




Prunus spinosa
Blackthorn is a prickly shrub that grows beautiful white flowers in spring. It produces small, dark fruits called sloes that many animals love to eat!
Habitat: Woodlands
The Blackthorn is a dense, thorny shrub with dark, almost black bark and small, oval leaves. It boasts a spectacular display of tiny, white five-petaled flowers that emerge profusely on bare branches before its leaves appear in early spring, often giving it a snowy appearance.





Category
PlantsRarity
Common
Danger
2/5 · Low
Snaps
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Blackthorn's name comes from its incredibly dark bark and sharp, black-tipped thorns.
Its super-hard wood was traditionally used to make shillelaghs, strong Irish walking sticks!
People have used its tiny, sharp thorns as pins or even for ancient tattooing!
The fruits, called sloes, are incredibly sour until a hard frost sweetens them up!
Blackthorn can bloom incredibly early in spring, giving its white flowers a head start to attract the first sleepy insects.
Blackthorn fruits, called sloes, get sweeter after a hard frost, making them perfect for birds to eat and spread its seeds!
Blackthorn can spread by sending up new shoots from its roots, forming dense, protective thickets where birds can hide.
Thecla betulae
larvae feed on its leaves
Apis mellifera
visits early spring flowers for nectar
Sylvia communis
nests securely within its thorny thickets
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Turdus pilaris
eats ripe sloes in winter for energy
Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground.
Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds.
Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health.
Pertaining to plants that have stems covered with sharp, pointed projections for defense.
Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
Danger
2/5 · Low
Be careful of the sharp thorns on the Blackthorn bush!
100-500 cm
100-400 cm
1-1.5 cm
Early spring
Yes
Mild
Perennial
Insect
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