white baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) berries at Lake Meyer Park IA 653A9868
There are lots of ripe berries out in the forests and open fields around here now, and these white baneberries are one of my favorites to find - but not to eat! These delightful "doll's eyes" on their bright red stems are in fact very dangerous to ingest as the berries contain toxins that slow down human heart muscles and quickly cause cardiac arrest - otherwise called death.
white baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) berries at Lake Meyer Park IA 653A9868
There are lots of ripe berries out in the forests and open fields around here now, and these white baneberries are one of my favorites to find - but not to eat! These delightful "doll's eyes" on their bright red stems are in fact very dangerous to ingest as the berries contain toxins that slow down human heart muscles and quickly cause cardiac arrest - otherwise called death.