-Matt
Beautiful, Matthew. Thank you!