£2.99 for 175g, the blackberries in my supermarket. The hedgerows round Hackney are now groaning under the weight of some of the juiciest, plumpest blackberries I've seen in years. Yet people will pay two-pence a gram for something they could harvest for free.
Lucky for me, this ripening comes just as the schools break-up, so I've got plenty of help from my daughters to take full advantage of nature's bounty.
Evolution makes sure that wildlife has what it needs, when it needs it. That's why breeding seasons invariably coincide with peak availability of natural, seasonal foods. We people have drifted away from this notion as far is food concerned, but birds are struggling to keep up with it. Simple supply and demand economics - market forces. That's another reason why the impact of climate change is so concerning. If our weather patterns change, wildlife will struggle to adapt and in some cases, will fail.
The importance of feasting was brought home to me at the weekend when I joined neighbours for a drink and a chat in the street. I got to know the names of people I see daily as we leave for work. Embarrassingly, all we normally manage is the hint of a nod and a mumbled "ello". Worst still, I discovered there are people who live mere metres from me that I have never even seen. After our revelatory weekend encounters it was really nice this morning to smile, wave and chat with others from our 'colony' as we all set-off on our daily routines.
Imagine then the birds that visit us in summer and are even now preparing themselves for the return journeys. Back to places like Africa and eastern Europe. Blackberries and the rest of our bountiful hedgerows, rail-sidings, gardens, parks and waterways are mere pit-stops for them in the race to survive. Wouldn't it be nice if they could return year-after-year safe in the knowledge that their family homes won't be destroyed and that there's food here to support them?
We can do more to stock these pit-stops to ensure swifts, martins and other migratory birds survive and flourish year-after-year. OK, brambles and nettles may not be welcome in every garden, but how about leaving a little patch of them? If you think space is an issue, consider the recent calculation that the UK has some 600 acres of growing space on windowsills. How about planting some nectar rich flowers in a windowbox? That will support insects, which support spiders and birds.
Be a good neighbour to wildlife. Chances are the birds that nest in your eaves or trees have ancestors who lived there long before you ever did. To find out more about creating a wildlife pit-stop, visit our gardening pages or sign-up to our Homes for Wildlife project.
Don't forget we're down at the Tate Modern on the southbank, showcasing a pair of wild peregrines roosting on the Tate chimney. It's free and it's awesome, as advertised on ITV London, Sunday evening.