BLACKBERRY/BRAMBLE
(Rubus)
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There are several hundred species and hybrids of brambles (genus Rubus) in the British Isles which colonise a wide variety of habitats from exposed mountainsides to deeply shaded woodlands.

Brambles are often among thefirst plant species to colonise waste or disturbed ground, their seeds beingdeposited by the wind or carried from further afield and deposited in the droppings of birds.

The deciduous shrubs with prickly stems can be erect, sprawling or climbers (in the latter case, securing themselves to the substrate by the thorns on their stems and on the under-surfaces of the leaves). The compound leaves are composed of from three to five toothed, oval leaflets.

Once established on a site, the bramble soon spreads as the tips of its long arching stems take root when they touch the ground. the swiftly spreading brambles provide shelter for other plants and food and a habitat for many small animals.

Most of the species of bramble are self-fertile but many are pollinated by insects which visit the flowers to obtain nectar or pollen. One such is Syrphus ribesii (a wasp-like hover-fly) whose larvae feed on aphids which infest the bramble. other grubs which may be found on blackberries are those of the raspberry beetle (Byturus tomentosus) and the raspberry moth (Lampronia rubiella).

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Most of the insects associated with brambles are to be seen during the flowering and fruiting seasons.

Various sap-sucking insects may be found on brambles including aphids, the larvae of frog-hoppers which secrete a foam around themselves as they feed on the young shoots and various species of shield bugs (the shield bug Elasmucha grisea is one of the rarities of the insect world in that it cares for its young).

The white tunnels in the leaves made by the larvae of the moth Nepticula aurella as they eat their way between the upper and lower skins of the leaf are visible throughout the year although they are most conspicious during the winter months when the leaves are brown.

Most of the species of bramble are self-fertile but many are pollinated by insects which visit the flowers to obtain nectar or pollen. One such is Syrphus ribesii (a wasp-like hover-fly) whose larvae feed on aphids which infest the bramble. other grubs which may be found on blackberries are those of the raspberry beetle (Byturus tomentosus) and the raspberry moth (Lampronia rubiella).

In the autumn the common wasp, which feeds on flies in the summer, starts to feed on sugars including the fruit of the bramble. The wasp pierces the individual fruitlets to feed on the pulp inside. With the contents of the fruit made accessible by the wasp, other insects come to feed on it such as the flesh flies and greenbottles. They disgorge saliva onto the fruit which is partially digested before being sucked up by their mouthparts.

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Blackberries are an important part of the diet of foxes, preying on small animals and birds throughout the rest of the year, in the autumn

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INSECTS OF THE BRITISH ISLES
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