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| At the bottom of the arboretum drainage near the Fitness Center, an interesting, potentially poisonous weed popped up in a bed devoted to a few fringe trees (Chionanthus virginicus). The weed rapidly grew, started flowering, and producing fruits. That's a rapid colonizer. |
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| This is pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), a local favorite, celebrated each year in Blanchard at the Poke Salad Festival. This was formerly a very important species in this area, so it's worth paying attention to. It volunteered in a sunny, wet location, next to the concrete channel that runs under the Fitness Center ramp. This is a relatively small pokeweed plant, only standing about two feet tall. Other individuals of this species can grow several feet high. |
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| In the photograph, we see one long raceme with a few white flowers and two developing white racemes. |
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| The green, rounded structures are immature fruits. They are expected to turn dark purple or black. Unfortunately, these photos do not capture the characteristic pink-purple stems. If our volunteer pokeweed stays in the game, more photos will be posted. |
