The Himalayan blackberry is one of the Pacific Northwest's worst non-native invasive species, it thrives in our temperate climate and chokes out our native plants. It's also very hard to get rid of. A Seattle Times article had this to say about Seattle Works public enemy #1:
Nature could not have designed a better invader than the Himalayan blackberry, a native of Eurasia.
In a sunny site with some water, a patch will expand 10 feet in girth in a year. Consider the blackberry's abilities, truly without parallel, when it comes to reproduction:
Its flowers need no pollination. Unlike other plants that need their pollen transferred in some fashion to the ovary, the blackberry sets seed on its own. Bees need not apply.
Knowing this 8 members of Younger and Wiser put on their long sleeves and gloves and headed into the brambles armed with shovels and loppers. They chopped away at the thorny vines and dug out the giant root balls. The ground was muddy, the air was cold but the team stayed at it for the entire project. They stayed in high spirits and were entertained by forest minstrels (seriously, two dudes with drums and a clarinet showed up and played music).
After the project the team headed to West Seattle for some much deserved lunch and sitting down.
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