Coming to fruition
Covered in pinkish white flowers, bramble patches are full of promise - blackberries are on their way. It’s one of the first shrubs monitored by Nature’s Calendar* to fruit, and towards the end of July and throughout summer, we’ll be enjoying blackberry crumble!While you’re checking to see if the fruit is ripe, you’ll be able to spot a whole host of insects enjoying the nectar; but a bramble patch is home, food, and protection for a much wider range of wildlife.Nesting homes and protective spacesThe dense thorny arches of brambles may make foraging difficult for us, but they provide prickly protection from predators. Earlier this year robins, blackbirds, wrens, and thrushes were among the birds who chose bramble patches as safe nesting places. Hylaeus, a small solitary bee, makes brood cells in hollowed out stems, while wood mice, hedgehogs and even grass snakes hide inside the bramble patches.Bramble barsThe clusters of open flowers are ideal for bumblebees, honeybees, and solitary bees, as well as wasps, lacewings, and hoverflies. You may also be able to see butterflies including brimstones, orange tips, red admirals, and speckled wood. All of them eating their fill without having to travel far. It’s not just the nectar that’s being eaten. Buff arches, fox moth and garden tiger moth caterpillars all feed on the leaves. So, there’s a lot to look out for while checking out the bramble patch.
High in vitamins A and C, the berries have been used to flavour vodka, and make a jam that can be used in the same way as cranberry jelly. Though the raw berries are toxic, they’ve been used to treat stomach disorders, sinusitis, sooth sore throats and eyes, and as a remedy for rheumatism, stomach pain and asthma.What else to look out for 
Though we’re still in early summer, swifts are getting ready to leave. In 2019 they were last recorded between late July and mid- September. Their stay here is one of the shortest for the migratory birds (3 months) so make the most of them while you can. Yet there are still lots of signs of new life. Butterflies feed within a 100 – 200m radius from where they emerged, so if there’s a nettle patch near the brambles where they’re feeding, keep a look out for the caterpillars. Emperors, small tortosieshells and commas all lay their eggs on stinging nettles. You can find out more about what’s been seen this year on the Nature’s Calendar website.By Jane Halliday *Nature’s Calendar is a citizen science project run by the Woodland Trust and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology to study phenology (the impact of seasonal changes in plants and animals).Referenceshttps://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bramblehttps://celticmythology.com/brambles-in-celtic-mythology/https://celticmythology.com/rowan-trees-in-celtic-mythology/https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/bramble/https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/rowan/https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/things-to-do/foraging/https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/04/british-caterpillars/
Though we’re still in early summer, swifts are getting ready to leave. In 2019 they were last recorded between late July and mid- September. Their stay here is one of the shortest for the migratory birds (3 months) so make the most of them while you can. Yet there are still lots of signs of new life. Butterflies feed within a 100 – 200m radius from where they emerged, so if there’s a nettle patch near the brambles where they’re feeding, keep a look out for the caterpillars. Emperors, small tortosieshells and commas all lay their eggs on stinging nettles. You can find out more about what’s been seen this year on the Nature’s Calendar website.By Jane Halliday *Nature’s Calendar is a citizen science project run by the Woodland Trust and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology to study phenology (the impact of seasonal changes in plants and animals).Referenceshttps://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bramblehttps://celticmythology.com/brambles-in-celtic-mythology/https://celticmythology.com/rowan-trees-in-celtic-mythology/https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/bramble/https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/rowan/https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/things-to-do/foraging/https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/04/british-caterpillars/
