This plant does not look like it belongs in staid New England. It seems tropical in its absurd colors. It gives me many Moments of Joy and has done so since childhood.

This is pokeweed and it is a one-of-a-kind plant. It grows each year from ground level into 5 or 8 foot tall plants, with thick, green limbs.

It comes up with strange non-edible berries each year that start out green and turn deep purple. (I spent many summers with purple fingers from fooling with those juicy berries.)

In this stage the berries are bright green and the stems are screaming hot pink-purple.

Pokeweed is edible, if you know how. I have not tried it… yet.