The severity of this past winter — along with some work on the garage against which the briers grow — resulted in the death of not a few of the year-old canes that produce the flowers and fruit for the blackberry bushes in the garden.
Last year, in contrast, was a year of abundance, with more than enough berries for pies, muffins, cobbler and fresh eating. In fact, the freezer still holds a couple of Ziploc gallon bags of the berries, which can be defrosted and used in baking.
The briers are in flower this week — check out this photo — and berries should be ready for picking in about a month, if the birds don't eat them first. Alas, some cardinals have made a nest in one of the briers, and I don't have the heart to remove it.