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Post by Psamathe on Sept 13, 2020 13:34:55 GMT
I've a fair number of brambles, but also out walking round the local countryside all the blackberries seem very small this year. Every year in the past most days wandering round the garden I'd stop at a large bramble patch and help myself to some blackberries (for eating there and then). This year they are far too small to bother even picking.
I can cope without these snacks but I'm wondering if it could have a worse impact on wildlife. Blackberries are a relatively short term food source but other berries not ripe yet, but other fruit trees are ripe (plenty of windfall apples taken over from windfall plums).
Do people thing the rather feeble blackberry crop will impact wildlife (given a limiting factor must be food availability through the winter)?
Ian
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Post by rowanberry on Sept 13, 2020 20:31:44 GMT
When we were at Stanmore Country Park last month the berries all seemed to be a good size, but the brambles were growing out on an exposed hillside. It could be they were getting the optimal amount of sunlight by being higher up.
The ones growing in the middle of the patches were untouched- and believe me, we tried!
We've got a couple of brambles growing at the bottom of our garden, but I didn't see any birds trying to take them the few berries they produced. The pigeons were more keen on the elderberries instead.
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Post by accipiter on Sept 16, 2020 15:26:48 GMT
Oh yes Blackberries tell me about it, alright then I will, now Blackberries do have a habit of containing maggots so you might want to think about this before it’s popped into the mouth. However, my late mum use to make many a Blackberry pie with one important proviso, involving soaking them over night in salted water; it was surprising to see so many maggots floating on top of the water in the morning.
Oh yes I nearly forgot what do flies have a habits of doing apart from producing maggots, I’ll leave that to your imagination, but here’s a clue, it’s not nice.
Alan
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Post by artdemole on Sept 17, 2020 14:31:37 GMT
The blackberries have been small in my area but they have been sweet. Enjoyable as blackberry and apple strudel.
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Post by rowanberry on Sept 17, 2020 20:51:10 GMT
My expressions after reading Alan's blackberry info, and thinking about all the ones I picked off the brambles in our back garden and ate fresh (but washed!) on my yoghurt.....    I will most certainly remember to soak them in saltwater next year- but at least I can take comfort knowing the ones that went into our crumbles would have only contained cooked maggots.  |
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Post by ianr on Sept 18, 2020 6:19:57 GMT
My expressions after reading Alan's blackberry info, and thinking about all the ones I picked off the brambles in our back garden and ate fresh (but washed!) on my yoghurt..... I will most certainly remember to soak them in saltwater next year- but at least I can take comfort knowing the ones that went into our crumbles would have only contained cooked maggots. Once you've soaked your blackberry's and seen just how many maggots come you may think twice about eating them, take the hit it's only extra protein  ian |
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