Oregon State Flower: Oregon Grape

State Flowers 2 Minutes

Oregon grape, with its holly-like leaves, splashes a little year-round holiday cheer in forests and woods of the West. Several members of the barberry family, Berberidaceae, actually go by the common name of Oregon grape, with many variations, such as Oregon holly grape, tall Oregon grape, holly leaved barberry, and creeping barberry. The Berberis genus also goes by Mahonia, depending on taxonomy.

Unrelated to true grapes in the family Vitaceae, Oregon grape is an evergreen shrub, typically growing in the forest under story. In California and the Pacific Northwest, one of the most common species—and Oregon’s state flower—is Berberis aquifolium (also called tall Oregon grape, or holly leaved barberry).

Tall Oregon grape typically grows 3–6 feet tall and up to 5 feet wide. Each compound “leaf” is actually a series of leaflets that grow in pairs on opposite sides of the leafstalk, except for the leading (terminal) leaf. Botanists call this configuration pinnate, from the Latin word pinnatus, meaning feathered. Sword ferns have pinnate leaves, as well as trees like the Oregon ash, walnut, and black locust, for example. The entire Oregon grape leaf can be up to 10 inches. The oval- to oblong-shaped leaflets are shiny on top, with wavy spine-tipped edges. New leaves emerge with a bronze color before they turn bright green. In the fall, the leaves can take on red and burgundy hues, adding to the plant’s overall ornamental color palette through the course of a season.

Tall Oregon grape bears a cluster of bright yellow flowers in the spring, which are lightly scented. The flowers ripen into round, dusty blue-black berries, resembling grapes, by early fall. The berries are edible and seedy, though sour.

Tall Oregon grape is shade tolerant and typically found in shrub lands, rocky woods and coniferous forests in the Pacific Northwest and northern California. It is drought tolerant and can be found in relatively sunny areas as well.

Tall Oregon grape feeds and shelters wildlife. Its berries nourish grouse, pheasants, robins, sparrows, and other fruit eaters (frugivores), including foxes and raccoons. Painted lady butterflies, mason bees, and other invertebrates drink its flower nectar. Small animals find cover in its densely clustered leaves. Tall Oregon grape spreads by its below ground root system (rhizomes), though it can also regenerate by seed. Various Oregon grape species are medicinally important. Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest have used preparations from Oregon grape roots to treat stomach problems, hemorrhages, arthritis, and tuberculosis. Berberis species have long been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat a variety of problems, including tuberculosis, dysentery, eczema, and wounds. Western medicinal uses for berberine, a compound derived from Berberis, include blood sugar stabilization, and studies show that it kills amoebae and can be used to treat giardia infections.

Boiling the roots and inner bark of Oregon grape produces a yellow dye used on wool. The Nlaka’pamux People of British Columbia applied it to their basketry.

SOURCE: NPS.GOV

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Published by pat frederick

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100 thoughts on “Oregon State Flower: Oregon Grape”

  1. Morning All!
    we watched the fireworks the neighbor was setting off in his field last night–we didn’t have to leave the living room. we could hear them and see the colored lights thru the trees.
    chilly out there again this morning…58* and hazy skies.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Morning, Pat! Still muggy and warm here @ 73. We got a couple of pretty good thunder storms last night and I heard a lot of fireworks around the neighborhood. Fireworks lost their luster for me a long time ago. Tried the jello – nope – no flavor whatsoever. Guess I’ll try raspberry next….I made some instant mashed potatoes w/creamed corn this morning, one of my favorites. Again, just ok…..sigh. IDK what to do any more…..

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Morning Filly!
        we don’t go to fireworks anymore either. we usually hear the ones at the NY racetrack, but never see them. The neighbor has retired (pilot) and has been spending more time up at his “vacation home”…lol wife some times joins him, but she’s not crazy about the remoteness. she must have been up cuz he wouldn’t haven’t shot them off for just himself.
        fruits don’t have any flavor any more either? i was thinking if you have a blender you could at least make some smoothies…

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Nope, don’t have one. I’m ordering some fresh bananas and ripe peaches to try next time…..I’d like to try a small melon but all the recent ones I’ve gotten from WM were bad. Maybe I’ll try a small lope…..

          Liked by 1 person

  5. TheseTruths

    TheseTruths(@thesetruths)

    Offline

    Wolf

    July 5, 2025 02:15

    A judge finally obeys a SCOTUS order…

    BREAKING UPDATE: Biden Judge Denies Emergency Motion So the 8 Illegals Deported by Trump will be Flown From Djibouti to South Sudan TONIGHT

    As reported earlier, just hours after the Supreme Court issued a ruling, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump Administration from transferring the 8 illegal aliens stuck in Djibouti to South Sudan.

