Next time you’re out for a walk, whether in the forest or along your street, see if you can spot some of these colorful fruits. They belong to an invasive, perennial, semi-woody vine called bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara). Bittersweet nightshade originated in Eurasia, but is now common throughout much of the United States. It is common in disturbed habitats, forested edges, and along stream banks and wetland margins.

This plant’s unique leaf shape, which is deeply divided into almost three (sometimes 5) separate leaflets, makes bittersweet nightshade readily identifiable for much of the growing season even without flowers or fruit. But with the presence of either, it’s unmistakable. If you look carefully, you may still be able find a few individual flowers in bloom, but the main bloom time for bittersweet nightshade in this area is more typically in July through early August. The flowers are borne in branching clusters arising from leaf axils. Each flower has 5 purple petals that can be held dramatically backwards away from a prominent central yellow spike-like feature: a ring of stamens surrounding a single slender pistil. This time of year, however, it’s the berries that will more likely catch your attention. The fruits all start green, and then transition through the spectrum to red as they ripen. I particularly enjoy finding a cluster of berries with multiple colors; they remind me of a pile of Skittles. Although not all plants in the nightshade family are toxic (in fact, our cultivated tomatoes belong to this family), the name “nightshade” does have poisonous connotations. While bittersweet nightshade isn’t as deadly as its name might suggest, all parts of the plant, including the berries, are mildly toxic and can make you sick if eaten.