Fauna
Plant

Common Dewberry

Rubus flagellaris

Also known as Northern Dewberry, Running Dewberry, Whiplash Dewberry

Common dewberry sprawls low along open ground, sending out long, thorny biennial canes that root wherever their tips touch bare soil. Solitary white flowers with five slender petals open from late spring into early summer, providing critical nectar for solitary bees and early butterflies. The trailing brambles form dense mats that anchor sandy or disturbed soils while offering sheltered nesting cover and fruit for songbirds and small mammals.

FloweringGroundcoverPerennial
Common Dewberry reference1 / 3
(c) Daniel J. Layton, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Daniel J. Layton · cc-by
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preySunlight, Water, Soil nutrients
Predators
  • White-tailed Deer
  • Eastern Cottontail
  • American Robin
ThreatsCanopy closure from forest succession, invasive weeds, herbicide spraying
HabitatsOld fields, savannas, prairies, open woods, pastures, roadsides
Life spanPerennial root system (canes biennial)
Classification
  1. OrderRosales
  2. FamilyRosaceae
  3. GenusRubus
  4. SpeciesRubus flagellaris
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Wild berries have toxic look-alikes; never eat based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
  • Footwear Caution: Watch for trailing canes across paths, as prickles easily snag socks and shoe laces.
  • Pollinator Viewing: Check open blooms on sunny mornings to spot native bees collecting pollen.
Related species
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