Subject: [Tweeters] Non-native blackberries pro & con
Date: Sep 8 11:29:04 2005
From: Guy McWethy - lguy_mcw at yahoo.com



Scott had some good points about Blackberry brambles.
And that Native plants do take longer to establish
than a Blackberry bramble.
But like most things, it is a balance we need to
establish. If, looking at your yard AND neighborhood,
you think your area might benefit from a Blackberry
patch, go for it. Personally, I think you might
regret it in the long term, but OK.
But if you are surrounded by large patches on a
monoculture of Blackberries, like most of the Puget
Sound area, then you might want to plant a diversity
of native plants, and look for your Sparrows in your
neighborhood Blackberry patch.
Personally, I think I have seen a drop in the Sparrow
numbers in my yard since I removed the Blackberry
patches 6 years ago. I have a few resident Song
Sparrow, and get irregular visits from White-Crowned
and Gold-Crowned during the winter. But my first Fox
Sparrows appeared (sporadically)over the winter 3
years ago, and there were finally 4-5 residents all
last winter (about Nov - Apr). And the diversity of
bird species in my yard continues to climb every year
since.
And speaking of Fox Sparrow, today I saw the first one
in my yard since April! Fall must be arriving!
Guy

Guy McWethy
Renton, WA
mailto: lguy_mcw at yahoo.com

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