Berry and Fruit Plants to Avoid

Bears are attracted to ripened berries because of their sweet taste and high caloric value.

Whether they are naturally occurring or planted on your property, you can expect bears to be attracted to berry patches around your home.

You can reduce this attractant by picking berries as they ripen or consider removing the berry bushes.

Below is a list of berries or other fruit, bushes, shrubs and flowers that may attract a bear to your backyard.

	Red-osier Dogwood (Red Willow) Leaves: Opposite, oval to egg-or lance-shaped, 2-8 cm long Flowers: Four-petaled, greenish-white color (Late May to June) Fruits: Berry-like drupes, white Height: Shrub, up to 2 m tall
	Pin Cherry Leaves: Oval to lance-shaped, 3-10 cm long, gradually taper to long point at tip Flowers: In flat-topped clusters, white, 6-10mm across Fruits: Bright-red cherries, 5-8 mm across, sour (Mid-August) Height: Shrub or small tree, 1-5 m tall
	Wolf Willow Leaves: Alternate, oval to egg-or lance-shaped, 2-6 cm long, silvery color Flowers: Many clusters of tiny, tubular yellow flowers with four petals (June-July) Fruits: Oval, silver berry-like fruit, contain 1 large nutlet Height: Shrub or small tree, up to 4 m tall
	Canadian Buffaloberry/Soap Berry/Shepherdia Leaves: Opposite, elliptic to narrowly oval, dark greenish above; whitish, silvery and fuzzy below. Flower: Single or in small clusters; yellowish brown, 4 mm wide (May-June) Fruits: Bright red, yellow or orange in color, round, 4-6 mm. Only female plants bear fruit. (Berries ripen late-July to mid-August) Height: Spreading shrub, up to 1.5 m tall
	Choke Cherry Leaves: Oval, fairly broad and finely toothed Flowers: Popsicle-shaped clusters up to 10 cm long (May-June) Fruits: Round purplish-black berries (August) Height: Small tree, less than 10 m tall
	Wild Rose Leaves: Sharply toothed, compound leaves, 5-9 leaflets Flowers: 5 showy pink petals, 4-5 cm across (Late May to early August) Fruits: Red, spherical to pear-shaped, fleshy ‘hips’ Height: Shrub, up to 1.5 m
	Western Mountain Ash Leaves: Compound, coarsely toothed leaflets, dark brown bark Flowers: Dense clusters of small white flowers Fruits: Showy, bright reddish-orange, in large bunches Height: Several-stemmed shrub, 1-4 m tall