Today, my wife discovered that we have wild blackberries growing just outside the wire fence that separates our backyard from the field behind us. She did a bit of research to confirm that they are wild blackberries and not something different; perhaps even dangerous. And, I guess she found what she needed, as she went so far as to sample one of the blackberries. Seeing as she nor I are a trained botanist or horticulturalist, I didn't think that such a wise move. I, particularly, did not feel like writing about her hospitalization as part of a new experience for this blog, and luckily I didn't have to. What I did learn, however, is that wild blackberries are just as unique in their own right as us finding them in the field behind our house.
- Poison ivy is often confused with wild blackberry plants and vice-versa due to the similarities in their leaves. But, there is one important difference that you can read about here.
- There are 4 different species of wild blackberries
- Blackberries are full of nutrients; specifically, they are great source of vitamins A and C
- Blackberries are not really a berry, in botanical terms, but an aggregate fruit of numerous drupelets
- Blackberry leaves are food for certain caterpillars; some grazing mammals, especially deer, are also very fond of them
- Blackberries were enjoyed by the ancient Greeks, who believed them to be a cure for diseases of the mouth and throat, as well as a preventative against many ailments, including gout
- The blackberry leaf was also used as an early hair dye
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