Late May brings the flowering of thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus), a Pacific Northwest native shrub that produces large white flowers (1-2 inches across) with five delicate crinkled petals. These deciduous shrubs grow 3-8 feet tall with distinctive large maple-like leaves (4-8 inches wide) and no thorns, unlike most other Rubus species. Thimbleberry thrives in moist forests, along streams, and in disturbed areas from Alaska to northern California, often forming dense thickets in partial shade. The flowers attract native bees and other pollinators, while the soft red thimble-shaped berries that develop by mid to late summer are edible and sweet, though somewhat seedy. Indigenous peoples throughout the region ate the berries fresh, and the large leaves were used for various purposes including lining berry baskets and as a emergency "forest toilet paper."