Local Lookalikes: Blackberry and native raspberry

One's a weed, the other's a juicy snack for native birds of the Illawarra, including the Satin Bowerbird. Kieran Tapsell of Banksia Bushcare presents two berries you mustn't mix up.

Weed: Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus)   

Blackberry is a native European plant that was brought over to Australia by the first colonists, thinking it was a good thing to do. However, it soon became highly invasive. There is some blackberry in the Illawarra, but much of it has been overtaken by the even more invasive Lantana. 

Native Raspberry (Rubus parvifolius)

Native raspberry has prickles up the stem, but they are much smaller than blackberry thorns. The blackberry’s leaves are much larger, 3 to 5 lobed and each lobe is oval shaped and serrated. Native raspberry is common in the Illawarra and it is an important food source for birds.