Yeah not sure of the species but I've always considered it a weed. It can get between 3'-5' tall with no flowers worth mentioning.

Pokeweed, Phytolaca.

That looks like Pokeweed. Some people grow it for a food while many others consider it a "weed".

You gardeners are right! Thanks so much for your help. I've been Googling and trying to decide whether to zap it now. Some people say in the Chicago area it's fairly benign since the winter will kill it; and cardinals like the berries. But I'm remembering past experiences where I allowed an intruder to grow and later regretted it as the darn thing spread. Still mulling this over.

Pull it. I had some and brought it in to my hubby to ID and he told me to pull it. He said they were harmful to horses etc. Live on farm so it went

Thank you. I also just learned it can be dangerous for dogs -- really most animals except birds. And even the juices from the plant when you try to remove it are poisonous so you have to wear gloves and be careful. Whoever would have thought that such a lovely thing could be so dangerous? Such is life.

Make sure you get all the roots or it will keep coming back

After pulling the same one several times I discovered it had a huge woodlike root as big as half a football.