Wild Raspberry
A raspberry patch is never just feeding you.
In spring, its white flowers are buzzing with bees and other pollinators.
By summer, those flowers become bright red berries that feed birds, chipmunks, squirrels, black bears...
...and lucky hikers.
One plant helps feed an entire forest.
That's why berry patches are some of the busiest places around the lake.
Wild raspberries are often among the first plants to grow after a forest is disturbed by fire, wind, or logging. They quickly cover open ground, helping protect the soil while providing food for wildlife as the forest begins to recover.
Sometimes the first plants to arrive help make way for everything that follows.
Next time you're at the lake...
If you find a raspberry patch, stop for a minute before picking a berry.
Listen.
You'll probably hear bees working the flowers, birds calling from nearby branches, or insects buzzing through the leaves.
You're not just standing in a patch of raspberries.
You're standing at one of the forest's favourite restaurants.