Despite its wicked armaments, I always keep a fondly greedy eye on it. When almost ripe, the small berries are brilliant red, bright as beadwork. When fully ripe, they're dusky purple-red and it's not so much a matter of picking them as gently easing the fragile bejeweled thimbles off their cores.
Last Saturday this cluster was two days from perfection.
Two days later: alas, the treasure did not the escape the notice of others!
It took all week, but I finally have blurry pix of two of the culprits. They're fast – a little too fast for my digicam, but you get the general idea. On the left there's a hungry catbird. And the Audubon guide claims they're insectivores and beneficial to gardeners!
On the right there's a contortionist squirrel. The thorns discourage arborial raiding, so she stretches impossibly high from the ground while maintaining a precarious balance to claim her prize.
And the razzies* go to – not to me, not this year.
*Disclaimer: These wild razzies are not affiliated with the Golden Raspberry Awards, known as Razzies™.
4 comments:
I suppose your raspberry patch may have been a gift "dropped" off by one of the little birdies that are now eating its berries.
I remember very clearly my feeling of awe (okay and being a little grossed out) when I learned how birds can aid the plant world by spreading their seeds via poop!
Ah she must be a relative of our supersquirrel who can run up the birdfeeder pole and then fling himself around the baffle with this result: http://stoneview.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/supersquirrel_2.jpg
oh they sure looked yummy. Sorry you didn't get to have any!
The little birdies brought me some new surprises this year. It would seem they've been dining well. More pix to come.
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