Blackberry bonanza

I don't like blackberries. Let me amend that: I don't like blackberry bushes. The vines spread like crazy and can take over whole pastures or hillsides if not checked. The fruit, however, is fabulous.

A couple years ago, we had a summer of no fruit. The wild plums and blackberries, which normally glut the land in season, were categorically bare. It was weird.

Last summer, it's like the plants made up for lost time. While the blackberries were once again abundant, the plums were absolutely phenomenal. I'd never seen so many wild plums.

This year, while the plums are bearing well, it's nothing like what the blackberries are doing.

Every bush, vine, and branch is covered so thickly with infant fruit that the branches are already bending down.

A couple weeks ago, when blossoms were still on the vines, I could stand next to a bush and hear the hum of bees as they went from flower to flower.

As a result of all this diligent pollination, the young berries are coming in thick and fast.

I have no idea why the blackberries decided to explode this year, but I'm certain the wildlife will appreciate it once the fruit is ripe. And, well, a sample of the fruit might make its way into our kitchen as well.