Wikijunior:Summer Flowers of Northern New England/Rubus pensilvanicus

Blackberry (Rubus pensilvanicus)
Single flower	Flowers and unripe fruit
Description: Blackberries are a summer delight. The fruit is formed before the last of the flowers fades, though it is not yet ripe. In late summer the fruit ripens, and then it can be picked and eaten on the spot, or collected and made into a pie. The flowers are white with five petals, and have several thread-like stamens (stay-mins) coming out of the center. Bees love blackberry flowers, and should be allowed to do their work on them. Without the bees, the flowers could not turn into berries. The leaves have jagged edges, and the stems are covered with thorns (which makes picking berries more of a challenge). Quick Facts: The stems of the blackberry are called "canes" and live for two years. When a cane is in its first year, it produces neither flowers nor fruit. Only in its second year does it bear flowers.	The familiar, ripe Blackberry fruit