    Judge Randolph Moss, an Obama appointee, held an emergency hearing earlier Friday before a flight scheduled for 7 pm departed Djibouti to transfer the illegals to South Sudan.

    Some of the aliens are from Laos, Vietnam, and Cuba, so sending them to South Sudan puts them in danger, attorneys argued.

    …Update: Judge Brian Murphy, a Biden appointee, denied the emergency motion filed by the plaintiffs’ attorneys so the 8 illegal aliens stuck in Djibouti will be flown to South Sudan tonight at 7 pm ET.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Just The News: “Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, is on a mission to get Congress to develop policies to nurture and harness one of the world’s newest economic engines: the more than 70 million people who earn money by creating content online.

    “Since the pandemic, a lot of people, when they were at home, had their computers, they had their cell phones, and they actually started entering the market.” “In fact [the content creator space] had 165 million new creators globally since the pandemic in 2020.” Van Duyne told the John Solomon Reports podcast recently. “In fact [the content creator space] had 165 million new creators globally since the pandemic in 2020.”

    Earlier this month, Van Duyne and Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., launched the Congressional Creators Caucus, a bipartisan effort to promote the digital creator community, which they estimated at more than 70 million people in America alone.

    Van Duyne said in a statement that the purpose of the caucus was “to allow more Americans to follow their dreams, build their own small businesses, and share their unique perspectives with the world.”

    She said she expects the content creator space to grow even bigger and contribute even more to the economy. “The global creator content, I think, was valued at some point at $250 billion in 2024. But that’s projected to reach $480 billion by 2027, and the U.S. makes up about a third of that market,” Van Duyne told Solomon.

    She acknowledged that many lawmakers don’t understand the content creative space and want to learn more about important aspects of it, such as data and privacy to benefit those in it.

    “We’re talking about adding on bills that have to do with data, data privacy, platform transparency, and yet a number of us don’t even understand this market at all,” Van Duyne said. Digital entrepreneurs face challenges when building businesses and Van Duyne said she wanted creators to be able to help lawmakers understand the market and how best to assist them. 

    “The idea behind this is to give them a platform to be able to share with us what they do, how important it is, and what we as Congress need to do to make sure that they can keep being innovative,” she said. “They can keep driving this economy without the law of unintended consequences where you pass policy.”

    The caucus is meant to support individuals who make their living on platforms like YouTube, Rumble and various social media outlets.

    “The creator economy is a powerful economic engine in the United States, making significant contributions to GDP and job growth,” Senior Director of YouTube Government Affairs & Public Policy Alexandra Veitch said in a statement. “Creators are building business, growing audiences, and sharing their voices online.

    “We are thankful to Representatives Clarke and Van Duyne for launching the Congressional Creators Caucus and look forward to continuing the work to support the growing creator ecosystem.”

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Just The News: “After the self-described socialist Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for mayor in New York, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson invited New Yorkers and others to move to Dallas. Mamdani has vowed to implement a wide range of tax increases on corporations and property and to “shift the tax burden” to “richer and whiter neighborhoods.”

    New York businesses and individuals have already been relocating to states like Texas, which has no corporate or personal income taxes. Johnson, a Black mayor and former Democrat, switched parties to become a Republican in 2023 after opposing a city council tax hike, The Center Square reported.

    “Dear Concerned New York City Resident or Business Owner: Don’t panic,” Johnson said. “Just move to Dallas, where we strongly support our police, value our partners in the business community, embrace free markets, shun excessive regulation, and protect the American Dream!”

    Fortune 500 companies and others in recent years continue to relocate their headquarters to Dallas; it’s also home to the new Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE). The TXSE will provide an alternative to the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq and there are already more finance professionals in Texas than in New York, TXSE Group Inc. founder and CEO James Lee argues.

    From 2020-2023, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA reported the greatest percentage of growth in the country of 34%, The Center Square reported.

    Johnson on Thursday continued his invitation to New Yorkers and others living in “socialist” sanctuary cities, saying on social media, “If your city is (or is about to be) a sanctuary for criminals, mayhem, job-killing regulations, and failed socialist experiments, I have a modest invitation for you: MOVE TO DALLAS. You can call us the nation’s first official ‘Sanctuary City from Socialism.’”

    “We value free enterprise, law and order, and our first responders. Common sense and the American Dream still reside here. We have all your big-city comforts and conveniences without the suffocating vice grip of government bureaucrats.”

