Dense foliage defined a mass of blackberry plants lining the creek edge. A few ripe blackberries were visible and easily reached to pick.

The blackberry plants ran all the way from the road to the bridge over the creek and picked up again on the other side of the bridge. Here, you could see them reaching our at least 4 meters (12 feet) from the creek edge into the field.

The blackberry leaf is oval shaped with a point at the end and with rough edges. Several leafs sprout from a single stem.

The blackberry stem is covered in sharp thorns. It is these thorns that make picking blackberries difficult.

The stems of the blackberry grow in random directions, criss crossing to create a dense undergrowth that is difficult to penetrate.

Here a young woman picks blackberries. Notice that she is wearing long sleeves to protect her arms from the thorns.

The blackberry grows long shoots (long stems) that arc over to find new dirt in which to grow. This behavior allows the plant to expand its territory.