Thimbleberry Bushes

Features

• The thimbleberry shrub grows to between 18 inches and 8 feet tall. It has hairy stems, but no thorns, with the bark on the larger, older stems peeling. The leaves resemble those of maple trees, with between three and seven lobes. They are fuzzy and green, but the foliage turns shades of red and orange in the autumn. The white to pink flowers look like crinkled tissue paper, according to the Washington Native Plant Society. As many as 11 emerge in a cluster in May and June, eventually yielding brilliant red fruits that are round and hairy, falling apart to the touch when finally ripe.

Habitat

• Thimbleberry displays a degree of tolerance to partial shade, but does best in full sunshine. It performs in dry or damp sites, states the Washington State University Clark County Extension, developing in an array of sites. Many kinds of soil support its growth, including damp and dry ones. Thimbleberry occurs in open woodlands in the wild and along roadsides, as well as next to streams and rivers. Its geographic distribution goes from Alaska southward into California and northern Mexico. Thimbleberry grows east from the West Coast well into the Great Lakes area.

Importance to Wildlife

• Mammals like black bears, red squirrels, skunks, coyotes and raccoons devour the berries of the thimbleberry bush. Birds such as the ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, American robin, cardinal, gray catbird, brown thrasher, wrens, jays and finches eat the fruits. Thimbleberry thickets afford a place for small-bird species to build their nests; such thickets also provide cover for mammals like rabbits and beavers.

More Information

• Landscapers sometimes employ thimbleberry as an ornamental shrub, making use of its aromatic flowers and vivid fall color. Thimbleberries taste better from plants grown in the eastern portion of its range, because these areas receive more rainfall on average. Birds and mammals, especially rodents, disperse the seeds of thimbleberry. The fruits are useful for making jellies, but typically possess too many seeds for use in creating jams. Native Americans would dry the ripened thimbleberries and store them to eat them at a later date.