Beguiling berries wait for the birds

Wenlock Edge Shropshire The birds are set to turn fruit unpalatable or poisonous to us into flying fuel

Sloe berries don't taste to me of their midnight colour or the bloom on their skins as blue as the sky might be high above this fog. To the touch they feel ripe enough, even though it's warm and there's no purging frosts yet. They roll smoothly in the mouth.

The first bite releases a bitter wave which sweetens into damson. Then, like wearing a gum shield, an anaesthetising astringency covers my teeth and gums.