It's a Vinca, either V. major or V. minor.

Ah another volunteer. Vinca major I'd say from the size. Contemplating keeping this one if we can control it.

I like it because it outgrows most weeds here in CA zone 9A.

That makes it a worse weed ;-)

Vinca minor is easily manageable in the PNW and makes a great weed suppressing groundcover for a shadier area.

What about Vinca major? At 18" tall I'm pretty sure this is Vinca major.

A much more aggressive species, larger overall and one that has an ability to grow quite high up into perennials and small shrubs and effectively smother them. Vinca minor plays much better with others :-)

V. major much harder to control and contain than V. minor.

So I guess we'll be pulling this one as well. Thanks!

At least I had some Columbine volunteer that I get to keep. :D

One asked about here is definitely V. major, the two species have different leaf shapes for starters. And the one seen making huge ivy-like patches in local woods is V. minor. However so far I'm only seeing V. major on the weed board web site:

https://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weeds/large-periwinkle

I am not sure where these "huge ivy-like patches" are.......none are appearing on the wooded western side of the Sound.

Setting aside the large colonies I have seen in this area myself there is this statement (part in bold) that I am pretty sure I have posted here during a recent prior discussion of this topic:

Though it rarely sets seed, it creeps and spreads vegetatively, so is common in shady old parks and abandoned gardens, acting fully wild. Some very extensive patches occur

- A. L. Jacobson, Wild Plants of Greater Seattle - Second Edition (2008)

And now I see searching in a different way that V. minor is in fact on the weed board web site after all - I had thought I had seen it there in the past:

https://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weeds/periwinkle

Scroll down for photo captioned

Vinca minor invades the understory in a natural area in Bellingham, WA :

https://www.nwcb.wa.gov/images/weeds/Periwinkle_Whatcom.pdf