Chores and a Tree

Today's happiness consists of getting the household chores done in a timely manner. Yay me!

I also learned that we have a tree in the backyard called a hackberry tree. I had never heard of this tree before.

A hackberry (Celtis occidentalis or Celtis laevigata) is actually a very common native tree in Virginia. The hackberry is one of those quiet, overlooked native trees that people can live beside for decades without ever learning its name. Its leaves resemble an elm, but the bark is rough, warty, and full of quirky bumps. 

Most years it goes unnoticed, yet every so often it surprises you with small purple berries that deer and birds devour before anyone else gets a chance to see them. It’s a tough, weather‑resilient tree that thrives in Virginia without asking for attention, content to simply stand there and get on with the business of being a tree.

We have lived in this house for almost 40 years and this is the first time we've ever seen purple berries come off of this tree. The deer have been eating them up for days.