Folks, this plant (pokeweed, or Phytolacca americana) looks like Dr. Seuss’s fever dream and I love it! The colors alone make them stand out in the ditches right now and it is so worth stopping to take a closer look. I took some cuttings of pokeberry inside today so I could shoot them in the studio — my goal was making tightly-cropped photos to really show off the detail in the berries, but in the end I liked this wider shot where you can see pokeweed in all its glory: berries, leaves and bright fuchsia stems. What a looker!
If you run across some pokeweed, bring it home with you to enjoy — I brought these cuttings home to photograph, plunked them in a vase of water and they have held up great for nearly a week. Might not be Chip and Joanna Gaines-level home decor but what can I say, I like weeds! (Pokeweed is toxic to mammals, though, so enjoy it only with your eyes.)
