Spotty berries

Water makes all the difference. Along the river banks, and the drippy cliffs on the evergreen-clad north slopes, the soil is hidden under a soft, thick cushion of mosses and ferns. Even in warm weather, it stays wet. And where the shade is deep, we can find these curious plants.

Maianthemum dilatatum, aka two-leaved Solomon's seal. With one blood-red aphid.

These are natives here, growing in temperate rainforests, where they can spread to cover the entire forest floor. But each plant limits itself to three leaves at the most. When they are not flowering, they have only one leaf. With two or three, they send up a short stalk with a raceme of tiny white flowers. The berries start out greenish, with pink spots that spread and darken until the whole berry is red.

They are supposed to be edible, but I've never heard of anyone using them as food.