Nature on our doorsteps: Hawthorn’s many benefits

One of the most obvious fruits remaining in the hedgerows now are the bunches of red haws on the Hawthorn.

Being a native species, Hawthorn supports many forms of wildlife. It is thought that up to 150 different types of insects feed on Hawthorn’s leaves, buds, flowers, and berries.

Many other invertebrates, fungi, and lichens also rely on this thorny bush.

The Hawthorn’s fleshy red berries are a vital source of food for fruit-eating birds like blackbirds, starlings, wood pigeon, and thrushes.

These are joined by winter migrants like fieldfares and redwings from northern Europe.

The large seed inside the haw also attracts seed-eating birds like chaffinches and greenfinches.

: The caterpillar of the beautiful Swallow Tailed Moth feeds on Hawthorn leaves

Hawthorn’s bushes make great nesting sites for small birds like wrens, while the bottom of a Hawthorn hedge offers resting places for hedgehogs, wood mice, shrews, rabbits, hares, badgers and foxes.

While haws are not usually eaten raw by us, they can be used to make jams, jellies, wines, and chutneys.

In the past, the very young leaves were eaten in salads, while the flowers were used to make syrups and cordials.

In herbal medicine, Hawthorn is considered to be very useful for heart and blood conditions.

So, all in all, a Hawthorn hedge certainly offers a lot of benefits, not just to wildlife but also to us.