There's an invasive species of blackberry, the Himalayan Blackberry, that literally grows EVERYWHERE throughout this area of Idaho and the entire Pacific NW. When I was a kid regular blackberries grew wild in the area where we lived near Houston. But I don't remember the huge, razor-sharp thorns on them like these. On the upside, the berries on this variety are said to be bigger.

Our entire house/yard is ringed with these berry bushes. They make an impenetrable barrier to almost everything except little rabbits. Removing them usually requires a small bulldozer according to most folks I've talked to. I guess I'll just try to keep them in check with a trimmer...cause I do love me some blackberries. Wife's gonna be busy making stuff outta blackberries.

I'm actually thinking of getting a few goats. In some cities on the west coast there are actually places that rent goats to eat the berry bushes in order to control their growth or remove them from property. Apparently they love to eat the blackberry canes.

The main bushes:








Each of the flowers in the above photo will produce this:


Getting to the berries requires avoiding these: