currants

Be(a)rry Show Garden

About bears and berries ...

16.11.2022

In addition to the bear experience, BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach also dedicates an area to plant lovers. And since bears like to eat the sweet little fruits, the theme of the garden is, of course, "berries".

More than twenty different "berry" bushes and trees are cultivated in the small but fine show garden. Each berry has its own personal information board to help you get to know it better. In an entertaining way you will learn interesting, helpful and funny things about the sweet and sour fruits.

Three very different berry garden residents are briefly introduced here:

Who am I?

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Blackberry


Botanically the blackberry is not a berry but an aggregate fruit. The ripe berries are almost black and contain a lot of vitamin C, iron, calcium, phosphorus and flavonoids. Bees and butterflies also love this shrub.
 

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Early in spring ...

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Cornelian Cherry


 numerous delicate blossoms of the Cornelian cherry (also called "Dirndl" in Austria) appear. During that thime they are visited by many insects. The oval-shaped red stone fruits can be processed into jam, sirup, ... Different mammals and bird species also enjoy the fruits.

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Red, black or white ...

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Currant


are the fruits of the currant. Their flowers are inconspicuous at first glance, but on closer inspection they are small works of art. The sour berries contain a lot of vitamin C and are often eaten fresh from the bush or processed into juice and jams.

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A lot of the berries we know are not berries at all in a botanical aspect. On one hand, the classic among berries, the strawberry, for example, is not a "real" berry, but a so-called aggregate fruit. On the other hand, very few people would immediately think of a berry when they see a pumpkin. But from a botanical point of view, pumpkins are real berries.

red currants

What characterizes a "real" berry in the botanical sense?

The fruit wall of "real" berries (pericarp) is fleshy. The berries are formed from either one or more carpels and are mostly multi-seeded. Real berries are, for example, currants (Ribes sp.) and the fruits of grapevines (Vitis sp.).

Are you ready for a short Quiz?

To BE-RRY or not to BE-RRY? That is the question.

Question - of -

Blackberries

blackberries

Correct! Blackberries are not "real" berries. Botanically they are so-called aggregate fruits.

False! Blackberries are not "real" berries.Botanically they are so-called aggregate fruits.

Currants

black currants

Correct! Currants are one of the few "real" berries.

False! Currants are one of the few "real" berries.

Blueberries

blueberry with blossoms

Perfect! The blueberry, which prefers acidic soil, meets all berry criteria and is therefore a "real" berry plant.

Close miss! The blueberry, which prefers acidic soil, meets all berry criteria and is therefore a "real" berry. 

Pumpkins

the pumpkin, a real berry

Exactly! It doesn't look like a "berry" at all, but botanically it is one.

Oops, that's not true. It doesn't look like a "berry" at all, but botanically it is a berry.

Points reached:

Thank you for playing!

Natur im Garten Logo

The BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach is part of the "Natur im Garten" (nature in the garden) campaign

"Natur im Garten" is a campaign initiated by the federal state of Lower Austria. Wherever private or public green spaces and gardens are designed and maintained according to the "Natur im Garten" criteria, no pesticides, synthetic chemical fertilizers or peat are used. Great value is placed on the use of native plants, which are of great ecological importance. The aim is to promote the diversity of flora and fauna.

Treating nature with care is important. Let's also be aware of this in our gardens.
Let's give "weeds" for example a chance in our gardens. The variety a garden is not only a feast for the eyes, it also promotes the ecological balance.

Igel in einem Versteck aus Laub und Zweigen

Animal Friendly Gardening


How to make your garden fauna-friendly in autumn

Read more

We look forward to your visit to the BEAR SANCTUARY with the bears and berries.

Source

Holzner W., u.a. (2013): Ökologische Flora Niederösterreichs, Band 1, 3 und 4.,
Schramayr G., u.a. (2011): der Schwarze holler, Verein Regionale Gehölzevermehrung,
Fischer M.A., Oswald K., Adler W. (2008). Exkursionsflora f. Österreich, Liechtenstein, Südtirol,
Natur im Garten 

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