These shrubs are found from California to Alaska and
are native to the Pacific West Coast. The berry looks very
similar to a raspberry but tastes nothing like one. Its
flavour is very mellow without the exciting burst of a
raspberry. Some people call the flavour insipid but I think
that is a little harsh. The bees love these early blooming
shrubs and the understory of a shady conifer forest is
quite often astonishingly busy with the rumble of
bumblebees getting the job done. It is not unusual to be
hit in the face by a bumblebee as you walk down a forest
path. Clearly they are engrossed in their bee business and
don't look up in time.