Wildlife Spotting

I have tons of this growing around my yard. It grows up to 8 feet (2 meters) in height. When mature Its leaves are green with green / purplish stems. The flowers are green to white, followed by purple to almost black berries which are a food source for song birds which is how they spread through our area with ease. They have a significant amount of toxicity, but if the young leaves are picked and prepared in a way that removes the toxins, they can be and still are eaten as a cooked green like Spanish. THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED UNLESS YOU KNOW HOW TO REMOVE THE TOXINS. Children are most frequently poisoned by eating raw berries. Infants are especially sensitive and have died from eating only a few raw berries. BECAUSE OF THE DANGER OF HUMAN POISONING, POKEWEED SHOULD BE ERADICATED WHEN DISCOVERED. The toxins can be absorbed through the skin so use caution when handling these weeds.

Common pokeweed Phytolacca americana