Phytolacca americana, pokeweed, is native to Maryland where it thrives on the edges of parking lots, fence rows, and recently disturbed areas. When allowed to mature, pokeweed can exceed 10 feet in height. It has purple stems with dark green leaves and green flowers that turn white along a long raceme. These racemes become loaded with purplish-black berries, which are a rich source of food for wildlife but are toxic to humans. At least 30 bird species rely on pokeberries as a major source of food, including mockingbirds, bluebirds, mourning doves, and cedar waxwings.

–Tim Curley