Discovering Nightshade

While waiting patiently to see everything that was going to emerge in our yard, my roommate and I made a startling discovery around our fence. Beautiful, 4-foot tall stems with gorgeous blue-violet and yellow flowers. Bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara).

Bittersweet nightshade along my fence.

There's a lot of talk about nightshade and almost everyone has heard the term before. While this isn't belladonna (Atropa belladonna), the plant most commonly referred to as "deadly nightshade," it is still something I don't particularly want in my yard.

If you want to read a little about the differences between the two species, check out this link!

Bittersweet nightshade can reach heights of up to 6' 6" and is often a vining plant. The flowers are more than gorgeous; it's no wonder why the plant is introduced in the U.S. While it's not considered invasive in Indiana, it is in several other states. It's also poisonous to people and animals, although the toxicity of this particular species is often debated.

I haven't gotten around to ripping it out yet -- unfortunately it's not going to be an easy task. Fortunately, however, there isn't too much of it around my yard. A few scraggly vines growing here and there around my fence.