Pokeberry: A Valuable Food Source for Wildlife

Pokeberry (Phytolacca americana), also commonly known as pokeweed, is considered by most gardeners to be a weed*--a very large one at that considering that it grows up to 12 feet tall! Yet, if you can find it a spot in your garden to allow it to grow in its full glory, you will be richly rewarded with its architecturally elegant branches adorned with clusters of berries that ripen to a rich purple. Reminiscent of grape clusters, the beauty of these berries is only half of the gardener's rewards. Pokeberries are a favorite food for songbirds, so much so that birds may even become intoxicated from this avian delicacy.

In my gardens in both Virginia and Pennsylvania I have encouraged pokeberries near screened windows where I often sit. In late summer and early fall I am treated to close-up views of phoebes, mockingbirds, brown thrashers, bluebirds, cardinals, gray catbirds, and cedar waxwings    Less common birds that I have only ever seen because of the pokeberry are the Eastern Wood-Pewee (VA & PA) and the Blackpoll warbler (or one very much like it! VA).  In the book, American Wildlife & Plants, Martin, Zim, & Nelson (1951) note that pokeberries also attract thrushes, vireos, woodpeckers, grosbeaks, and other treasurable characters of the bird world.

If your pokeweed berries are ripe, please comment below as to what birds you have spotted!

*Pokeweed shoots--not the berries!--are edible for humans; however, these greens must be processed properly to eliminate the toxins.

References

Martin, A. C., Zim, H. S., & Nelson, A. L., American Wildlife & Plants, 1951, p. 392. Now available as a Dover reprint, this in an invaluable resource for creating wildlife-friendly gardens!