    As many Democratic-led cities joined a movement to defund their police departments, Johnson prioritized police funding and supporting law and order. “Back in the 1800s, people moving to Texas for greater opportunities would etch ‘GTT’ for ‘Gone to Texas’ on their doors moving to the Mexican colony of Tejas,” Johnson continued, referring to Americans who moved to the Mexican colony of Tejas to acquire land grants from the Mexican government.

    “If you’re a New Yorker heading to Dallas, maybe try ‘GTD’ to let fellow lovers of law and order know where you’ve gone,” Johnson said.

    Modern-day GTT movers, including a large number of New Yorkers, cite high personal income taxes, high property taxes, high costs of living, high crime, and other factors as their reasons for leaving their states and moving to Texas, according to multiple reports over the last few years.

    In response to Johnson’s invitation, Gov. Greg Abbott said, “Dallas is the first self-declared “Sanctuary City from Socialism. The State of Texas will provide whatever support is needed to fulfill that mission.”

    The governor has already been doing this by signing pro-business bills into law and awarding Texas Enterprise Grants to businesses that relocate or expand operations in Texas, many of which are doing so in the Dallas area.

    “Texas truly is the Best State for Business and stands as a model for the nation,” Abbott said. “Freedom is a magnet, and Texas offers entrepreneurs and hardworking Texans the freedom to succeed. When choosing where to relocate or expand their businesses, more innovative industry leaders recognize the competitive advantages found only in Texas. The nation’s leading CEOs continually cite our pro-growth economic policies – with no corporate income tax and no personal income tax – along with our young, skilled, diverse, and growing workforce, easy access to global markets, robust infrastructure, and predictable business-friendly regulations.”

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Just The News: “At least 24 people have died and more than 20 children from an all-girls camp are missing after the heavy flooding that has occurred jn the state’s south-central region overnight into Friday. 

    Parents have been posting photos of their missing daughters on social media in the hopes of finding them as soon as possible. As of Saturday morning, there are at least 23 girls who were attending a camp have not been found after the flooding, according to the Associated Press.

    Officials said at least 24 people are dead due to the flooding from the Guadalupe River in Kerr County. Almost 240 people have been rescued or evacuated as a result of the flooding, according to authorities.”

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Just The News: “The Trump Justice Department asked a federal court in Wyoming to permit it to file a brief in defense of the State of Wyoming’s citizen voter law.

    A coalition of nonprofit groups sued Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray on May 9 challenging the law, which as of Tuesday this week, requires voters to prove U.S. citizenship and 30 days of Wyoming residency in order to register to vote. The groups says the law will make it harder for certain groups—like women and transgender people—to register to vote. 

    The Acting U.S. Attorney for Wyoming, Stephanie Sprecher, filed a motion asking the judge’s permission on Tuesday to file an amicus brief in support of the Secretary of State. 

    “This case presents important questions regarding enforcement of the Fourteenth Amendment’s voting rights protections, in which the United States has a substantial interest,” the filing reads, according to Cowboy State Daily, a local media outlet.

    The U.S. Attorney’s office argues that the U.S. Constitution grants states the authority to regulate the “times, places and manner of holding elections.” 

    “Almost every voting rule will impose some burden,” the brief the Justice Department would file says. “But slight inconveniences, including the processes necessary to acquire photo identification to register or vote, do not delegitimize the State’s interest in preventing fraud or seriously hinder the ability to vote.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. yup, they always find some “protected” class of people who are inconvenienced in providing ID. women and trannies are so stupid–they don’t have id–used to be poor people and minorities. i guess none of those people ever bought cigarettes.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. that reminds me…last Saturday we met hubby’s cousin in the next town–as they were visiting–and we went to pizza hut. hubby left his wallet in the truck (carried his cash in a money clip) and they would NOT sell him a beer without ID. he is over 70–and looks well past 21–but the cashier would not do it. he got to the table and we all sat there looking at each like WTF?

      if that’s a PIZZA HUT what’s it got to be like at a bar? so everyone has ID.

      Liked by 1 person

        1. when we go to Texas Roadhouse hubby always orders one of their hurricane margarita drinks and we were just there in April with our granddaughter–they never ask to see his id.
          you can order them with a “kicker” which he does–that’s alcohol.

          Liked by 1 person

  12. Just The News: “Abortion provider Planned Parenthood vowed to sue the Trump administration over cuts to funding contained in the the president’s signature legislation that the group says could result in significant closures. 

    The provisions contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act prohibits abortion providers from receiving Medicaid funding for up to one year for any other reproductive health services they may provide. The organization called the legislation an “unlawful” and “targeted attack.” 

