Look closerPlants
Pokeweed berries and purple stems: a look-only plant
When: August to October
Along wood edges and fences, pokeweed is turning into the loudest plant of late summer: reddish-purple stems taller than a person and drooping grape-like clusters ripening green to glossy purple-black.
Why this time of year
Berries ripen late summer into fall, so through that stretch the clusters show every stage at once, and the catbirds, mockingbirds, and robins have found them.
How to notice it
- Scan fence lines and wood edges for a plant 6 to 10 feet tall with glowing reddish-purple stems.
- Find one cluster and read it like a calendar: green at the tip, purple-black at the base.
- Stake out a loaded plant for ten minutes and list the birds that visit; catbirds eat more fruit than nearly any other songbird.
- This is a no-touch plant, full stop; the show is the point.
Try this with kids: How many bird species visit the pokeweed before you get bored counting?
pokeweed is a native plant whose berries feed birds but poison people
Safety
- All parts are poisonous to people and pets, and the berries are the real child hazard: as few as 2 to 3 raw berries may be fatal to a child.
- No handling and no berry-crushing crafts; the toxins can even absorb through broken skin.
- Birds eating them safely is not evidence people can; birds appear immune to the toxins.
Sources
- plants.ces.ncsu.eduThe stems are an attractive reddish-purple color; dark blue-black purple berries mature in late summer to fall, with drooping clusters of green fruit ripening to glossy dark purple-black that attract birds; fruits are eaten by songbirds like robins and cedar waxwings; all parts of this plant are poisonous to humans and pets, and toxins can be absorbed through abrasions in the skin; grows along fencerows and woodland openings.
- ag.purdue.eduAll parts of the plant are toxic, especially the roots, shoots, and unripe berries; as few as 10 raw berries can produce serious toxicity in adults, while 2-3 raw berries may prove fatal to children; berries go green to purple to nearly black.
- mdc.mo.govThe stems are smooth, often reddish or purplish tinged, with dark purple juicy berries; the berries are eaten by birds, which seem to be immune to the toxins in the fruits; all parts should be considered poisonous to people; habitat includes fencerows and field and forest edges.
- fs.usda.govThe fruits are important food for mockingbirds, northern cardinals, and mourning doves; the entire plant is poisonous and the berries are especially poisonous; usually 6-10 feet tall with a pinkish-red smooth stem; found at forest edges, fence rows, and under power lines.
- dnr.maryland.govCatbirds probably eat more fleshy fruits than any of the other songbirds, and pokeweed is on their listed preferred-fruit list.
In the guide for August, September, October