Red Flowering Current in bloom, photographer Shari Brewer
The
Red Flowering Current begins to bloom in the lower elevations of the
Darrington area in early April and will continue to bloom in higher
elevations through mid-summer. You will find this carefree plant
growing on embankments and the edges of forest where it can catch a
little sunlight. All currents are of course flowering and fruit bearing
but Ribes sanguineum is the showiest of them all with racemes reaching
lengths of up to 4 inches, and vary in colors from deep red to a blush
pink. Some of the species, though rare have bred and produced cream
colored racemes.
Clusters of Red Flowering Current blossoms, photographer Martha Rasmussen
This woody shrub grows
up to heights of 7 feet and is often found intertwined with other
surrounding shrubs yet tending to keep its upright nature. The
irregular 5-lobed leaves are a rich green and deeply veined. The
flowers are a popular food of butterflies and is quite common to see
them frequenting the bushes while in bloom. The flowers will ripen into
clusters of deep blue fruits, however being a favorite food of the
birds, the fruit is seldom seen by the observer.