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Himalayan blackberry
Himalayan Blackberries are one of the many invasive species found in Hawthorne Park, British Columbia,Canada. In the park, there is an abundant amount of this plant and they are most commonly located along the trails. The berries of this plant may taste good, but the plant itself is harmful to the ecosystem. They are extremely invasive because they grow rapidly, smothering other native plants. The plant originates from Europe and was introduced to America by an American botanist in 1885. By 1945, it had spread along the Pacific Coast and is now widely spread throughout British Columbia. Controlling of the plant is difficult, for people enjoy the berries and want easy access to them. You can identify them by their small light pink or white flowers with five petals. The flower is found in clusters of five to twenty. You can also identify them by their generally large rounded leaves usually grouped in threes or fives, their large thorns, five-sided stem, and their large black berries.

Eastern Grey Squirrel
The Eastern Grey Squirrel may reflect as a harmless animal, but to one’s unfamiliar knowledge, it may be surprising that they actually can have a strong impact on an ecosystem. They are a highly invasive species that can be found throughout British Columbia, including Hawthorne Park. They compete with native squirrels for food and habitat, which results in the native squirrels becoming threatened or endangered. To some they are also considered as a household pest because they may make nests in buildings, destroying electrical wiring and woodwork. They were first brought to Canada in 1914 when eight of the squirrels were released into Stanley Park, Vancouver. Since then, they have been repopulating and have spread into other areas of British Columbia. To avoid predators, they prefer an ongoing forest canopy so that they can travel and forage mainly in the trees, rather than on the ground. They can be identified by the light to dark grizzled grey fur on their backs with reddish tones, and their light grey to white tail, stomach, and ears. In some cases, they may be entirely black.