The genus name is derived from the Greek geranos, a crane, relating to the bill-like fruit. Volunteers of Wooded Edges, Gardens, or Ditches Japanese honeysuckle - Lonicera japonica Japanese honeysuckle is a woody vine introduced from Asia in the 1800's as an ornamental vine. The sweet smelling white and yellow flowers bloom from May through July. It is reported to grow up to 30 feet in one year and will engulf a woodland and strangle all vegetation. It outcompetes the native flora.
Birds are fond of the blackberries and thus spread the seeds over large areas.
Pokeweed - Phytolacca americana Pokeweed is a native perennial that can grow up to six feet tall. Although the plant is poisonous, especially the roots and berries, the springtime leaves can be boiled and eaten as a green. The berries were used by the settlers in the New World to make one of the first natural inks. Birds feed on the berries and sometimes act drunk afterwards. Smartweed - Polygonum sp.