Ecology of the field
Maine wild blueberries literally grow wild in the acidic soils of eastern Maine coniferous forests. However, they don’t produce many berries when
growing in the shade of trees. Often when trees are cut or the forest burns, blueberries will grow abundantly. Blueberry “farmers” start their fields by
taking advantage of the berries’ tendency to grow where forests have been cleared. If the field is kept cleared, the plants will spread to cover the area.
Many other plants also grow in blueberry fields, but by keeping the pH of the soil low, the acid-tolerant blueberry plants will thrive, while other plants like grasses diminish. Sulfur, a natural element, is spread to make the soil more acidic. Since there are still many plants that will grow in the field, most blueberry growers spray the fields with herbicides every year. When you look at a field sprayed with herbicides, the field is practically a monoculture of blueberries. Our field is organic. We don’t put any chemicals on our field, and you can see in our photos that there is a diversity of plants growing there. This means fewer berries grow in our field, but we believe it is healthier than a field sprayed with chemicals, and the berries are healthier for those who eat them.
Other berries grow in the field, not worth harvesting to sell, but fun for us harvesters to find and eat. Huckleberries, lingonberries, bunchberries, teaberries, and aronia berries grow in the field, and all are edible.
Our field is full of beneficial invertebrate life because of the diversity of plants available. Bumblebees, solitary bees such as mason bees, and
ants contribute to pollinating the berry blossoms. Stems of asters and other flowers provide homes for parasitic wasps, which control insect pests. Spiders and daddy-longlegs are abundant in the field and also eat insect pests.
Woodcock, a bird related to a snipe, use the field for their breeding displays. On spring evenings, it is pleasant to hear their nasal “peent” and the twitter of their wings as they circle above the field. Other birds live in and around the field as well. These include flycatchers, sparrows, and kestrels.
The more time we spend in the field, the more we learn about its ecology. It’s always fun to find a small orchid, or a new berry, or a snake. And
so much other life is out there!
growing in the shade of trees. Often when trees are cut or the forest burns, blueberries will grow abundantly. Blueberry “farmers” start their fields by
taking advantage of the berries’ tendency to grow where forests have been cleared. If the field is kept cleared, the plants will spread to cover the area.
Many other plants also grow in blueberry fields, but by keeping the pH of the soil low, the acid-tolerant blueberry plants will thrive, while other plants like grasses diminish. Sulfur, a natural element, is spread to make the soil more acidic. Since there are still many plants that will grow in the field, most blueberry growers spray the fields with herbicides every year. When you look at a field sprayed with herbicides, the field is practically a monoculture of blueberries. Our field is organic. We don’t put any chemicals on our field, and you can see in our photos that there is a diversity of plants growing there. This means fewer berries grow in our field, but we believe it is healthier than a field sprayed with chemicals, and the berries are healthier for those who eat them.
Other berries grow in the field, not worth harvesting to sell, but fun for us harvesters to find and eat. Huckleberries, lingonberries, bunchberries, teaberries, and aronia berries grow in the field, and all are edible.
Our field is full of beneficial invertebrate life because of the diversity of plants available. Bumblebees, solitary bees such as mason bees, and
ants contribute to pollinating the berry blossoms. Stems of asters and other flowers provide homes for parasitic wasps, which control insect pests. Spiders and daddy-longlegs are abundant in the field and also eat insect pests.
Woodcock, a bird related to a snipe, use the field for their breeding displays. On spring evenings, it is pleasant to hear their nasal “peent” and the twitter of their wings as they circle above the field. Other birds live in and around the field as well. These include flycatchers, sparrows, and kestrels.
The more time we spend in the field, the more we learn about its ecology. It’s always fun to find a small orchid, or a new berry, or a snake. And
so much other life is out there!