    “Everyone deserves access to high-quality, affordable health care. That’s what we’ve been fighting for the last century — and we’ll never stop,” Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson said in a statement on Thursday. “We’ll be suing the Trump administration to stop this unlawful attack. See you in court.”

    Planned Parenthood said the provision puts nearly 200 centers across 24 states at risk of closure and that 90 percent of those closures would occur in states where abortion is still legal. 

    Senate Republicans were given the green light earlier this week to include the funding provision in the bill after the parliamentarian ruled that the language of the measure adhered to chamber rules for reconciliation. The legislation also comes after the Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that paved the way for individual states to restrict Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood. 

    SBA Pro-life America, one of the nation’s leading pro-life organizations, celebrated the House vote to approve the reconciliation bill on Thursday as a win for the anti-abortion cause. 

    “Defunding the abortion industry, led by Planned Parenthood, marks the greatest pro-life victory since the Dobbs decision,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, the organization’s president, said in a statement, per Politico.” 

    Liked by 2 people

  13. Just The News: “A new fine process is underway for foreign nationals illegally living in the country. The departments of Homeland Security and Justice announced a new joint federal rule went into effect with a public comment period extended through July 28.

    The rule amends existing DHS and DOJ regulations authorizing DHS to issue civil monetary penalties as stipulated by the Immigration and Nationality Act “for aliens who fail to depart voluntarily during the voluntary departure period, willfully fail or refuse to depart after a final removal order … or are apprehended while improperly entering or attempting to enter the United States.”

    The current process requires giving illegal foreign nationals 30 days’ notice of intent to fine them before a fine is issued. The rule eliminates the 30-day notice period, authorizes DHS immigration officers to mail fines to illegal foreign nationals who have addresses on record and shortens the appeal process. It also transfers the appeals process from the DOJ Board of Immigration Appeals to DHS.

    The fine process applies to “aliens who enter the United States illegally; aliens who ignore removal orders or delay their removal; aliens who do not honor agreements to comply with judges’ voluntary departure orders,” DHS says.

    The fines are incremental, including between: $100 to $500 for each unlawful entry or attempted entry;$1,992 to $9,970 for those who fail to honor a voluntary departure order;up to $998 per day for those who willfully refuse to comply with a removal order from a federal judge.

    Under federal law, 8 USC 1324d imposes civil penalties for failure to depart. It stipulates that “Any alien subject to a final order of removal who- (1) willfully fails or refuses to-(A) depart from the United States pursuant to the order, (B) make timely application in good faith for travel or other documents necessary for departure, or (C) present for removal at the time and place required by the Attorney General; or (2) conspires to or takes any action designed to prevent or hamper the alien’s departure pursuant to the order, shall pay a civil penalty of not more than $500 to the Commissioner for each day the alien is in violation of this section.”

    This provision of the law wasn’t enforced by any administration until the first Trump administration. The Biden administration halted any enforcement of it. The second Trump administration announced it was reinstituting it in May.

    As of June 13, ICE has already issued nearly 10,000 fine notices, DHS says. “For decades, this law has been ignored – not anymore,” DHS said when announcing it was requiring all noncitizens living in the U.S. legally and illegally to register with the federal government in accordance with the law,” The Center Square reported. “An alien’s failure to depart the U.S. is a crime that could result in significant financial penalty. An alien’s failure to register is a crime that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both,” DHS warned.

    By contrast, those who self-deport using the CBP Home App will receive a $1,000 stipend after they arrive in their home country, confirmed on the app, The Center Square reported. “Self-deportation is a dignified way to leave the U.S. and will allow illegal aliens to avoid being encountered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement” agents, DHS said.

    Those who self-deport using the app will receive forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties for previously failing to depart the U.S. They “will also be deprioritized for detention and removal ahead of their departure as long as they demonstrate they are making meaningful strides in completing that departure,” and “may help preserve the option … to re-enter the United States legally in the future,” DHS said.

    Qualifying illegal foreign nationals are encouraged to submit their “Intent to Depart” using the CBP Home app here.”

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Good morning, Pat and Filly!

    Love today’s open – about the Oregon Grape – beautiful flowers and fruit.

    “In the winter the leaves can turn a gorgeous bright red color. The leaves have a leathery texture and the spring flowers are bright yellow. Another one of my favorite wild edibles books, Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, states that the sour Oregon Grape berries can be eaten raw or made into jam or jelly.

    Oregon Grape is abundant in the mountains around us, we see it every time we go on an adventure in the mountains. The challenge with the species of Oregon Grape plants abundant in our area is that it is uncommon for us to find a large enough patch to ethically harvest Oregon Grapes. A few years ago we discovered a large patch of Oregon Grape growing near our family’s secret huckleberry picking spot. We were thrilled when we finally found a large enough patch of Oregon Grapes to harvest some to make jelly!

