I have a seemingly endless fight with blackberries. Our wildlife neighbors spread blackberry seeds throughout our yard. Consequently, I have to pull up new plants that pop up in our lawn, gardens, and shrubs.  That being said I do not try to eradicate them when those plants that grow in the edge of property. I do this because blackberries rank near the top of the list of foods favored by both mammals and birds. More than 100 species of wildlife consume blackberries.  Juicy blackberries are just beginning to ripen in my neck of the woods, and birds are already feasting on them.

       The list of critters that eat wild blackberries includes the raccoon, chipmunk, and gray squirrel. Some of the numerous birds that dine on blackberries includes the northern bobwhite, wild turkey, great crested flycatcher, American and fish crows, Baltimore and orchard orioles, indigo bunting, cardinal, gray catbird, Eastern bluebird, yellow-breasted chat, eastern towhee, cedar waxing, and woodpeckers such as the red-bellied and red-headed, brown thrasher, and white-throated sparrow. 

       If we are lucky, my wife and I try to grab few blackberries before the birds gobble them up.

       I should also mention that rabbits and deer eat the plants’ tender stems and leaves.

       In addition to being a great source of food, many birds and other animals use blackberry patches as nesting and escape cover.

       Wild blackberries are indeed an important part of the diverse wildlife habitat that exists just outside our backdoor.