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).
