There are one group of plants in the UK that give something *for nothing*. Each year these plants, treasured by our foraging ancestors, produce a rainbow of different coloured foods for us to enjoy free of charge when we come across them. Welcome to a thread about WILD FRUIT

June is the month when our first wild fruits appear. Nestled on the woodland floor, tucked under hedgerows & spilling out of borders, WILD STRAWBERRIES hide their bright red sweets in a sea of green leaves. These perennials produce green fruit that ripens through white then red

Next to appear are another native but more frequently seen as a cultivar, REDCURRANTS. An open woodland specialist, they can form dense stands a few feet high. The wild type produces just a handful of fruits per plant, with berries so shiny that they appear polished!

CRAB APPLES can still be found in the wild fruit groves of our ancient woodlands, where they are selectively foraged by ponies, bullfinches, squirrels and thrushes, and because they store so well on the tree they provide a ready winter snack in our colder months

Britain is also home to an incredibly rare fruit tree, known from just a handful of specimens, the PLYMOUTH PEAR. Like it's cultivar cousins, this species produces fruit adored by a whole cast of creatures, whilst it's leaves and wood support many different caterpillars & larvae

One of our more overlooked yet widespread wild fruit trees is the ROWAN. In season, its deep red berries are sought out by pine martens and other mammals who for a short window might eat nothing else, as evidenced in their scat!

At the end of the summer, sometimes as early as July, brambles allow their bright green fruit to ripen into a national favourite, the BLACKBERRY. This is one of the most important wild fruits in Britain, sought out by mammals, birds and people!

CHERRIES can be found deep in ancient woodlands but also thrive in urban parks and gardens. Here, their rock hard stones are dealt with by the powerful beaks of hawfinches, sadly still in steep decline, whilst fallen fruit is hoovered up by urban foxes.

Most importantly of all, a diverse range of wild fruits provide essential food for our wildlife. Feeding our smallest ants to our largest red deer, wild fruits provide an important source of sugars during and after the breeding season, allowing species to prepare for winter.

When planning our urban orchards, woodland replanting and garden scales, our fruit trees should be central to creating wildlife friendly habitats for the future. @Rebirding1 and I spent six years studying one such place in our new book, ORCHARD - A Year In England's Eden