There are a lot of these blooming at Centennial. I was trying to identify them as roses, but actually– they’re blackberries. The canes arch and bend downward to send new roots into the ground. No fragrance. Fruits are seedy and sweet. The nectar, pollen and fruits attract many kinds of bees, flies, beetles, caterpillars, birds and mammals. Also the brambles form shelter for many ground-nesting birds and other small creatures… so the value of this plant to its local ecosystem is high.
Common Blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis)
In California, this plant is indestructible. It grows along our roadway, crawls across the asphalt, disregards being mowed, climbs around among my roses and on our bank of day lilies, African daisies, mystic spires, lavender, dusty miller, penstemon, salvia, etc. I was able to contain a stand of marauding mint, but the wild blackberries own the land and will climb on everything that grows. It’s good to hear they are important to the environment.