Discovering Invasive Species

Although blackberries are arguably some of the most delicious fruits, they have more of an impact on our environment than one might realize when slurping down a yummy blackberry milkshake or taking a slice of a freshly baked blackberry pie. Have you ever been picking blackberries during the summer season and been overwhelmed with the immensely large blackberry bushes with more fruits than you could pick? While this may be convenient when baking a blackberry pie, these large bushes are threatening to other plants nearby. The delicious blackberry originates from a harmful plant that is present in Discovery Park. This talk tour will uncover aspects of the Himalayan Blackberry, an invasive plant species, that you might not have been familiar with. This plant has extremely invasive tendencies that harm ecosystems and limit biodiversity in the forests of Discovery Park. Throughout this talk tour, we will visit several different sites to examine the relationship between the Himalayan Blackberry and other plants within Discovery Park. Several sites will display immensely overgrown blackberry bushes while in other parts of our walk you will be able to see a harmonious ecosystem with beautiful biodiversity. The Himalayan Blackberry continues to spread throughout Discovery Park, posing a threat to the biodiversity of plants in the forest. By the end of this talk tour, I hope to give you a better understanding of this environmental issue and inspire you to look at the Himalayan Blackberry from a different lens.