Invasive Species update

 Upon my 2nd visit to my Field Study location I noticed how little the invasive species had changed in the past few weeks. 

- They're the same height, their berries are just abundant and they don't seem to be drying out because of the colder weather. 

The only real difference is that the stalks are turning bright pink. 

I did some research to figure out what this plant was. 

My first step was to ask my dad who goes in these woods a lot, he thought they were elderberry, so I searched up photos of elderberry. Then I researched invasive plants in Holland Michigan when I came across a plant that looked just like the one in these pictures. I dug further and found out that they were actually pokeberry. 

As you can see, these two images show the same plant. The first image is my image of the plant growing in the forest behind my house and the 2nd is an image from google. 

You can tell the difference between pokeweed and elderberry by their berries, as shown here. The image to the left is elderberry and the image to the right is pokeweed. 

I then researched pokeweed and found some interesting information from Pokeweed - www.canr.msu.edu; 

Pokeweed can grow up to 6-8 ft, 6 in in diameter and 12 in in depth. 

It springs up in the late summer and has green (at the beginning) --> purple/black berries when mature. 

They spread easily because many different types of birds eat them, and they affect the growth of corn and soybeans.

The most interesting information I found was that pokeweed becomes perennial after 5-9 weeks, which means unless the roots are removed, the plant will essentially live forever.  

** I've also been reading that pokeweed can act like poison ivy or poison oak and can produce a rash and itchiness if it comes into contact with a person's skin.