Blackberry

Blackberries are sweet and delicious and a great snack on a stroll through the woods in late summer. Wherever there's a hint of a forest, you can find blackberries, and a big clump of vines full of inviting ripe berries is hard to ignore. But be warned: Blackberries are related to roses, and roses know how to defend themselves.

With their strong, prickly vines, they can both trip you and scratch up your clothes and skin. If you see a blackberry plant in your vicinity, watch your feet, or you might just trip over a random blackberry vine that popped up in an utterly unexpected spot. A person who is capable of picking blackberries without getting scratched or stuck in the vines at some point deserves respect.

But even though picking them can leave you annoyed, scratched up and with many tiny holes in your clothes, blackberries are just too tasty to not eat them. They are used in many different ways, and they always taste good. Fresh picked, in cakes, as marmelade, even in the form of blackberry wine, blackberries are always great.

And it's not only the berries that can be used. Blackberry leaves can be dried and used as a tea or as medicine against diarrhea, inflamations in the mouth or irritated skin and to prevent the loss of teeth. Even though they need maintenance to prevent the plant from taking over, blackberries are sometimes found in gardens due to their versatiliy.

All in all, blackberry plants are quite amazing. The vines use their sharp, pointy thorns to protect themselves from being eaten and to help them hold on to nearly any surface, making them able to climb. Both the leaves and the berries are used in a variety of different ways, and the berries in particular are loved by most people.