An Ode to the Himalayan Blackberry

An Ode to the Himalayan Blackberry is a painting of three times I saw changes in the Himalayan Blackberry bush at my college in the fall semester. Time seems to be running out for this bush because of the suffocation via the English Ivy plants that have been crawling across campus. I researched what would happen if the Blackberries were in the environment of the Pacific Northwest, but weren’t inhibited by the English Ivy, and found out some surprising results. They say that usually, if it isn’t inhibited by another noxious weed, like English ivy, it can be a problem itself! It seems that if it is left unattended, it can grow into thickets that can’t be tamed unless you take a lot of time and effort to maintain them. It can be tamed via herbicides, burning, and manual maintenance, but all come with their share of issues. I want to make both of these invasive plants more visible as an issue, as well as raise awareness about the importance of ivy and blackberry removal so that you can plant more natives to your area!