In the early winter, everything in Shandong withered and was depressed, and most of the trees had shed their green leaves, leaving only bare branches, standing in the cold wind.
However, I walked on the side of the road in the mining area, and from a distance, in the holly bushes beside the road, there were tall shrubs, still green branches and green leaves, purple and red, like the peach blossoms of a tree in the spring, a cluster of blooming begonias, in the background of the pines and cypresses, it looked bright and dazzling, full of vitality, giving people the feeling of returning to the earth in spring!
In this cold early winter, shouldn't there be such a "green fat and red color"? What is the "flower-like non-flower" of this tree?
Joy and curiosity led me through the holly bushes and approached these tall bushes. Raising his hand to pull down a branch, looking carefully, the clusters of green on it were leaves, like the pomegranate leaves of spring flakes, glowing green, green and green, shining; the red of the clusters was the fruit, like the hawthorn fruits of autumn bunches, stained with blood, deep red, red to crystal.
I reached out and picked a few fruits and put them in the palm of my hand to admire, really like a miniature version of hawthorn, but the fruit was smaller, slightly larger than a soybean. Its crystal clear red color, said it is more vivid than the jewelry carved out of blood amber! Carefully picked two "red fruits", let's call it "red fruits", held them in the mouth, and gently bit them with their teeth, and a sour smell filled the mouth, permeated with sweetness and mellowness! I thought to myself, if this "red fruit" can be eaten, it should be a good delicacy!
I retreated to the side of the road and looked around the sides of the road, and the peach trees, plum trees, and ziwei that had greened and beautified the road and the environment had all fallen leaves, and only this tall shrub, with bushes of green leaves and clusters of red fruits, decorated the road and beautified the environment. Which road landscape architect's whimsy and masterpiece is this? In spring and summer, peach plum, purple weed, and hibiscus are used to beautify the environment, and in autumn and winter, this "red fruit" tree is used to decorate the road.
At this time, a sanitation worker came, wearing a yellow shoulder, wearing a yellow hat, and holding a cleaning tool. I stepped forward and pointed to the "red fruit" tree and asked, "Hello Master!" What kind of tree is this "red fruit"? The sanitation worker said: "Some people say it's sea buckthorn. But I know of sea buckthorn, the leaves are like long willow leaves. The fruit resembles a yellow pearl. This kind of pomegranate leaf, hawthorn red sea buckthorn, I have never seen before. Maybe it's a new variety introduced and cultivated by the road greening department! I said, "This sea buckthorn fruit is beautifully red!" From a distance, it looks like a safflower. The sanitation master said, "It will take a few days to look good!" Although the leaves are less green and shiny, the fruit is more blood red. Especially on snowy days, the sky is snow-white, the trees are covered with a layer of snow, and the red fruit is exposed in the snow, which is even more crystal clear. I said, "That's a little red in the white of a thousand trees'?" I asked, "Can this sea buckthorn fruit be eaten?" The sanitation master said, "Of course I can eat it!" In winter, especially on snowy days, many birds fly to eat this sea buckthorn fruit. ”
The sanitation master introduced: "Sea buckthorn originally grew in arid desert areas, and some mountainous areas also grow. Sea buckthorn is cultivated in large quantities in some areas of the northwest for desert greening and also as a desert cash crop. Sea buckthorn fruit is rich in vitamin C, known as the king of vitamin C. It can be processed into food, beverages, medicine, etc., and has the effect of suppressing cough and phlegm, strengthening stomach and digesting food, and activating blood and dispersing stasis. It is said that eating it can prevent arteriosclerosis and heart disease! I couldn't help but ask, "Why is no one picking such a good fruit?" Sanitation workers laughed: "In today's society, the quality of people is high, don't say that the sea buckthorn that beautifies the environment is the peach pear protruding from the orchard, and no one picks it when it is ripe!" I said, "Then leave it to the birds on a snowy winter day!" ”
Sanitation workers are busy, I walked on the side of the road and thought: the current society, people are beautiful, life is beautiful, the environment is beautiful! Sea buckthorn, which originally grew in the arid desert area, has also traveled thousands of miles to Shandong to decorate our environment and life. In this cold early winter, on the land of XiaoSer, the sea buckthorn trees are green and red, adding a beautiful landscape to qilu's winter.
(November 10, 2021)