he Himalayan Blackberry is a highly invasive plant and you will see it all over Washington. It grows faster than native plants and soon overwhelms them. You can find out more about it at the King County Noxious Weed Board. Another concern is that the Burke-Gilman Trail used to be a railroad track and the steam trains that used it until the late 1940's burned coal for fuel. Burning coal releases lead, cadmium and mercury, all toxic materials. The toxins are in the soil along the track. We do not know if they are in the plants or the berries. There is no shortage of blackberries in Seattle and we think it is safer to pick our own blackberries elsewhere to protect our families.
he Himalayan Blackberry is a highly invasive plant and you will see it all over Washington. It grows faster than native plants and soon overwhelms them. You can find out more about it at the King County Noxious Weed Board. Another concern is that the Burke-Gilman Trail used to be a railroad track and the steam trains that used it until the late 1940's burned coal for fuel. Burning coal releases lead, cadmium and mercury, all toxic materials. The toxins are in the soil along the track. We do not know if they are in the plants or the berries. There is no shortage of blackberries in Seattle and we think it is safer to pick our own blackberries elsewhere to protect our families.