Yes, red elderberry. The berries ripen around this time of year.

Thanks!

I thought it was but needed confirmation before I felt confident to tell my son what it was. :-)

ahhhh... just lie to your son.. whats his use.. if he doesnt believe everything dad says.. lol ...

tell him the are fairy berries.. and if he comes out at 4 am.. he will see the little people of yore... flitting about the plant... and if he captures one.. he will live forever...

or something like that... lol

ken

Well, with him having small children, I thought it best for him to know. Elderberry seeds are toxic, so he could either remove/destroy the plant or at least warn the kids, so they won't eat any.

bill

It's a beautiful native shrub with great wildlife value. Train the kids to leave it alone or supervise them until they are old enough to understand.

It's right back of his new house. So, when you see something, say something.

His children are old enough to understand what you tell them, although the youngest is only 4. It's all part of learning, out where they live.

It sounds like you'd have to eat more than one berry to get really sick but it's not a chance you really want to take.

Thanks for the information, Dave and floral.

bill

And if the berries are cooked - as in a jam or other preparation - the toxicity issue is moot anyway.

btw, not all species of elder share similar degrees of toxicity with the raw berries.

Well, I don't know. According to this information from UW Bothell,

the seeds have to be removed to be safe when eaten raw.

Otherwise, you could get at the least, a robust colin cleansing.

Kids are enough work without all that happening.

https://www.uwb.edu/wetland/plants/sambucus-racemosa#:~:text=While%20the%20seeds%20of%20the,bodily%20system%20in%20laxative%20form.