Bilberry is now fully coloured but the true lovers of the fruit will caution waiting longer to get the best sweet taste. Sadly it's often the case that you walk past a good crop daily to give it a little longer only to find someone has been less patient and there are none left. Should we put a prominent 'reserved' sign up? It can be hard to bear when you've watched the things over several months as first the leaves fleshed out, then the red flowers appeared only to be hidden as the green berries blended with the foliage and later in June the first signs of purple were seen. As they reach maturity the leaves of the shrubs start to mottle making a pattern of colouring that serves to give the fruit some camouflage from all but the most persistent harvesters.
Mottling and dappling: the two words mean the same thing but you just feel they're appropriate for different situations. Both words are more likely to be invoked under sunlight. Gerard Manley H's famous poem always brings to mind shade and sunlight in a wood. (I've never been able to decide if Pied Beauty is a poem of genius or just too precious for its own good.)
Pied could well serve to describe the chaffinch* whose feathering is looking somewhat worn after a difficult season. He's fond of dappled parts of the woods.
Brindled is another of these words but mostly indicating different browns or greys. A good example is the path inside the gate. Can't get away from it.
* "Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;"
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