Pathetic little bushes aren't they? No, no, not the green ones, the red ones. Those are the huckleberry bushes. They grow in places where obviously the green ones don't. 

The red leaves in the autumn color. They probably, at some point, slit the rock in order to reach sunlight. 

Interesting, isn't it? The power of the sun never seems to be modified even as Earth-based fauna. Chlorophyll and photosynthesis. Try putting that in a bomb instead of poor little nuclear material. 

Indeed. Chlorophyll, photosynthesis and sunshine can split rock. So, very cool.

Yes, you can pick fruit in New York State parks, according to NYCRR, Part 190:

190.0 Introduction.

(a) Except as otherwise provided, (click here) the provisions of this Part shall apply to all persons entering upon or using State lands under the department's jurisdiction that are administered by the Division of Lands and Forests, the Division of Operations, or both, including but not limited to such lands as unique areas, State forests, reforestation areas, multiple use areas, forest preserve, conservation areas, natural resource management areas, preserves, campgrounds and environmentally sensitive lands, and to those rights owned and managed by the State as conservation easements as defined in section 190.12 of this Part....

No person shall deface, remove, destroy or otherwise injure in any manner whatsoever any tree, flower, shrub, fern, fungi or other plant organisms…found or growing on State land, except for personal consumption….”

Huckleberry bushes look so much like highbush blueberries, it’s hard to tell them apart.

This berry rake is on Etsy (click here). There are cheaper varieties sold for $19.99 plus S&H. It is my guess the cheaper plastic handheld rakes don't hold up as well. The berries, even though ripe, will give anyone a fight. The pickers protect the user from all the scratches that go along with fighting the twigs off to reach the berries.

You can actually buy something called a berry rake, that pulls down the berries, gently, from the shrub and deposits them in a bucket.  There are a couple models available from Amazon.com.  But, I don’t know. That seems like an unfair advantage over the bear, and if it’s not done right, you can damage the bush.

Speaking of bears, huckleberries (and blueberries) are a favorite food.  You might find yourself sharing the patch with a black bear.  But your bigger worry would be…

Snakes.  Huckleberries grow abundantly on dry, rocky soil, places beloved by snakes; in dry area, huckleberries may attract the field mice that snakes feed on.  Watch out for snakes in these parts (especially if you’re going to the famed berry patches of the ‘Gunks or Kingston County).

Yea, snakes. The trick to know with snakes is that they pick up vibration very accurately. I was doing a survey on some land in New Jersey; at one point I turned around and there about 15 feet from me was this "Milk Snake (click here)." I mean to tell you, it had me dead on. It was looking me right in the eye. It had to climb up the bush a bit to look me straight in the eye. Amazing. I just backed up and walked to a path that lead to the Jeep. I decided I had made enough noise and took lunch.

We don’t know why, but you can’t just dig up the wild plants and put them in your garden for your own berry harvest.  They won’t grow that way.

You can’t buy a gigundo bag of them at Costco for $10.00.  These babies are wild, man.