    How to make Oregon Grape Jelly!

    https://montanahomesteader.com/how-to-make-and-can-oregon-grape-jelly/

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Heads up, NC/SC! Batten down the hatches!

    Just The News: “Tropical Storm Chantal is forming in the Atlantic on Saturday and heading toward the Carolinas. AccuWeather reported that the storm will continue to strengthen.

    The storm’s maximum sustained winds were measured at 40 mph (65 kph) on Saturday morning. The Weather Channel reported that the center of the storm is located about 150 miles south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina.” 

    Liked by 1 person

  22. MTG to introduce to bill to prohibit releasing anything in the air for the purpose of altering weather, climate, temperature or sunlight.

    FTA

    Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is introducing a bill that “prohibits the injection, release, or dispersion of chemicals or substances into the atmosphere for the express purpose of altering weather, temperature, climate, or sunlight intensity.”

    Attempts to block sunlight intensity have been in the news recently with multiple governments, particular the U.K. and U.S. governments, seriously exploring flooding the atmosphere with particles to block the sun. This is ludicrous prima facie, but as we’ve learned in recent years there is nothing too ludicrous for climate change cultists to try.

    Greene is modeling her bill after Florida Senate Bill 56.

    “We must end the dangerous and deadly practice of weather modification and geoengineering,” she said.

    https://thelibertydaily.com/mtg-is-introducing-bill-curtail-weather-modification/

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Flopping Aces
    @FloppingAces
    2h • 14 tweets • 2 min read •
    Read on X
    THREAD: The media lied. Trump just detonated the welfare state—and they didn’t even notice until it was too late.

    Let’s break down what the OBBBA really did.👇
    1/14
    The NYT headline? “States Brace for Added Burdens of Trump’s Tax and Spending Law.”

    Translation: Fake. It’s not a tax-and-spend bill. It’s the largest rollback of federal transfer payments in 60 years.
    2/14
    States like Arizona are panicking. Gov. Hobbs admits even if she cut every program, she still couldn’t backfill the lost federal funds.

    The era of Washington paying and states spending is over.
    3/14
    OBBBA pushes the blame downstream. Trump cut the hose. Governors now hold the empty bucket. They’ll have to raise taxes or cut programs—and own the fallout.
    4/14
    Medicaid, SNAP, and Obamacare subsidies were gutted. No more blank checks. Governors must enforce new rules themselves or lose funding.
    5/14
    And that’s not all—Trump went after the real golden calves:

    – Ivy League endowments
    – DEI bureaucracies
    – Worthless woke degrees
    – Student loan bailouts
    6/14
    Harvard has $50B in its endowment. OBBBA says: if you want to be a hedge fund, you get taxed like one.

    Elite schools are howling—not for poor kids, but for their 6-figure DEI jobs.
    7/14
    Student loan limits are now capped. Fewer guarantees for worthless degrees = lower tuition, more efficiency, and less taxpayer fraud.

    Colleges have to earn their bloated fees now.
    8/14
    Then came the energy cuts.

    The bill gutted green subsidies: no more endless tax breaks for EVs and solar startups moonlighting as progressive PACs.
    9/14
    Add in the defunding of Planned Parenthood, and you’ve got a clean kill shot on the Left’s entire funding model.

    This wasn’t just about money—it was about power.
    10/14
    The media missed it all. Why?

    Because they were too busy celebrating fake GOP infighting. Turns out the conflict was scripted.

    The real action was underground.
    11/14
    The House Freedom Caucus played rope-a-dope. The bill passed with surgical precision—while MSNBC was still counting “Republican defections.”

    Classic 3D chess.
    12/14
    This wasn’t a budget bill.

    It was a coordinated defunding operation. And it just crippled the progressive machine ahead of 2026.
    13/14

    /END
    14/14 floppingaces.net/most-wanted/tr…

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Just The News: “At least 24 people have died and more than 20 children from an all-girls camp are missing after the heavy flooding that has occurred jn the state’s south-central region overnight into Friday. 

    Parents have been posting photos of their missing daughters on social media in the hopes of finding them as soon as possible.

    As of Saturday morning, there are at least 23 girls who were attending a camp have not been found after the flooding, according to the Associated Press.
    Officials said at least 24 people are dead due to the flooding from the Guadalupe River in Kerr County.

    Almost 240 people have been rescued or evacuated as a result of the flooding, according to authorities.”

    Liked by 1 person

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